Thru 1: pg 79Cornell Notes

Ch 5 Earth’s Energy and Mineral Resources

1. Nonrenewable Resources

• Limited amounts• Cannot be replaced at the rate they are being

used• This doesn’t mean they aren’t replenished, it

might just be a very slow process.• May be able to recycle – Example: aluminum cans

Mineral Resources

• Mined from the Earth’s crust• May be metals(copper, silver, aluminum)or

nonmetals(salt, borax, sulfur).• Used to create products we use everyday.

Types of mining

1. Subsurface mining-mines are dug into the crust to access minerals

2. Surface mining(strip mining)-Ground over the minerals is dug away to expose the mineral deposits

3. Placer mining(panning for gold)-sediments are scooped up and the mineral is separated out.

Energy Resources

• Used to generate electricity• Stored energy in resource is converted into a

useable form.• Example: Wood is burned to heat a house.

Fossil fuels

• The remains of plants and other organisms that were buried and compressed.

• Made of hydrocarbons-compounds that contain only H and C atoms.

• Includes: coal, crude oil, natural gas.• Coal is the most common fossil fuel.

HOW IS COAL MADE ???

Nuclear Energy

• Remember: fusion is the joining together of small nuclei to create a larger nucleus.

• This process releases energy.

Generating nuclear power

• Nuclear power plants use naturally occurring radioactive elements to generate electricity.

• Uranium is the most common.• As uranium undergoes fusion, it releases energy in

the form of heat.• This heat is converted into electricity.

2. Renewable Resources

• Resources that can be replaced in a normal human lifespan.

• Inexhaustible resources are those that are limitless.• Includes getting energy from:– Solar energy-Sun– Geothermal energy-Heat within the Earth’s crust– Hydroelectric energy-Moving water– Biomass energy-Burning of organic material– Wind energy-Moving air