Page "Asphalt" Paragraph 5

The terms asphalt and bitumen are often used interchangeably to mean both natural and manufactured forms of the substance.

In American English, asphalt ( or asphalt cement ) is the carefully refined residue from the distillation process of selected crude oils.

Outside the United States, the product is often called bitumen.

Natural deposits terminology also sometimes uses the word bitumen, such as at the La Brea Tar Pits.