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Shale rocks have become an indispensable natural gas and oil source. Hence, the knowledge of the mechanical properties of shales is critical for field applications. In this work, we selected three types of shales (argillaceous, kerogen-rich, and bituminous) and conducted detailed chemical and microstructural characterization along with mechanical property measurements by nanoindentation. The three shale samples have highly distinct mineral compositions. The argillaceous and kerogen-rich shales have soft matrix phases - muscovite and kerogen, respectively. The bituminous shale, on the contrary, has no distinct matrix phase and is rich in carbonates. Young's modulus and hardness were observed to be predominantly affected by the mineral composition. The kerogen-rich shale has the lowest Young's modulus and hardness, followed by the argillaceous shale, while the bituminous shale is the stiffest and …