Tar shale

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Often called oil sand and similar to oil shale, tar shale is sand impregnated with bitumen, minerals (such as clay and sand) and water. The hydrocarbons present in oil sand can be extracted and further refined in the same manner as crude oil pumped from the ground. Unlike petroleum, oil sand must be mined and processed, which is less efficient than simply pumping oil.

Using current technology there are more reserves of extractable hydrocarbons in oil sand than the oil reserves in the Middle East.