ENERGY AND MINERAL RESOURCES

Ch. 4.1

CHAPTER 4:EARTH’S RESOURCES

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources Renewable resource: can be replenished

over fairly short time spans (months, years, decades) Examples: trees, cotton, other crops, fish,

livestock, sun, wind, water

Nonrenewable resource: takes millions of years to form and accumulate Examples: coal, petroleum, natural gas,

minerals

Fossil Fuels

Any hydrocarbon that can be used as an energy source. Coal Oil Natural Gas Tar Sands Oil Shale

4 Stages of Coal

1. PeatSofter

- plant (Releases less heat)

2. Lignite - sedimentary

3. B-Coal (Bituminous) - sedimentary

4. A-Coal (Anthracite) Harder

- metamorphic (Releases more heat)

A-Coal vs. B-Coal

Harder & dense More carbon Burns cleaner &

longer Met. rock Shiny Least abundant

Softer & less dense Less C Burns dirtier Sed. rock Dull More abundant

Petroleum and Natural Gas

Petroleum (oil): organic remains buried in ocean floor sediments – liquid

Natural gas: organic remains buried in ocean floor sediments – gas

Oil Traps must have: 1. Permeable reservoir

rock2. Cap rock - shale

Other Fossil Fuels

Tar Sands: Sand and

tarmixture

Oil Shale:Rock thatcontains oil

Mineral Deposits

Ore: useful metallic minerals that can be mined at a profit

Gangue: unwanted materials in rock

3 Types of Deposits

Igneous Processes: heavy minerals settle to the bottom

of magma chambers

Hydrothermal Solutions: minerals left after the late stages of magma movement

Placer Deposits: heavy, durable minerals settle from moving water

Nonmetallic Mineral Resources

Mined for their physical and chemical properties

2 groups:1. Building Materials

– Limestone, aggregates

2. Industrial Materials– Garnet, quartz, diamond

Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining

Before After

What’s in a pencil? Wood

Cedar – CA, OR “Lead”

Graphite – MO or Mexico Mixed with Clays – KY or GA

Eraser Soybean oil – S. America Latex – S. America Pumice – CA or NM Sulfur, Calcium, Barium

Metal Band Aluminum or Brass (from Cu

and Zn) – mined in 13 states Paint and laquer

Various minerals and metals Glue to hold it together

Various minerals and metals

Every year each person in our country uses about 11 pencils

ALTERNATE ENERGY SOURCES

Ch. 4.2

At our current rate of consumption, fossil fuels may only last 170 more years.

As population , consumption

Solar Energy

Advantages: Free No pollution

Disadvantages: Expensive

equipment Cloudy daysPassive Collectors: sun heats

objects, which radiate the heat

Active Collectors: Collect sunlight, transfer heat by circulating air or liquids

Solar Cells: convert sunlight directly into electricity

Nuclear Energy

Advantages: No emissions Inexpensive

Disadvantages: Hazardous waste Increased building

costs Potentially

dangerousNuclear fission: uranium atoms split when bombarded with neutrons, nuclei emit neutrons and heat energy = chain reaction to produce electricity

Wind Energy

Advantages: Free Produces a lot of

energy Disadvantages:

Noise pollution Large tracts of

land Bird migrationWind turns turbines to produce electricity

Hydroelectric Power

Advantages: Free No waste

Disadvantages: Sediment build-up Limited site

availability Flooding Fish migrations Water behind the dam is stored

energy that is released through the dam to produce electricity

Geothermal Energy

Advantages: Little

environmental impact

Disadvantages: Wells only last 10-

15 years Not available in

many locationsUnderground hot water is used for direct heat and to turn turbines to generate electricity

Tidal Power

Advantages: Free Clean

Disadvantages: Must have tidal

range of at least 8 m and a narrow, enclosed bay

Strong in-and-out flow turns turbines to produce electricity

WATER, AIR, AND LAND RESOURCES

Ch. 4.3

Water Pollution

Point source: comes from a known and specific location (you can point to it) Examples: factory pipes,

leaky landfill, leaky storage tank

Nonpoint source: not from a known, specific location (cannot point to it) Examples: runoff from

agriculture and cities

Runoff

Water that flows over land instead of seeping into the ground

Air Pollution

Pollution can change the chemical composition of the atmosphere, which maintains life.

Burning fossil fuels: major source of pollution Releases pollutants to form smog Pollutants combine with water vapor acid

rain pH acid rain 5.6…

Increases amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere (greenhouse gas)

Global Climate Change

Greenhouse Effect

Simulation?

PROTECTING RESOURCES

Ch. 4.4

Conservation

Conservation: the careful use of resources

The 3 Rs

The U.S. 6% of the world population Use 1/3 of the world’s resources Produce 1/3 of the world’s garbage

Protecting Land Resources

Compost: a natural fertilizer made of partly decomposed organic material

Recycle: collect and process used items to be made into new products Conserves resources Less waste

Water Protection

1972 – Clean Water Act Reduce point source pollution Increased sewage treatment plants Made more water safe to fish and swim in

1974 – Safe Water Drinking Act Set drinking water standards Reduced amount of pollutants allowed in

water

Air Protection

1970 – Clean Air Act Our most important air pollution law Resulted from the environmental

movement Set standards for chemicals known to cause

health problems Hugely increased air quality and reduced

the amount of chemicals in the air.

Ecological Footprint

http://www.myfootprint.org/