Definīcija:Tar sands, also referred to as oil sand or bituminous sand, is a combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen. Tar sands are mined for the oil rich bitumen which is refined into oil. Conventional oil is extracted by drilling traditional wells into the ground whereas tar sand deposits are mined using strip mining techniques. On average bitumen contains:
83.2% Carbon 10.4% Hydrogen 0.94% Oxygen 0.36% Nitrogen 4.8% Sulphur
