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The Alberta oil sands near Ft. McMurray, Alberta, have been estimated by many to contain at least 300,000,000,000 bbls of oil, and would therefore be classed as the largest potential oil field in the world. The oil sand deposit is considered to be non-marine in origin and consists mainly of very fine-grained, angular, quartz grains with the viscous oil acting as a binding agent. Lenticular beds of clay and extensive cross-bedding indicates deltaic conditions with intermittent flooding periods during deposition. Extensive research has shown that the problems of extraction, transportation, plant design and location are surmountable, and oil production from the sands is forseeable in the near future.