Canada has the 3rd most oil reserves in the world.
The vast majority of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta.
Therefore, Alberta is the main reason Canada ranks so high.
Why is there so much oil in Alberta?
Alberta has so much oil because of the abundant amount of oil sands, mostly in the Athabasca region.
How the Alberta Oil Sands were Created
Millions of years ago, there was an inland sea over the area. Alberta was covered in water. This water was teeming with organisms.
As various different organisms in the sea die, they sink to the sea floor and break down. Over time, the sea drained away and left behind a slurry of dead plants and animals.
Geological forces applied heat and pressure over many years that slowly transformed these dead organisms into petroleum.
A great summary of how the oil sands were created, and why there is so much oil in Alberta.
In Summary
- Canada’s oil reserves are rank high globally, but only because of Alberta.
- Alberta makes up %97 of Canada’s total oil reserves.
- %99 of Alberta’s oil is derived from oil sands.
- Alberta has one of the highest oil reserves in the world because of the oil sands, mostly in the Athabasca region.
- Alberta is rich with oil sands because a massive inland sea once covered the area completely.
- Over millions of years, the sea drained away and formed the oil sands as a byproduct of all the dead ancient life forms.
