Energy and Mineral Resources

1. CHAPTER 4: EARTH’S RESOURCES Energy and Mineral Resources Ch. 4.1

2. 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

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

4. 1. Peat Softer - plant (Releases less heat) 2. Lignite - sedimentary 3. B-Coal (Bituminous) - sedimentary 4. A-Coal (Anthracite) Harder - metamorphic (Releases more heat) 4 Stages of Coal

5. 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

6. 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 rock • 2. Cap rock - shale

7. Other Fossil Fuels • Tar Sands: Sand and tar mixture • Oil Shale: Rock that contains oil

8. Mineral Deposits • Ore: useful metallic minerals that can be mined at a profit • Gangue: unwanted materials in rock

9. 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

10. Nonmetallic Mineral Resources • Mined for their physical and chemical properties • 2 groups: 1. Building Materials • Limestone, aggregates 2. Industrial Materials • Garnet, quartz, diamond

11. Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Before After

12. 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

13. Alternate Energy Sources Ch. 4.2

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

15. Solar Energy • Advantages: • Free • No pollution • Disadvantages: • Expensive equipment • Cloudy days Passive 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

16. Nuclear Energy • Advantages: • No emissions • Inexpensive • Disadvantages: • Hazardous waste • Increased building costs • Potentially dangerous Nuclear fission: uranium atoms split when bombarded with neutrons, nuclei emit neutrons and heat energy = chain reaction to produce electricity

17. Wind Energy • Advantages: • Free • Produces a lot of energy • Disadvantages: • Noise pollution • Large tracts of land • Bird migration Wind turns turbines to produce electricity

18. 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

19. Geothermal Energy • Advantages: • Little environmental impact • Disadvantages: • Wells only last 10-15 years • Not available in many locations Underground hot water is used for direct heat and to turn turbines to generate electricity

20. 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

21. Water, Air, and Land Resources Ch. 4.3

22. 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

23. Runoff • Water that flows over land instead of seeping into the ground

24. 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)

25. Global Climate Change

26. Greenhouse Effect Simulation?

27. Protecting Resources Ch. 4.4

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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.

32. Ecological Footprint • http://www.myfootprint.org/