ESCI 1001 Review Questions (Final)

The Two Sources of Climate Change Causes

Natural and anthropogenic

The Two Types of Climate Change Causes

Forcings and feedbacks

Examples of Natural Forcings

Sun, earth, orbit, and volcanism

The Principal Anthropogenic Forcing

Fossil fuel combustion

Major Feedbacks

Albedo, greenhouse gas stores, and vegetation

Climate Change Impacts

Temperature, precipitation, storms, and sea-level

Climate Change Mitigation

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

Climate Change Adaptation

Changes that anticipate ongoing climate change

Examples of Climate Proxies

Ice and sediment cores, tree rings

How we Assemble our Knowledge on Climate

General circulation models, or GCMs

Greenhouse Gases

Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide

Best Demonstration of Feedbacks

Subtle orbital effects causing major glaciations

Risk from Permafrost Melting

CH4 release

Fossil Fuels

Oil, gas, and coal

Agency that synthesizes Climate Change Science

IPCC

Anthropogenic CO2 Sources

Power and cement plants, industry, heating, and transportation

Climate Change Mitigation Options

Energy efficiency, renewable energy, CCS, and biomass

Renewable Energy

Solar, wind, and geothermal

CCS

Carbon capture and storage

CCS Options

Deep injection and reaction with minerals

Climate Change Adaptation

Changes that anticipate ongoing climate change

A Key Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

Drought preparedness

What is Energy

The ability to do work

Two Types of Energy

Kinetic and potential

Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Oil, gas, coal and nuclear

Renewable Energy Sources

Solar, geothermal, wind, biomass, and hydro

What potentially fills traps in Sedimentary Basins

Gas over oil over water

What has caused the recent boom in US Oil and Gas Production

Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing

What can we therefore now produce from

Shale

On what basis is Crude Oil graded

Density and sulfur content

How many gallons in a Barrel

42 US gallons

What does an average Barrel of Crude Oil in the US produce

20 gallons of gasoline, 12 gallons of diesel, 4 gallons of jet fuel, and a dozen other products

What is done with Gas that is not taken to Market

Flared

How we meet Peak Winter Gas demand

Underground storage

How is Gas exported

LNG

The Four Ranks of Coal

Lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite

Principal US source of Anthracite

Pennsylvania

Principal US source for Bituminous

West Virginia

Principal US source for Subbituminous

Wyoming

Principal US source for Lignite

North Dakota

At present, is Nuclear Power generated with Fission or Fusion

Fission

Material used for Nuclear Fuel

Uranium

Biggest Issues with Nuclear Power

Safety and disposal of spent fuel

Biggest Limitation of Solar and Wind

Availability of sunlight and wind

Site of most Geothermal Energy

Plate boundaries near volcanoes

Biggest source of Biomass Energy in the US

Ethanol

Hydropower generated by a River is determined by

Flow and head

Other sources of Hydropower

Tides and waves

What are Primary Industries

Production of Raw Materials from the Enviornment

Examples of Primary Industries

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, energy, and mining

What is a Mine

A site where mineral commodities are obtained for human use

What determines if a Mine is Developed

Regulations and profit

Three Types of Mine

Surface, underground, solution

Two Types of Mining

Coal and nonfuel

Three Types of Nonfuel Mineral Commodities

Industrial minerals, metals, and gemstones

Three major types of Industrial Minerals

Crushed stone, sand and gravel, and cement

Two types of Aggregate

Crushed stone, sand and gravel

Product made from Aggregate and Bitumen

Asphalt

Product made from Aggregate and Cement

Concrete

Examples of Building Stone

Granite and marble

Examples of Precious Metals

Gold, silver, and platinum

Examples of Base Metals

Copper, lead, zinc

Material removed to uncover Ore

Overburden

Ore is Crushed and Processed into

Ore minerals and tailings

Where do the Ore Minerals go

Additional processing

Where do the Tailings go

Ponds or piles

What do we call Unprocessed Mined Rock

Waste rock

Why would we mine Waste Rock

Slope stability in an open pit

Where does Waste Rock go

Back to the mine, or to a waste rock pile

Cause of Acid Mine Drainage

Pyrite in tailings or waste rock

Mining Impacts

Surface disturbance, tailings, waste rock, and processing effluent

Leading Mined commodity in the US

Crushed stone

Leading US Metals

Gold, copper, iron, zinc, and molybdenum

Top Five Nonfuel Mining States

Nevada, Texas, Arizona, California, Minnesota

Major Sources of Critical Minerals for the US Economy and Military

China and Canada

What is the Age of the Oldest Rocks in Minnesota

Archean or 3.5 Ga

Where are these Oldest Rocks located, and what types of rock are they

Gneiss exposed in the Minnesota River Valley

What happened in Minnesota at 2.7 Ga

Continental collision and the Algoman orogeny

What happened in Minnesota from 2.7 to 2.0 Ga

Weathering and erosion

When did the Mid-continent Rift System form

~1.1 Ga

How thick are Mid-continent Rift Basaltic Lava Flows

20 km

Name a Minnesota Ordovician Stratum

St. Peter sandstone

What is the age of the Youngest Paleozoic rocks in Minnesota

Devonian

Where do Jurassic strata occur in Minnesota

The northwest

What fossils occur in Minnesota Cretaceous strata

Shark’s teeth