Subsurface Oiling Descriptors - Type

Photo of trench in sand showing a thick layer of oil deep under the sand.
Photo: Pebbles coated with brown oil.
Photo: A clump of heavily oiled sand on a shovel.
Trench cut in sand showing black oil, lightly-oiled sand, and sand with no oil.
Photo showing a small pool of water with a thin layer of floating oil.
Photo of trench in sand showing a thick layer of oil deep under the sand.
SAP - Subsurface Asphalt Pavement

A buried layer of hardened oil. An example of subsurface asphalt pavement is seen here as a black layer of oil buried in a white sand beach.

 Credit: Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc.
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Photo: Pebbles coated with brown oil.
OP - Oil-filled Pores

Pore spaces that are completely filled with oil, so that oil flows out of the sediments when they are disturbed. An example of oil-filled pores is seen here as brown oil in pebbles.

 Credit: Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc.
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Photo: A clump of heavily oiled sand on a shovel.
PP - Partially Filled Pores

Pore spaces that are filled with oil, which generally does not flow out of the sediments when they are disturbed.

 Credit: Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc.
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Trench cut in sand showing black oil, lightly-oiled sand, and sand with no oil.
OR - Oil Residue

Sediments that are visibly oiled, with black/brown coat or cover on clasts, but little or no accumulation of oil within pore spaces. In this photo, a trench cut in sand shows a thick section of black oil, a section of sand that is lightly oiled, and a section of sand with no oil.

 Credit: Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc.
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Photo showing a small pool of water with a thin layer of floating oil.
OF - Oil Film

Sediments that are lightly oiled, with an oil sheen or stain on the clasts.

 Credit: Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel of Research Planning, Inc.
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