Oil Sands

Bituminous sands - colloquially known as oil sands (and sometimes referred to as tar sands) - are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen (or colloquially “tar” due to its similar appearance, odor, and color). Oil sands are found in large amounts in many countries throughout the world, but are found in extremely large quantities in Canada and Venezuela. The earliest known mention of oil sands dates back almost 300 years ago. Canadian aboriginals used the bitumen from the oil sands to waterproof their canoes.