Natural Resources

1. Natural Resources Chapter 3: Section 4

2. MAIN IDEAS: • Earth provides valuable resources for our use. • Energy resources provide fuel, heat, and electricity. • Mineral resources include metals, rocks, and salt. • Resources shape people’s lives and countries’ wealth.

3. Key Terms: • NATURAL RESOURCE- any material in nature that people use and value • RENEWABLE RESOURCES- Resources that cen be replaced naturally • NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES- resources that cannot be replaced • DEFORESTATION- the loss of forestland • REFORESTATION- planting trees to replace lost forestland • FOSSIL FUELS- nonrenewable resources formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals • HYDROELECTRIC POWER- the production of electricity by moving water

4. Earth’s Valuable Resources • Anything in nature that people use and value is a natural resource. • This includes: air, water, and soil. • Resources such as trees are called renewable resources because Earth replaces them naturally. • Those that cannot be replaced, such asoil, are called nonrenewable resources.

5. Question: • Are air and water renewable or nonrenewable?

6. Earth’s Valuable Resources (continued) • Air and water are renewable resources, but pollution can damage both.

7. Earth’s Valuable Resources • Soil and trees are renewable, but must be protected. • The loss of forests is called deforestation. • When we plant trees to replace lost forests, we call it reforestation.

8. Question: • What are some resources we can get from a forest?

9. Energy Resources • Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels, which are formed from the remains of ancient living things. • These include coal, oil, and natural gas. • We use coal mostly for electricity, but it causes air pollution. • An advantage of coal is that Earth still has a large supply.

10. Energy Resources (continued) • Another fossil fuel is petroleum, or oil. • It is used to make gasoline and heating oil. • Oil can be turned into plastics and other products. • Oil also causes pollution, but we depend on it for much of our energy.

11. Question: • Where does gasoline come from?

12. Energy Resources (continued) • The cleanest fossil fuel is natural gas, which is used mainly for cooking and heating.

13. Question: • What is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel?

14. Energy Resources (continued) • Renewable energy resources include hydroelectric power- the creation of electricity by moving water. • This is accomplished mainly by building dams on rivers.

15. Other renewable energy sources: Wind Solar • Nuclear Energy • Nuclear energy produces dangerous waste material that must be stored for thousands of years.

16. Mineral Resources • Minerals are solid substances in the Earth’s crust formed from nonliving matter. • Like fossil fuels, minerals are nonrenewable. • Types of minerals include metals, rocks and gemstones, and salt.

17. Resources and People • Some places are rich in natural resources. • Resources such as fertile farmland, forests, and oil have helped the United States become a powerful country with a strong economy.

18. MAIN IDEAS: • Earth provides valuable resources for our use. • Energy resources provide fuel, heat, and electricity. • Mineral resources include metals, rocks, and salt. • Resources shape people’s lives and countries’ wealth.