Chapter 11

Resources and Energy

A resource is any useful information, material or services.

Resources can be described as being:

• natural resources -goods and services provided by our environment, and

• human resources - those provided by humans (experience, skill, wisdom and human enterprise).

Nonrenewable resources (exhaustible resources)

• Resources that exist in limited supply and which cannot be replaced once they are used. (May take thousands or even millions of years to form within the Earth).

Examples include

• fossil fuels and natural gas,

• precious metals (gold, silver etc..)

Most natural resources on Earth are finite. That is there is only so much of a resource available on this planet. This applies to both renewable and nonrenewable resources.

• 4 trillion barrels of oil,

• 10-50 million species of living organisms

• 38,874 cubic kilometers of fresh water,

• 6 billion humans.

Because many of the resources that we rely on are finite their availability can be greatly impacted by 3 human factors:

• populationpopulation

• affluence, and affluence, and

• technologytechnology

Population (P) - The number of humans living on Earth using resources.

Affluence (A) - The amount of a resource consumed by an individual (per capita use).

The United States has -

• 5% of the world’s population; • uses 25% of the world’s energy;

and• accounts for 25% of the world’s

Gross National Product.

India has -

• 16% of the world’s population;• uses 3% of the world’s energy;

and• accounts for 1% of the world’s

Gross National Product.

Technology (T) - Affects the rate at which a resource is extracted/used.

The Impact on a resource can therefore be calculated by using the formula I=(P)(A)(T).

I= ImpactP=PopulationA=AffluenceT=Technology

Renewable ResourcesThese resources are self renewing, and can usually

be replaced on a human time-scale.

Examples?• solar energy• air,• water (excluding aquifer water

supplies), &• non-endangered biological

organisms..

Formation of Ores

• Most metallic and non metallic elements are found chemically combined forms as minerals in the crust.

• Deposits of minerals from which metals and nonmetals can be removed profitably are called ores.

• Many ores form in or near a mass of molten magma, so igneous and nearby rocks are often fruitful hunting grounds.

Metals

• Shiny luster, ability to conduct heat and electricity, bend easily when in thin sheets. Can occur in pure form as native elements (copper a good example).

Non-metals

• Dull surface, poor conductors of heat and electricity.

In Cooling Magma

• Dense, metal-bearing minerals form layers on the bottom of the magma chamber.

Contact Metamorphism

• Heat and hot fluids flowing from the magma change the surrounding rock. Dissolved minerals form a band of ore around the igneous rock.

Veins• Hot, mineral-bearing solutions break

through many small cracks that deposit narrow, finger-like bands.

Lodes

• A deposit formed by a large number of mineral veins.

Ores and Moving Water

• Streams carry ore fragments until, due to their high density, they are deposited where the currents are weak.

Placer Deposits

• These deposits are concentrated at the bottom of stream beds.

Uses of mineral resources

• Some metallic ores such as gold, platinum and silver are prized for their beauty and rarity.

• Some nonmetallic minerals are gemstones; rare mineral crystals that display extraordinary brilliance and color when specially cut for jewelry.

• Other minerals are used for many other industrial purposes.

Uses of Mineral Resources• See table on p. 197 for

the most common ores and their uses.

• Untapped mineral resources include deposits that could be mined from the ocean floor, but we currently don’t have the technology to do it.

Manganese nodules on ocean floor

Mineral Conservation

• Increased PAT (population, affluence, and technology) means increased use of mineral resources.

Ways to Preserve Mineral Resources

• Through conservation, use of alternative materials, or by recycling.

Assignment

11.1 Key Terms11.1 Review

p. 197, #1-411.1 Worksheet

Due tomorrow, beginning of period.