oil sand
noun Geology.
a sand or sandstone containing oil or tarry residue in the pore spaces.
Origin of oil sand
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85
Words nearby oil sand
oil palm,
oil pan,
oil patch,
oil rig,
oil rivers,
oil sand,
oil sands,
oil shale,
oil slick,
oil spill,
oil tanker
British Dictionary definitions for oil sands
oil sand
noun
a sandstone impregnated with hydrocarbons, esp such deposits in Alberta, Canada
Scientific definitions for oil sands
oil sand
A stratum of sand or sandstone containing petroleum that can be extracted by way of wells. The term is also applied to limestone and dolomite strata that contain petroleum.
Cultural definitions for oil sands
oil sands
Surface deposits of tarry sand that contain large quantities of petroleum.
notes for oil sands
The major deposits of oil sands in
North America are in the western United States and northern
Canada.
notes for oil sands
Extracting the oil from these sands is difficult and expensive.