Tar sands contain bitumen along with which materials?

Tar sands contain bitumen along with which materials?

• A. Bitumen and natural gas
• B. Clay, sand, water
• C. Clay, sand, water, and bitumen
• D. Sandstone and quartz

Answer: (C)

Tar sands are a heterogeneous mixture where heavy bitumen is trapped in a matrix of sand with clay minerals, and water occupies the spaces between the grains. Bitumen coats or fills the pore spaces in a sand-clay framework, and water is present within those pores as well. This combination of sand, clay, water, and bitumen is what defines tar sands. Natural gas isn’t a typical component of the tar-sand material, and referring to sandstone or quartz would describe the rock types rather than the actual mixture found in tar sands. So, the materials present alongside bitumen are clay, sand, and water, all together with the bitumen itself.

Tar sands are a heterogeneous mixture where heavy bitumen is trapped in a matrix of sand with clay minerals, and water occupies the spaces between the grains. Bitumen coats or fills the pore spaces in a sand-clay framework, and water is present within those pores as well. This combination of sand, clay, water, and bitumen is what defines tar sands. Natural gas isn’t a typical component of the tar-sand material, and referring to sandstone or quartz would describe the rock types rather than the actual mixture found in tar sands. So, the materials present alongside bitumen are clay, sand, and water, all together with the bitumen itself.