4 Chapter 4 Earth ’ s Resources. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources…

Chapter

44 Earth’s Resources

Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources

4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources

Renewable resources can be replenished over fairly short spans of time, such as months, years, or decades.

Nonrenewable resources take millions of years to form and accumulate.

Fossil Fuels


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

Fossil Fuels-Coal


The Basics:o Formed when heat and pressure transform

plant material over millions of years o Four stages of development: peat, lignite,

bituminus coal, anthraciteo Used to generate electricity and production of

steelo Surface mines vs underground mines vs

mountaintop removal

Fossil Fuels-Coal


ADVANTAGES:• Plentiful

– In US, can provide about 450 years

• Cheap• Electricity• Versatile• Many Jobs!

DISADVANTAGES• Dirty

– Acid rain from the sulfur when burning coal

– Releases greenhouse gases

• Inefficient – About 30% efficient

from coal electricity

Fossil Fuels-Petroleum & Natural Gas


The Basics:o Formed from remains of plants and animals

that were buried in ancient seaso Formation begins when large quantities of

remains become buried in ocean floor sediments, over millions of years chemical rxns slowly tranform some of the organic remains into the liquid and gas forms

o Oil Traps: geologic structure that allows large amounts of fluids to accumulate; stops upward movement of oil and gas

Fossil Fuels-Petroleum & Natural Gas


Oil Traps All have 2 things in common

Permeable reservoir rock Allows oil and gas to collect in large

quantities Cap rock

Near impenetrable and so keeps oil and gas from escaping to surface

Anticline is an uparched series of sedimentary rock layers

Anticlines Are Common Oil Traps

Fossil Fuels-Petroleum


ADVANTAGES:• Plentiful• Easy to transport

because liquid• Relatively

inexpensive

DISADVANTAGES• Carbon emissions• Recovery process not

efficient enough• Drilling endangers the

environment and ecosystem

• Spills

Fossil Fuels-Natural Gas


ADVANTAGES:• Burns cleaner than

coal and oil• Inexpensive• 70% less CO2 than

other fossil fuels

DISADVANTAGES• Inability to recover all

in-place gas from producible deposit

• Lack of technology

Tar Sands and Oil Shale


Fuels derived from tar sand and oils shales could become good substitutes for dwindling petroleum supplies.

Tar sands: mixtures of clay and sand combined with water and varying amounts of black, thick tar called bitumen Cant be pumped out easily Requires lots of water Can lead to pollution in toxic disposal ponds inefficient

Oil Shale


Oil Shale Rock that contains waxy mixture of hydrocarbons

called kerogen Half of worlds supply in Green River Formation in

Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah

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.

Mineral Resources and Igneous Processes


gold, silver, copper, mercury lead, platinum, and nickel just a few deposits produced by igneous processes

Hydrothermal Solutions


Hot water Hydrothermal deposits form from hot,

metal-rich fluids that are left during the last stages of movement and cooling of magma

Examples: gold deposit in South Dakota, lead, zinc, silver deposits in Idaho, Copper deposits in Michigan

Mineral-Rich Hot Water Seeps into Rock Fractures

Placer Deposits


Formed when eroded heavy minerals settle quickly from moving water while less dense particles remain suspended and continue to move

Usually involve minerals that are heavy but also durable and chemically resistant

Common sites: inside of bends in streams, cracks, depressions, and other streambed irregularities

Gold is best known

Nonmetallic Mineral Resources


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

Two main groups: building materials & industrial materials

Examples: aggregates, fluorite, fertilizers

Uses of Nonmetallic Minerals

Solar Energy

4.2 Alternate Energy Sources

1. Solar energy’s “fuel” is free. Solar energy has two advantages:

2. Solar energy is non-polluting.

1. Solar energy is not cheap! Solar energy has disadvantages:

2. Not always sunny-problems with battery/storage

3. Inefficient (10-20%)

Solar Energy


o How some work:o Active Solar collector

o Roof mounted devices, collect heat from the sun that can be transferred to areas where it is needed by circulating air or liquids through piping

o Also used to heat water

Solar Energy


o How some work:o Photovoltaic (solar) cells

o Convert sunlight’s energy into electricity

Nuclear Energy


In nuclear fission, the nuclei of heavy atoms such as uranium-235 are bombarded with neutrons.

The uranium nuclei split into smaller nuclei and emit neutrons and heat energy.

Nuclear Energy


ADVANTAGES:• No emissions• Fuel can be recycled• Inexpensive• Fairly abudnant

DISADVANTAGES• Potential of high risk

disaster• Where to put waste• Earthquakes can cause

damage and leaks at plants

• National Security issues• NON -RENEWABLE

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant

Wind Energy


In the next 50 to 60 years, wind power could meet between 5 to 10 percent of the country’s demand for electricity.

Fastest growing alternate energy source

Wind Energy


ADVANTAGES:• Abundant• Not many emissions

(still need steel that is produced from coal)

DISADVANTAGES• Unpredictable• Turbines may be

noisy• Space availability

Wind Turbines

Hydroelectric Power


The strong water flow that results drives turbines and electric generators.

Negative effects: sedimentation, natural water flow, harms fish

We’ve built all the dams we can: 98% of US rivers are dammed

The water held in a reservoir behind a dam is a form of stored energy that can be released through the dam to produce electric power.

Hydroelectric power is the power generated by falling water.

Glen Canyon Dam

Geothermal Energy


Hot water is used directly for heating and to turn turbines that generate electric power.

Iceland gets 100% of energy from geothermal

No harmful products, little maintenance after construction of plants

Can’t be built everywhere

Geothermal energy is harnessed by tapping natural underground reservoirs of steam and hot water.

The Geysers Is the World’s Largest Electrical Geothermal Facility

Tidal Power


Tidal power is harnessed by constructing a dam across the mouth of a bay or an estuary in coastal areas.

The strong in-and-out flow of tidal water drives turbines and electric generators.

Tidal Dams

The Water Planet

4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources

Each day, people use fresh water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and growing food.

Water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface<1% of water is usable fresh water

The Water Planet


• Point source pollution comes from a known and specific location, such as factory pipes.

• Nonpoint source pollution is pollution that does not have a specific point of origin.

Freshwater Pollution

• Runoff is the water that flows over the land rather than seeping into the ground, often carrying nonpoint source pollution.

Water pollution can lead to birth defects, cancer, diseases, kill aquatic organisms and disrupt ecosystems

Major Types of Water Pollution

Earth’s Blanket of Air


• The increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has altered the carbon cycle and contributed to global warming—the unnatural warming of the lower atmosphere.

The chemical composition of the atmosphere helps maintain life on Earth.

• Through a series of chemical reactions, these pollutants in the air are converted into acids that are a major cause of acid precipitation.

Pollution in the Air

EPA estimates that as many as 200,000 deaths each year are associated with outdoor air pollution

Earth’s Blanket of Air


•Burning of fossil fuels also produces Carbon Dioxide•Global Warming could result in big changes in Earth’s environment

These changes could include: melting glaciers, rise in sea level, flooding of coastal areas

•Chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) once used in air conditioners and plastic foam production destroy ozone in the stratosphere layer of the atmosphere

Could result in increased health problems like cataracts and skin cancer because more of the suns UV radiation would reach Earth’s surface

Major Primary Pollutants and Their Sources

Land Resources


Earth’s land provides soil and forests, as well as mineral and energy resources

Damage to Land Resources• Mines produce many mineral resources, but

mines are destroying, soil, vegetation, and Earth’s contours.

• Mines also cause soil erosion and pollution that contaminates soil and water and destroys ecosystems.

Keeping Water Clean and Safe

4.4 Protecting Resources

Conservation is the careful use of resources.

Pollution prevention means stopping pollution from entering the environment.

Keeping Water Clean and Safe


Starting in the 1970’s, the federal government passed several laws to prevent or decrease pollution and protect resources.• In 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) required

industries to reduce or eliminate point source pollution into surface waters.

• The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 helped protect drinking resources.

Preventing Water Pollution

Protecting the Air


In the 1970’s, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, the nation’s most important air pollution law.• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

established for six “criteria” pollutants known to cause health problems – carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates (fine particles).

Saving Energy

Caring for Land Resources


Protecting land resources involves preventing pollution and managing land resources wisely.• Compost is partly decomposed organic material

that can be used as fertilizer.• Recycling is the collecting and processing of

used items so that they can be made into new products.

Recycling Facts


~425,000,000 tons of municipal waste per year

Average American produces 4.6 lbs of trash per day

US recycles about 1/3 of all waste~53% paper products recycled95% energy saved by recycling an

aluminum can compared with manufacturing a new one

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4 Chapter 4 Earth ’ s Resources. Renewable and Nonrenewable Resources 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources…