Tarmac

[Lanell]

A mixture of crushed rock and tar with was a pre curser to modern Asphalt.
Of course you only hear the word now days by [nit wit] news people who picked up the term after the 1972 TWA [hi-jacking] where British reporters on the scene referred to the airliner sitting on the [tarmac]. In British terms they commonly use tarmac like we in the USA would use the word Asphalt. As is so common with reporters they like to repeat words and phrases that have an International flavor whether they know the meaning or not.

[Zipporah Schumaker]

Material used for surfacing roads or other outdoor areas, consisting of crushed rock mixed with tar.