A comprehensive guide to the alberta oil sands may 2011. By area, about 20% of the athabasca deposits can be surface fig. The athabasca oil sands represent a form of oil deposit significantly more expensive to collect and refine than traditional oil deposits, with operators of extraction facilities being much more vulnerable to fluctuations in the oil price than those at traditional oil fields. The athabasca tar sands also known as oil sands are a very large source of heavy, viscous oil, known as bitumen, located in alberta, canada. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world, behind only saudi arabia and venezuela.
The tar sands industry in northern alberta uses about 2. Oil floats on the surface of a tailing pond near fort mcmurray, alberta. The integrity of creation and the athabasca oil sands. The environmental impact assessment matrix is a simple way of summarizing which impacts are considered of greatest significance. Distribution of oil sands resources is severely controlled by the reservoir heterogeneity. Athabasca chipewyan first nation and the tar sands updates.
Hot water added to the tar sand creates a slurry, which is agitated to release the bitumen. The environmental perils of steam fracking oxnards tar sands peak operator peak plans to use risky techniques to extract heavy crude from the vaca tar sands. Tar sands also referred to as oil sands are a combination of clay, sand water and bitumen, a heavy black viscous oil. Media in category athabasca oil sands the following 112 files are in this category, out of 112 total. Edmonton a study conducted by university of alberta biologists and ecologists released monday concluded that toxic pollutants found in albertas athabasca river came from the oil sands. The athabasca oil sands or tar sands are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern alberta, canada roughly centred on the boomtown of fort mcmurray. Since then, oil sands production has outpaced conventional oil production. The early cretaceous mcmurray formation in the athabasca area of northeast alberta is the main reservoir for the athabasca oil sands. The oil sands are found mainly in the athabasca, peace river and cold lake areas of alberta.
The athabasca chipewyan first nation acfn and the mikisew cree first nation mcfn held a press conference in edmonton on monday, july 7 in conjunction with the release of environmental and human health implications of the athabasca oil sands, a study that is the first to document associations between oil sandsperpetrated environmental. We see that with each year there is more and more land that is cleared of forests for the extraction of the tar sands. New federal research has strongly backed suspicions that toxic chemicals from albertas vast oil sands tailings ponds are leaching into groundwater and seeping into the athabasca river. Athabasca tar sands industrial footprint hachured as of march 2008. The athabasca chipewyan first nation acfn and the mikisew cree first nation mcfn held a press conference in edmonton on monday, july 7 in conjunction with the release of environmental and human health implications of the athabasca oil sands, a study that is the first to document associations between oil sands perpetrated environmental. O aranz geo combining hydrogeosphere with leapfrog has significantly advanced the project and given a better understanding of basin hydrological processes and the impacts of climate.
The integrity of creation and the athabasca tar sands oil. Pdf a regional geologic framework for the athabasca oil sands. Rock physics driven seismic data processing for the athabasca. Cree indians showed tar in their canoes to the english at a hudson bay post, on hudson bay. Mackenzie is frequently given credit for the tar sands discovery in 1779.
The disposal of tailings from the hot water extraction process represents the most imminent environmental constraint to the future expansion of this recovery method. Although the provincial study con firmed only 2 cholangiocarcinoma cases, and oconnor reported 2 con firmed and 3 suspected, oconnor says the study confirms he and his patients were right to be alarmed. In the article new map shows dramatic time lapse of tar sands deforestation by kevin grandia, we can see just how vast the deforestation of the tar sands areas are. Tar sands pipelines safety risks insideclimate news. The athabasca oil sands are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern alberta, canada roughly centred on the boomtown of fort mcmurray. Reservoir and bitumen heterogeneity in athabasca oil sands. This paper is to be presented at the petroleum societys canadian international petroleum conference 2001, calgary, alberta. The athabasca tar sands first came to the attention of european fur traders in 1719 when wapasu, a cree trader, brought a sample of bituminous sands to the hudsons bay company post at york factory on hudson bay where henry kelsey was the manager. Tar sands or oil sands are a lowgrade petroleum deposit, a very viscous mix of clay, sand, water and oilrich bitumen think asphalt. Sep 25, 2014 the top layer of muskeg and earth right, and the underlying tar sands left after the removal of the muskeg, at the syncrude tar sands operations near fort mcmurray, alberta, on september 17, 2014. The tailings are held in giant ponds many of which are located adjacent to the athabasca river, a main water artery that runs through eastern alberta. The technology that the tar sands industry relies on has evolved over time. Chris seversonbaker, down to the last drop the athabasca river and oil.
While conventional oil has held steady, oil sands output has gone up from 1 million barrels per day in 2005 to 2. The top layer of muskeg and earth right, and the underlying tar sands left after the removal of the muskeg, at the syncrude tar sands operations near. An edge between the old industrial paradigm and the new sustainability paradigm by tom martin a paper prepared between 2008 2011 in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the certificate in process work, the process work institute, portland, oregon, usa. The city sits on the athabasca tar sands, the worlds largest. The very nature of extracting oil from the tar sands and making it profitable means that industry is. Evaluation of oil sands resources a case study in the. Oil sands properties the samples are loose sands held together by bitumen from shallow depth around 300m. The athabasca river winds nearly 1,500 kilometres from its source at the athabasca glacier in jasper national park to lake athabasca in wood buffalo national. Mar 23, 2020 below is an alphabetical listing of websites that include data or statistics related directly to the alberta oil sands industry or indirectly to the canadian petroleum industry in general. Snowmelt samples from around the oil sands mining and refining areas were found to be toxic to larval minnows at concentrations as low as 25%, in a recent study.
A pastoral letter on the integrity of creation and the athabasca oil sands to the faithful of the diocese of st. Comparing venezuelan and canadian heavy oil and tar sands. Peak will combine technologies known as cyclic steam injection also referred to as steam fracking and steamassisted gravity drainage, which involve injecting highly. There is a trend towards higher levels of biodegradation associated with oilwater contact zones, to level pm 9 very heavy. Tar sands, as they are called by environmentalists, or oil sands as they called by industry, are a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay or other minerals, water and bitumen. We measured the p and swave velocities of oil sands and bitumen from athabasca, alberta, by ultrasonic measurement system, and valuated the seismic velocities dependence on temperature and effective pressure. The athabasca oil sands represent a form of oil deposit significantly more expensive to collect and refine than traditional oil deposits, with operators of extraction facilities being much more vulnerable to fluctuations in the oil price than those at traditional oil fields with lower costs for startup and continued operation. Fort mcmurray, albertachief allan adam of the athabasca fort chipewyan first nation has issued a formal request to natural resources minister joe oliver and alberta premier allison redford to join the fourth annual tar sands healing walk in fort mcmurray on july 6. Nov 30, 2015 the athabasca oil sands are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern alberta, canada roughly centred on the boomtown of fort mcmurray. In grain size analysis, the sample is well sorted with a diameter of about 0. For example, a 1973 alberta environment report an environmental study of the athabasca tar sands states. However, levels of biodegradation may vary significantly within wells. The explorer, peter pond, noted these sands in 1778.
The athabasca oil sands are at once a source of oil, of economic growth, and of environmental concern. I continue to believe this article should be named athabasca tar sands. Lower athabasca region groundwater management framework. This series of images shows the growth of surface mines around the athabasca river from 1984 to the present. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Bitumen is a very heavy, thick and sticky oil that must be treated before it can be used by refineries to.
So the distribution and evaluation of oil sands form a critical basis for risk investment in canada. These oil sands, hosted primarily in the mcmurray formation, consist of a mixture of crude bitumen a semisolid rocklike form of crude oil, silica sand, clay minerals, and water. Athabasca tar sands development environmental impact statement matrix. Disturbing aerials reveal canadas vast tar sand mines wired. There are a number of companies involved in exploiting the deposit, though three major operations dominate the field. The canadian pipeline company transcanada has proposed a tar sands pipeline that could bring as much as 900,000 barrels per day bpd of costly and polluting fuel to the u. Oil sands is a neologism coined by oil industry spindoctors, to make the technology seem less polluting. The athabasca river winds nearly 1,500 kilometres from its source at the athabasca glacier in jasper national park to. However, this was really because he gave the best report on this resource. Deterministic modeling is commonly used to solve the heterogeneity problems in the reservoir, but rarely used to evaluate.
Federal study says oil sands toxins are leaching into. Aug 31, 2010 edmonton a study conducted by university of alberta biologists and ecologists released monday concluded that toxic pollutants found in albertas athabasca river came from the oil sands. Pdf on jan 1, 20, frances hein and others published a regional geologic framework for the athabasca oil sands, northeastern alberta, canada find. Athabasca oil sands subject guides at university of alberta. Disturbing aerials reveal canadas vast tar sand mines.
Authors creators alberta environment, standards and approvals division. Below is an alphabetical listing of websites that include data or statistics related directly to the alberta oil sands industry or indirectly to the canadian petroleum industry in general. The environmental perils of steam fracking oxnards tar sands. Tar sands became a more negative term only when it is associated with vivid descriptors such as being a monster that. The athabasca oil sands reservoirs of northeastern alberta are the primary source of this bitumen, comprising 80% of canadas total reserves wikipedia. Inset shows the study area within the regional context. Suncor millenium tar sands mine east of the athabasca river. Seismic refraction survey of tar sands deposits in ijebu. Waterwet sands maintain a rim of water around grains. Currently land disturbance due currently land disturbance due to oil 2sands development is about 600km 2, with tailings containment about 180km. Tar sands can be mined and processed to extract the oil rich bitumen, which is then refined into oil. According to log data, it is estimated that average porosity of oil sands is 35.
Oil sands are the most important of the oil and gas resources in canada. Velocity variation measured from ultrasonic measurements is. These images from landsat satellites show the growth of surface mines over the athabasca oil sands between 1984 and 2016. The athabasca oil sands also known as the athabasca tar sands are large deposits of bitumen, or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern alberta, canada roughly centred around the boomtown of fort mcmurray. Study finds albertas athabasca river polluted by oil sands. Athabasca oil sands project, canada mining technology. Paul on the occasion of the jubilee year in honour of st. Water and the tar sands climate action network canada. Located around fort mcmurray in the north of alberta, canada, the athabasca oil sands named after the river that cuts through the heart of the deposit is the largest of provinces three oil sands resources. The athabasca oil sands, also known as the athabasca tar sands, are large deposits of bitumen or extremely heavy crude oil, located in northeastern alberta.
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