Energy and Mineral Resources

• Resource – anything we find useful

• Fossil fuels• Plants• Animals• minerals

• Reserve - A resource deposit that has been identified but NOT extracted

• Oil and gas reserves• Forest or timber

reserves• Uranium reserves

• Strategic Mineral – any mineral important to national security

Renewable Resource

• A resource that can be replenished over fairly short period of time.

Nonrenewable Resources

• A resource that can NOT be replaced in a short time period.

• It could take millions of years to form & accumulate. Once the present supply is runs out, there won’t be any more!

Formation of Mineral Deposits

• Some of the most important mineral deposits form through igneous processes and from hydrothermal solutions.

• Ore is a useful metallic mineral that can be mined at a profit.

Nonmetallic Mineral Resources

• Nonmetallic mineral resources are extracted and processed either for the nonmetallic elements they contain or for their physical and chemical properties.

Imported Minerals• Mineral % Imported Major Foreign

Sources• • Strontium 100 Mexico, UK, Spain• Columbium 100 Brazil, Malaysia, Zaire• Mica (sheet) 99 India, Brazil,

Malagasy• Cobalt 98 Zaire, Belgium-

Luxembourg, Finland, • Norway, Canada• Manganese 98 Brazil, Gabon, South• Africa, Zaire• Titanium (rutile) 97 Australia, India

• Chromium 91 USSR, South Africa,

Turkey,• Philippines• Tantalum 98 Australia, India• Aluminum (ores & metal) 88 Jamaica, Australia, • Surinam, Canada• Asbestos 87 Canada, South Africa• Platinum metals UK, USSR, South • Africa• Tin 100 Malaysia, Thailand, • Bolivia• Fluorine 86 Mexico, Spain, Italy• Mercury 94 Canada, Algeria,• Mexico, Spain• Bismuth 100 Peru, Mexico, Japan, • UK• Nickel 85 Canada, Norway• Gold 69 Canada, Switzerland, • USSR

• Mineral % Imported Major Foreign Sources

• Silver 68 Canada, Mexico, Peru, Honduras

• Selenium 63 Canada, Japan, Mexico• Zinc 61 Canada, Mexico, Peru,

Australia

• Tungsten 60 Canada, Bolivia, Peru, Thailand

• Potassium 58 Canada• Cadmium 53 Mexico, Canada, Australia,

Japan• Antimony 100 South Africa, Mexico, P.R.,

China, Bolivia• Tellurium 100 Peru, Canada• Barium 40 Ireland, Peru, Mexico• Vanadium 40 South Africa, Chile, USSR• Gypsum 45 Canada, Mexico, Jamaica• Petroleum 50 Canada, Venezuela, Nigeria, • Netherlands, Antilles, Iran

1. How might the information shown on the chart affect the relationships between the United States and the countries listed? 2. What could happen if relations between the U.S. and any of the countries listed deteriorated?

Fossil Fuels

• Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons that may be used as fuel, including coal, oil, and natural gas.

• Coal, Oil, Natural Gas

• Tar Sands & Oil Shale

Environmental Drawbacks to Tar Sands

• Requires huge amounts of energy to refine

• Causes substantial land disturbance

• Requires large amounts of water for processing. Leaving behind contaminated water and toxic sediment

• New process –” Fracking”

Coal Formation• Heat & Pressure transforms

plant material over millions of years.

• Stage 1 Peat – partially decayed plant material

• Burns, but very dirty and smoky. Doesn’t create much heat.

• Stage II – Lignite• Known as a sedimentary rock or,

brown coal. It is rather “soft” and crumbles easily

• Burns very dirty, doesn’t produce very much heat for the amt. burned

Stage III - Bituminous

Continued heat & pressure Produces bituminous coal, Known as “soft coal” It is Classified as a sedimentaryRock. When burning, it producesMore heat than the previous forms

• Stage IV – Anthracite• More heat & pressure turns the

coal into a metamorphic rock• It has a high luster and is quite

hard in comparison to the previous forms.

• Anthracite burns hot and produces more BTU’s (heat) than the other forms. It also burns cleaner.

• There is no “clean” burning coal.