Mrs. Hartman

Fossil Fuels

Fossil Fuels

• Most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels

• Definition: a nonrenewable energy source formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived long ago.

• Examples: petroleum, coal, natural gas

3 types of fossil fuels

• 1. Liquid: Petroleum: commonly known as crude oil. Fossil fuels that come from petroleum are: gasoline, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel and fuel oil.

• More than 40% of world’s energy comes from petroleum!

• Petroleum makes the fuel for most of our transportation (planes, trains, boats, cars)

3 types of fossil fuels

2. Gas: Natural Gas: located under the surface of earth; used for heating and generating electrical energy• Natural gas causes less air pollution than

oil• Natural gas can be used to fuel camp

stoves and outdoor grills

3 types of fossil fuels

3. Solid: Coal: formed underground from partially decomposed plant material.Used to be used to power trains. We cut down on our use of coal because it pollutes the air (now we use oil because it’s cleaner)Power plants still use coal to generate electrical energy.

How are they formed?

• All fossil fuels form from buried remains of ancient organisms.

• Different kinds form in different ways

How are they formed?

• Petroleum and natural gas: form mainly from remains of microscopic sea organisms (see page 485)

• Coal: forms underground when pressure and heat cause changes in remains of swamp plants (see page 486)

Where are fossil fuels found?

• Found in many parts of the world (usually where oceans used to be)

• USA has large reserves of petroleum, natural gas and coal

• We import a lot of the petroleum we use from middle east, south america, africa, canada and mexico

How do we obtain fossil fuels?

• We remove petroleum and natural gas from earth by drilling wells into rock that contain them.

• Oil wells exist on land and in the ocean (so we have offshore drilling too) see page 487 figure 8)

• We mine for coal deep beneath earth’s surface

Problems with fossil fuels

• Burning coal = sulfur dioxide is released into the air which causes acid rain

• Mining coal can destroy animal habitats and pollute water supplies

• Petroleum: oil spills in the ocean kill many animals

• Smog: a haze caused by sunlight mixing with burning fuels

Assignment

• Use the map on page 487• Create your own map showing where we

find coal, petroleum and natural gas in the USA.

• Color your map, create a legend and mark where each is found

• On the back, describe how each is formed and what we use it for.