Mineral resources test 3

What is the primary purpose for the platinum group elements?

They are primarily used in the autocatalyst industry, industrial is second

What are rare earth elements used for?

Rechargeable batteries, Hybrid vehicles, Wind turbines, Phosphors in displays, Fiber optics, Cell phones, Missiles, Petroleum refining

Conflict minerals and their uses

Tin: circuitry solder

Tantalum: capacitors

Tungsten: Heating elements, electrodes, military applications

Where are PGEs primarily mined

south africa in mafic and magmatic deposits

Where are REE primarily mined

China holds 97% of REE

Where does energy in the US come from

38% oil

36% natural gas

9% renewable energy

9% nuclear energy

8% coal

How is energy use changing in the US

most of them have decreased slightly with coal decreasing a lot and natural gas increasing lot

fuel mix for electricity generation

Natural gas: 39.8%

Renewables: 21.5%

Coal: 19.5%

Nuclear: 18.2%

Petroleum: 0.9%

End-use energy sectors

Transportation: 38%

Industrial: 35%

Residential: 15%

Commercial: 13%

What is the energy system and the 6 phases

Energy system - steps involved in energy production and consumption

6 phases: Exploration, Extraction, Processing, Distribution, Storage, End-Use

What are nonrenewable energy resources?

Any form of energy that cannot be regenerated in a timely fashion, Ex. Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, tar sands, and oil shale

how were petroleum and natural gas formed

tiny sea plants and animals died and were buried on the ocean floor over time they were covered, over millions of years heat and pressure turned them into oil and gas

catagenesis

chemical conversion of kerogen to hydrocarbons

oil and gas window

specific pressure and temperature conditions required

kerogen

mixture of organic compounds

Source rock

The rock where the oil or gas originally forms, Ex. Black shale

reservoir rock

overlaying source rock until extracted, high porosity and high permeability

Cap rock

keeps the oil and gas underground, low porosity and low permeability

What geologic structures trap oil and gas

Anticline, Fault trap, Unconformity, Impermeable barrier

Countries with the top oil reserves

venezuela, saudi arabia, Iran

Countries with the top oil production

US, Saudi Arabia, Russia

Countries with the top oil consumption

US, China, India

OPEC

organization of petroleum exporting countries, they can influence the price by setting production targets for its member nations

How is rapid economic growth in developing countries impacting the price of oil?

As these countries are developing they are increasing their demand for oil in things like transportation and industrial use making the cost more expensive

Hubberts peak

A theory that oil production follows a bell shaped curve peaking approximately when halfway depleted, after that oil production will decrease causing scarcity

countries with the top natural gas reserves

Russia, Iran, Quatar

countries that are top natural gas producers

US, Russia, Iran

countries that are top natural gas consumers

US, Russia, China

Major oil/gas fields location

The permian - texas/new mexico

Eagle ford shale - texas

Bakken - north dakota/montana

Hayneseville - louisianna/texas

Niobrara - colorado/wyoming

Anadarko - oaklahoma

Appalachia - pennsylvania/west virginia/ ohio

Unconventional drilling methods

Fuel in source rock, low permeability

Conventional drilling methods

fuel in reservoir rock, high permeability

oil refineries

Separates out different hydrocarbons and organic compounds called petrochemicals, Use considerable amounts of energy and are major sources of air and water pollution, creates Gasoline and diesel fuel, Asphalt, Cleaning fluids, Medicines, Plastics, Pesticides

Advantages of using oil

Ample supplies for several decades, Low land disruption (exploration and sometimes extraction), Efficient distribution system

Disadvantages of using oil

Water pollution from leaks and spills, Air pollution, Environmental costs are not included in market price, Vulnerable to international supply interruptions

advantages of natural gas

Ample supplies (62-125 yrs), Less air pollution than other fossil fuels, Low land use, Possible transition fuel for energy revolution

disadvantages of natural gas

Nonrenewable, Releases CO2 and other pollutants, Hydraulic fracturing causes water pollution, Difficult to transfer overseas, Methane can leak from pipelines

directional drilling

Directional drilling is the practice of steering a wellbore along a non-vertical pat

horizontal drilling

a specific type of directional drilling where the well turns to run parallel to a target rock layer

hydraullic fracturing

the injection of water sand and chemicals at high pressure down and across into wells, the pressure causes the rock layer to crack, these cracks are held open by the sand so natural gas and shale can flow up

why is produced water a problem

it contains high concentrations of mineral salts, toxic heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and radioactive materials

why are deep injection wells a problem

they risk contaminating underground drinking water sources and can induce seismic activity, such as earthquakes

which states produce the most natural gas

Texas, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, West Virginia, and New Mexico

How is natural gas production in the US expected to change over the next few decades? Why did the Permian basin become the top producing geologic formation in 2026 overtaking the Marcellus Shale?

Natural gas production is expected to increase 20-40% by 2050, the permian basin became the top producer due to its massive gas production

Halliburton loophole

Exempts hydraulic fracturing from regulation under the EPA, current proposed legislation to overturn the loophole

2024 waste prevention rule

Applies to wells pipelines and other infrastructure, encourages leak prevention and repair, limits amount of venting or flaring, pay fee for every metric ton emitted, has since been overturned

what is coal and how does it form

Black to brown organic-rich sedimentary rock, Formed from plant material (wood, stems, leaves, bark, etc.) that once grew in coal swamps

Coal ranks

Peat, Lignite, Sub-bituminous, Bituminous, Anthracite, The higher the coal rank the older the coal most likely is

What factors influence coal rank

Plant type, burial depth, temperature, pressure, time

Coal composition “NOCASH”

Nitrogen 2%

Oxygen 8%

Carbon 75%

Ash 9%

Sulphur 1%

Hydrogen 5%

What coal rank is used for thermal vs metallurgical purposes?

metallurgical coal - High-quality Bituminous (low-to-medium volatile)

thermal coal - Subbituminous & Lignite

How do US coal deposits vary in the East vs the West (relative age and rank)

Easteren coals are older and often higher ranked

What are the 3 primary coal basins in the US, and what rank coal is mined from each?

powder river basin(wyoming/montana), Appalachian basin, and illinois basin, They primarily produce subbituminous coal (Powder River) and bituminous coal (Appalachian/Illinois)