|
The value of the deposit was obvious from the start, but the means of extracting the bitumen was not. The nearest town, [[Fort McMurray, Alberta]], was a small fur trading post, other markets were far away, and transportation costs were too high to ship the raw bituminous sand for paving. In 1915, Sidney Ells of the Federal Mines Branch experimented with separation techniques and used the product to pave 600 feet of road in [[Edmonton]], Alberta. Other roads in Alberta were paved with material extracted from oil sands, but it was generally not economic. During the 1920s [[Karl Clark (chemist)|Dr. Karl A. Clark]] of the [[Alberta Research Council]] patented a hot water oil separation process and entrepreneur Robert C. Fitzsimmons<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.canadianpetroleumhalloffame.ca/robert-fitzsimmons.html | title = Robert C. Fitzsimmons (1881–1971) | year = 2010 | publisher = Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame | access-date = 20 January 2016}}</ref> built the [[Bitumount]] oil separation plant, which between 1925 and 1958 produced up to {{convert|300|oilbbl|sigfig=1}} per day of bitumen using Dr. Clark's method. Most of the bitumen was used for waterproofing roofs, but other uses included fuels, lubrication oils, printers ink, medicines, rust- and acid-proof paints, fireproof roofing, street paving, patent leather, and fence post preservatives.<ref name = oilsandfacts/> Eventually Fitzsimmons ran out of money and the plant was taken over by the Alberta government. Today the Bitumount plant is a [[Provincial historic sites of Alberta|Provincial Historic Site]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/bitumount/default.aspx | title = Bitumount | year = 2016 | publisher = Government of Alberta | access-date = 20 January 2016}}</ref>
Lake Guanoco''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''Lago Guanoco'' or ''Lago de Asfalto de Guanoco'', also '''Lake Bermudez''') is the world's second largest natural [[tar pit]] and lies in [[Venezuela]] in northern [[South America]].
===Venezuela===
Lake Guanoco is one of the five natural asphalt lake areas in the world, the others being [[Pitch Lake]] in [[Trinidad and Tobago]] and [[La Brea Tar Pits]] ([[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]), [[McKittrick Tar Pits]] ([[McKittrick, California|McKittrick]]) and [[Carpinteria Tar Pits]] ([[Carpinteria, California|Carpinteria]]) all located in the [[United States|US]] state of [[California]].<ref name=A>{{cite web|url=http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Places/places_thepitchlake2.html |title=Pitch Lake |accessdate=2010-08-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616103227/http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Places/places_thepitchlake2.html |archivedate=2011-06-16 }}, National Library and Information System Authority, National Library of Trinidad and Tobago, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref><ref name=E>[http://www.geulogy.com/guanoco_lake_bermudezlake_pitchlake_largo_la_brea_venezuela.html ], Electric Universe Geology.com, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref><ref name=F>[http://www.everythingselectric.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=c34dbf34ead3758af5254abb916d96e5&topic=198.msg561#msg561], Electric Universe Theory Forum, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref>
Lake Guanoco lies in the state of [[Sucre (state)|Estado Sucre]] about {{convert|140|km|mi|abbr=on}} southeast of [[Cumaná]] close to ''[[Libertador Municipality, Sucre|Libertador]]'' at the Guanoco River only about {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of the ''[[Golfo de Paria]]''.<ref name=D>[[s:Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 81.djvu/176]], WikiSource, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref>
The asphalt lake has a surface area of about {{convert|445|ha|acre|abbr=on|lk=on}} and the depth varies between {{convert|1.5|to|2|m|ft|abbr=on}}.
<ref name=E/><ref name=C>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/247807/Guanoco-Lake], Encyclopædia Britannica, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref><ref name=G>{{cite web|url=http://www.inveas.org.ve/noticias.asp?id%3D20 |title=Instituto Venezolano del Asfalto |accessdate=2010-08-28 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310235811/http://www.inveas.org.ve/noticias.asp?id=20 |archivedate=2012-03-10 }}, Instituto Venezolano del Asfalto INVEAS.org, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref> Even though Lake Guanoco is larger in area than Trinidad's Pitch Lake 40,5 ha (100 acres), it is smaller in volume; nevertheless its tar is purer.{{Cn|date=March 2024}}
Lake Guanoco is also different from other asphalt lakes as it is covered in vegetation.{{Cn|date=March 2024}} All asphalt lakes were probably created during the [[Pleistocene]] [[Epoch (geology)|epoch]] and share the same geological principle.
Asphalt lakes are the largest examples of natural [[Petroleum seep|oil seeps]]. They occur when oil migrating toward the surface as a result of buoyancy (oil is lighter than ground water) actually reaches the surface, instead of being trapped in deeper stratigraphic layers. The reason the petroleum becomes asphaltic, or tarry, is the action of oil-metabolizing bacteria. This process of [[biodegradation]] occurs close to the earth's surface, where temperatures are low enough for the bacteria to thrive, and where the oil is surrounded by fresh meteoric water.
It is unknown when Lake Guanoco was discovered, it has been known for a long time by the [[Warao people]] who used the asphalt for [[caulk]] their canoes.<ref name="G" />
In 1799 German Explorer [[Alexander von Humboldt]] described the site during his [[Alexander von Humboldt#Spanish American expedition, 1799–1804|Latin American expedition]] as "The spring of the good priest" ("''Quelle des guten Priesters''").<ref name=G/><ref name=H>[http://www.parianatours.com/regionen/paria.html], PariaTours.de (in German), accessdate=2010-08-28</ref>
In 1883 the government of Venezuela signed a contract with Americans Horacio R. Hamilton and Jorge A. Phillips who received concessions for 25 years to mine asphalt.<ref name=F/><ref name=G/> This concession caused some debate as the profits went to foreign companies.{{Cn|date=March 2024}}
In 1890 the mining started by the [[:es:New York & Bermúdez Company|New York & Bermúdez Company]], a subsidiary of [[General Asphalt]] based in New York. In 1899 the government under [[Cipriano Castro]] put higher taxes on the company; in response the company supported politically the opposing side under [[Manuel Antonio Matos]]. The conflict escalated and culminated in 1902–1903 in the "Asphalt War".<ref name=E/><ref name=F/><ref name=G/> The conflict even led to a temporary interruption in the diplomatic relations with the US between June and December 1908, after Castro had [[Expropriation|expropriated]] the company.<ref name=X>[http://www.orienteweb.com/Sitios/PariaLagoGuanoco.html], OrienteWeb, accessdate=2010-08-28</ref>
In 1934 the commercial mining of the asphalt stopped and has not been re-established since.<ref name=C/><ref name=G/><ref name=X/>
The '''Orinoco Belt''' is a territory in the southern strip of the eastern [[Orinoco River]] Basin in [[Venezuela]] which overlies the world's largest deposits of ultra heavy [[petroleum]]. Its former local [[Spanish language|Spanish]] name was ''Faja Bituminosa del Orinoco'' (Orinoco Bituminous Belt).
The Orinoco Belt is located in [[Guárico]] and south of the [[Anzoátegui]], [[Monagas]], and [[Delta Amacuro]] states, and it follows the line of the river. It is approximately {{convert|600|km|mi|-1}} from east to west, and {{convert|70|km|mi}} from north to south, with an area about {{convert|55314|km²|sqmi}}.
The Orinoco Belt consists of large deposits of extra [[heavy crude]]. Venezuela's heavy oil deposits of about {{convert|1200|Goilbbl|m3}}, found primarily in the Orinoco Petroleum Belt, are estimated to approximately equal the world's reserves of lighter oil.<ref name=wec>
{{cite web
|publisher = World Energy Council
|url = http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/default/tech_papers/17th_congress/3_1_04.asp
|author = Pierre-René Bauquis
|title = What the future for extra heavy oil and bitumen: the Orinoco case
|date = 2006-02-16
|access-date = 2007-07-10
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070402100135/http://www.worldenergy.org/wec-geis/publications/default/tech_papers/17th_congress/3_1_04.asp
|archive-date = 2007-04-02
}}
</ref> [[Petróleos de Venezuela S.A.]] has estimated that the producible reserves of the Orinoco Belt are up to {{convert|235|Goilbbl|m3}} which would make it the largest [[petroleum]] [[Oil reserves|reserve]] in the world, slightly ahead of the similar [[unconventional oil]] source in the [[Athabasca oil sands]], and before [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name=Figaro>
{{cite news
| publisher= [[Le Figaro]]
| url= http://www.lefigaro.fr/matieres/20070430.FIG000000234_le_venezuela_nationalise_son_eldorado_petrolier.html
| title = Le Venezuela nationalise son eldorado pétrolier
| date = 2007-04-30
| access-date=2008-12-16
| language = fr}}
</ref> In 2009, the [[US Geological Survey]] increased the estimated reserves to {{convert|513|Goilbbl|m3}} of oil which is "technically recoverable (producible using currently available technology and industry practices)." No estimate of how much of the oil is economically recoverable was made.<ref name="USGS Venezuela">{{cite web|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2009/3028/pdf/FS09-3028.pdf|title=An Estimate of Recoverable Heavy Oil Resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt, Venezuela|author1=Christopher J. Schenk |author2=Troy A. Cook |author3=Ronald R. Charpentier |author4=Richard M. Pollastro |author5=Timothy R. Klett |author6=Marilyn E. Tennyson |author7=Mark A. Kirschbaum |author8=Michael E. Brownfield |author9=Janet K. Pitman. |name-list-style=amp |date=11 January 2010|publisher=USGS|access-date=23 January 2010}}</ref>
The Orinoco Belt is currently divided into four exploration and production areas. These are: Boyacá (formerly Machete), Junín (formerly Zuata), Ayacucho (formerly Hamaca), and Carabobo (formerly Cerro Negro). The current exploration area is about {{convert|11593|km2}}.
===Trinidad===
[[Image:Trinidad pitch lake ENG.png|thumb|Map showing location of the Pitch Lake]]
The '''Pitch Lake''' is the largest natural deposit of [[Bitumen|asphalt]] in the world, estimated to contain 10 million tons. It is located in [[La Brea (Trinidad and Tobago)|La Brea]] in southwest [[Trinidad]], within the [[Siparia Regional Corporation]]. The lake covers about 100 acres (0.405 square kilometres) and is reported to be 250 feet (76.2 metres) deep.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Pitch Lake|url=http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/collections/research/trinidad/pitch-lake.aspx|publisher=National Museums Liverpool|access-date=2018-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001085634/http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/collections/research/trinidad/pitch-lake.aspx|archive-date=2018-10-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:Digging asphalt, Pitch Lake, Trinidad, W.I., by Detroit Publishing Company, 1890s, from the Library of Congress - det.4a05483.jpg|thumb|Pitch Lake, ca. 1890]]
The Pitch Lake was discovered by Sir [[Walter Raleigh]] in his [[Raleigh's El Dorado Expedition|expedition there in 1595]]. Raleigh himself found immediate use for the asphalt to [[caulk]] his ship. He referred to the pitch as "most excellent... It melteth not with the sun as the pitch of Norway".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/la_brea__home_of_the_pitch_lake-184636341.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216143939/https://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/la_brea__home_of_the_pitch_lake-184636341.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2018-02-16|title=Trinidad Express Newspapers: {{!}} La Brea, home of the pitch lake|date=2018-02-16|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref> Raleigh was informed of the lake’s location by the native Amerindians, who had their own story about the origin of the lake. The story goes that the indigenous people were celebrating a victory over a rival tribe when they got carried away in their celebration. They proceeded to cook and eat the sacred hummingbird which they believed possessed the souls of their ancestors.<ref>"La Brea, Pitch Lake," UNESCO World Heritage Centre, August 2011, accessed September 28, 2018, https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5645/.</ref> According to legend, their winged God punished them by opening the earth and conjuring the pitch lake to swallow the entire village, and the lake became a permanent stain and a reminder of their sins. The local villages believe this legend due to the many Amerindian artifacts and a cranium that have been discovered, preserved, in the pitch.<ref>Brock, Fiona, Joanna Ostapkowicz, Alex C. Wiedenhoeft, and Ian D. Bull. "Radiocarbon Dating Wooden Carvings and Skeletal Remains from Pitch Lake, Trinidad." Radiocarbon 59, no. 05 (October 2017): 1447-461. Accessed September 26, 2018. doi:10.1017/rdc.2017.78.</ref>
In the 1840s, [[Abraham Pineo Gesner]] first obtained [[kerosene]] from a sample of Pitch Lake [[bitumen]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gesner |first1=Abraham |title=A Practical Treatise of Coal, Petroleum, and Other Distilled Oils |url=https://archive.org/details/cihm_47763/page/n29/mode/2up?q=trinidad |website=Internet Archive |publisher=Bailliere Brothers |access-date=27 June 2020 |pages=26–28 |date=1861}}</ref>
In 1887, [[Amzi L. Barber]], an American businessman known as "The Asphalt King", secured a 42-year monopoly concession from the British Government for the Pitch Lake for his company, [[Barber Asphalt Paving Company]]. It was from this source that many of the first asphalt roads of New York City, Washington D.C., and other Eastern U.S. cities were paved.<ref>Daniel Smith Lamb, Historical, Biographical and Statistical Souvenir (Washington: Beresford: Howard University Medical Department, 1900), 86.</ref>
Since its re-discovery, there have been numerous research investigations into the use and chemical composition of this material. There have been countless theories, postulations, and conclusions as to the size, source, and origin of the asphalt.{{Cn|date=March 2024}}
[[File:Generalized geology of Trinidad.png|thumb|Generalized [[geologic map]] of Trinidad. The Los Bajos [[wrench fault]] cuts across the southwest portion of the island.]]
[[File:Stratigraphic Column for Trinidad.png|thumb|[[Stratigraphic Column]] for Trinidad]]
The origin of The Pitch Lake is related to deep [[Geologic fault|faults]] in connection with [[subduction]] under the [[Caribbean Plate]] related to Barbados Arc. The lake has not been studied extensively, but it is believed that the lake is at the intersection of two faults, which allows oil from a deep deposit to be forced up.<ref>{{cite web | title=A Gravity Investigation of the Pitch Lake Of Trinidad And Tobago | work=Geological Society of Trinidad & Tobago | url=http://www.gstt.org/Geology/pitch%20lake.htm | access-date=2008-05-27 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131053406/http://www.gstt.org/geology/pitch%20lake.htm | archive-date=2010-01-31 }}</ref> The lighter elements in the oil evaporate under the hot tropical sun, leaving behind the heavier asphalt. Bacterial action on the asphalt at low pressures creates petroleum in asphalt. The researchers indicated that [[extremophile]]s inhabited the asphalt lake in populations ranging between 10<sup>6</sup> and 10<sup>7</sup> cells/gram.<ref name="microbe">{{cite journal | last1 = Microbial | year = 2011| title = abstract | journal = Astrobiology | volume = 11 | issue = 3| pages = 241–258 | doi=10.1089/ast.2010.0488 | pmid = 21480792| bibcode=2011AsBio..11..241S| arxiv =1004.2047| s2cid = 22078593}}</ref><ref>[http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25051/ Microbial Life Found in Hydrocarbon Lake.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509124311/http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/25051/ |date=9 May 2012 }} ''the physics arXiv blog'' 15 April 2010.</ref> The Pitch Lake is one of several natural [[tar pit|asphalt lakes]] in the world, including [[La Brea Tar Pits]] ([[Los Angeles]]), the [[McKittrick Tar Pits]] ([[McKittrick, California|McKittrick]]) and the [[Carpinteria Tar Pits]] ([[Carpinteria, California|Carpinteria]]) in the [[United States|U.S.]] state of [[California]], and [[Lake Guanoco]] in the [[Republic of Venezuela]].
The regional geology of southern Trinidad consists of a trend of [[ridges]], [[anticline]]s with [[shale]] [[diapirism|diapiric]] cores, and [[mud volcanoes|sedimentary volcanoes]]. According to Woodside, "host muds and/or shales become [[geologic overpressure|over pressured]] and [[compaction (geology)|under compacted]] in relation to the surrounding sediments...mud or shale diapirs or mud volcanoes result because of the unstable semi-fluid nature of the methane-charged, undercompacted shales/muds." The mud volcanoes are aligned along east-northeast parallel trends. Woodside goes on to say, "The Asphalt Lake at Brighton represents a different kind of sedimentary volcanism in which gas and oil are acting on asphalt mixed with clay. This asphalt lake cuts across [[Miocene]]/[[Pliocene]] [[formation (geology)|formations]] overlying a complicated [[overthrust|thrust structure]]."<ref name=Woodside>Woodside, P.R., The Petroleum Geology of Trinidad and Tobago, 1981, USGS Report 81-660, Washington: US Dept. of the Interior, pp. 10</ref>
The first wells were drilled into Pitch Lake [[oil seep]]s in 1866. [[Kerosene]] was [[distilled]] from the [[pitch (resin)|pitch]] in the lake from 1860 to 1865. The Guayaguayare No. 3 well was drilled in 1903, but the first commercial well was drilled at the west end of the lake in 1903. Oil was then discovered in Point Fortin-Perrylands area, and in 1911, the Tabaquite Field was discovered. The Forest Reserve Field was discovered in 1914 and the Penal Field in 1941. The first offshore well was drilled in 1954 at Soldado.<ref name=Woodside/>{{rp|1}}
===Photography and art===
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