Oil sands, also known as tar sands, are a mixture of sand, clay, water, and a thick, sticky form of petroleum called bitumen. These deposits are found in various locations, with the largest reserves located in Canada, particularly in the Athabasca Oil Sands region. Extracting oil from these sands involves mining or in-situ methods to separate the bitumen from the sand. The extraction process is energy-intensive and can have significant environmental impacts, including habitat disruption and greenhouse gas emissions. Once extracted, bitumen must be upgraded to synthetic crude oil before it can be refined into usable products like gasoline and diesel.