Oil or Tar sands is a colloquialism for what are technically described as bituminous sands, and commonly known as oil sands or (in Venezuela) extra heavy oil. The sands are naturally occurring mixtures of sand or clay, water and an extremely dense and viscous form of petroleum called bitumen. They are found in large amounts in many countries throughout the world, but are found in extremely large quantities in Canada and Venezuela.

lastUpdated: Mon, 14 May 2012 16:56:00 CDT

There are three major oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada: The Athabasca Deposit, The Peace River Deposit, and The Cold Lake Deposit. The Athabasca Oil Sands are a large deposit of oil-rich bitumen, or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northern Alberta, Canada. These oil sands consist of a mixture of crude bitumen (a semi-solid form of crude oil), silica sand, clay minerals, and water.

lastUpdated: Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:00:00 CDT