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The Alberta Oil Sands
The Alberta Oil Sands
Where are the Oil Sands?
Alberta Oil SandsThere are 3 major Deposits:1. Athabasca2. Cold Lake3. The Carbonate Triangle:
Peace River, Wabasca and Buffalo Head Hills
The Athabasca Deposit is the largest, and is the only area being mined.
Cold Lake deposit is only being drilled (in-situ).
The Carbonate Triangle is too difficult to access currently
What Type of Ecozone?
The Oil Sands are found in the boreal plains ecozone.
Canada’s largest biome and contains many animals, plants and products.
Human activities are causing stress and changes to this land.
Cumulative and long-term effects will cause far-reaching and potentially disastrous changes to the forest.
What is a Watershed?
What is a Watershed?• An area that drains all surface water into the same
body of water• Starts as tiny trickles of water and becomes large
rivers and oceans• Always flow from high elevation to low elevation,
and from upstream to downstream
The Athabasca Watershed
The water starts in the Rocky Mountains and flows NORTH towards the Arctic Ocean.
The Athabasca oil sands are in the middle of the watershed, which means waters downstream can be affected by its pollution.
Alberta Watersheds
What are the Oil Sands?• The sands are in the ground and are a mix
of: sand, clay, water, and viscous petroleum = BITUMEN
• Bitumen exists in the semi-solid or solid phase of natural deposits
• It will not flow unless:– Heated– Diluted
METHOD 1: Mining
• When sands are 40-60 m deep• Remove overlying soil and rock• Excavate the oil sands
EXTRACTION (Oil from Sands)
• Hot water and solvents (e.g. caustic soda) are added to the sands
• Slurry is piped to extraction plant• It is agitated and bitumen is skimmed from top• Sand, water, fine clays and minerals are called
the tailings and are sent to tailing ponds• Bitumen is further processed to become crude
oil
METHOD 2: In Situ (Drilling)• When sands are buried
too deep• >75 m, often 350-600
m below the surface• Steam, solvents or
thermal energy make the bitumen flow
• It is then pumped by a well to the surface
Nature of Things Documentary
• Video - The Nature of Things with David Suzuki | CBC-TV
Environmental Problems?
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/videos/index.html#0a4NSyDVBPl_gDeUcQjEP_Vz9ewPT2_S
