What does tar sand do?

Tar sands (also known as oil sands) are a mixture of mostly sand, clay, water, and a thick, molasses-like substance called bitumen. Bitumen is made of hydrocarbons—the same molecules in liquid oil—and is used to produce gasoline and other petroleum products.

Why are tar sands bad?

In fact, oil from tar sands is one of the most destructive, carbon-intensive and toxic fuels on the planet. Producing it releases three times as much greenhouse gas pollution as conventional crude oil does. In fact, it has become one of the fastest-growing sources of greenhouse gas emissions in that country.

What oil sands looks like?

Oil sands, also known as “tar sands,” are sediments or sedimentary rocks composed of sand, clay minerals, water, and bitumen. The oil is in the form of bitumen, a very heavy liquid or sticky black solid with a low melting temperature. Bitumen typically makes up about 5 to 15% of the deposit.

How big are the tar sands?

Canada’s Tar Sands are located in the Northern half of the province of Alberta along with some deposits in neighbouring Saskatchewan. Covering a landmass of 140,200 km2 (54,132 miles2), the deposits span a region larger than 24 US states, the country of Englan, or 2.5 times the size of Nova Scotia.

Is tar sand used in the US?

You might be surprised then to hear that there are tar sands deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, much of which are on public lands. While none of the American tar sands deposits are actively being developed yet, energy companies are frantically working to raise funds, secure approvals, and start extracting.

Is tar sand bad for the environment?

Tar sands extraction emits up to three times more global warming pollution than does producing the same quantity of conventional crude. It also depletes and pollutes freshwater resources and creates giant ponds of toxic waste.

Is tar sand oil clean?

Tar sands oil is harder to clean up than conventional crude.

Where is tar sand found?

The largest tar sand deposits are found in Canada (primarily in Alberta), Venezuela and several countries in the Middle East. The majority of U.S. tar sands resources are located in eastern Utah, with an estimated 12 billion-19 billion barrels of reserves.

Is tar sands a fossil fuel?

Tar sand, also called bituminous sand, deposit of loose sand or partially consolidated sandstone that is saturated with highly viscous bitumen. Oil recovered from tar sands is commonly referred to as synthetic crude and is a potentially significant form of fossil fuel.

Are tar sands natural?

Tar sands (also called oil sands) are a mixture of sand, clay, water, and bitumen. Bitumen is a thick, sticky, black oil that can form naturally in a variety of ways, usually when lighter oil is degraded by bacteria.