Chapter 5 - Resources

What is exhaustible resources?

Resources that are perpetually available and expected to last.

What is renewable resources?

Resources that are replenished by natural processes within their sustainable yield

What is nonrenewable/exhaustible resources?

Resources that are available in fixed quantities that can be renewed, but only through long-term geologic processes.

What are nonmetallic mineral resources?

economically useful rocks or minerals that are not metals

What are examples of nonmetallic mineral resources?

salt, building stone, sand, and gravel

Are mineral resources nonrenewable, renewable, or exhaustible?

nonrenewable; we use them up at a much faster rate than natural processes create them, although many can be recycled.

What are metal minerals?

metal ore that are naturally enriched in metals by geologic processes

What are mineral reserves?

Describes the known supply of ore in the ground; can be used on a local, national, or global scale.

What are mineral resources?

Economically valuable geological materials including both metal ore and nommetallic minerals.

How do mineral reserves deplete?

Mining removes minerals from reserves.

How do mineral reserves increase?

They increase when new deposits are discovered or when previously unprofitable deposits become profitable to mine.

Who are major mineral suppliers?

• United States

• Russia

• South Africa

• Canada

• Australia

These nations supply most of the world’s mineral needs.

Who are the major consumers of minerals?

• China

• Japan

• The United States

Which country is the world’s largest consumer?

China

What are fossil fuels?

fuels that are formed from the remains of plants animals

What are the three major fossil fuels?

coal, petroleum, and natural gas

What is coal mostly composed of?

organic carbon

What is petroleum?

oil from rock, also called crude oil

What is natural gas?

a mixture of naturally occurring light hydrocarbons composed mainly of methane, that is used for home heating, cooking, and to fuel large electric generation plants.

What are the two mining methods of coal?

surface mining and underground mining

What is an underground mine?

a series of interconnected passages

What is a surface mine?

hole dug into the surface to find a mineral resource

What are the environmental impacts of mining?

• More than 6,000 unrestored coal and metal surface mines, 90,000 km2

• abandoned sand and gravel and rocks

• land sink holes

• leach toxic elements to surface and groundwater

What are 2 ways to extract oil?

• primary recovery

• secondary recovery and tertiary recovery

What is primary recovery?

utilizes the pressure in a conventional reservoir to push oil

What is secondary and tertiary recovery techniques?

involve injection of other material into well

What are the environmental impacts of natural gas?

• fewer pollutants

• lower carbon dioxide emissions

• methane emissions

• water contamination

• habitat disruption