4 Chapter 4 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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons that may be used as fuel, including coal, oil, and natural gas.

Fossil Fuels-Coal 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  The Basics: o Formed when heat and pressure transform plant material over millions of years o Four stages of development: peat, lignite, bituminus coal, anthracite o Used to generate electricity and production of steel o Surface mines vs underground mines vs mountaintop removal

Fossil Fuels-Coal 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources 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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  The Basics: o Formed from remains of plants and animals that were buried in ancient seas o 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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources 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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources ADVANTAGES: Burns cleaner than coal and oil Inexpensive 70% less CO 2 than other fossil fuels DISADVANTAGES Inability to recover all in-place gas from producible deposit Lack of technology

Tar Sands and Oil Shale 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  gold, silver, copper, mercury lead, platinum, and nickel just a few deposits produced by igneous processes

Hydrothermal Solutions 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and Mineral Resources  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 4.1 Energy and 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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources 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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources o How some work: o Photovoltaic (solar) cells o Convert sunlight’s energy into electricity

Nuclear Energy 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources  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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources 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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources  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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources 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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources  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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources  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 4.2 Alternate Energy Sources  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 4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources 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 4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources 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 4.3 Water, Air, and Land Resources 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 4.3 Water, Air, and 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 4.4 Protecting Resources  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 4.4 Protecting Resources  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 4.4 Protecting 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 4.4 Protecting Resources  ~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 recycled  95% energy saved by recycling an aluminum can compared with manufacturing a new one