oil sands

noun Geology.

1. a sand or sandstone containing oil or tarry residue in the pore spaces.

noun

1. a sandstone impregnated with hydrocarbons, esp such deposits in Alberta, Canada

1. 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.

Surface deposits of tarry sand that contain large quantities of petroleum.