What are the oil sands?
Oil sands are deposits of bitumen, a molasses-like viscous mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons that will not flow unless heated or diluted with lighter hydrocarbons. They are contained in three major areas — the Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake regions — and cover a total of nearly 140,200 square kilometers, an area larger than the state of Florida. Second only to the Saudi Arabia reserves, Alberta's oil sands deposits are a huge source of energy that could potentially supply the world's demand for petroleum in the coming century.