Industries, Resources, and Earth Science Flashcards

Flashcards about Industries and Resources

Primary Industry

Extracts natural resources directly from the Earth. Examples: Farmer (wheat), miner (coal), fisher.

Secondary Industry

Manufactures or constructs products using resources. Examples: Car manufacturer, fish packager, construction worker.

Tertiary Industry

Provides services to individuals or businesses. Examples: Doctor, teacher, cashier.

Quaternary Industry

Focuses on research, information, and knowledge. Examples: Scientist, software developer, business owner, accountant.

Renewable Resources

Can replenish naturally over time if used sustainably. Examples: Wood, solar energy, fish (if not overfished).

Non-Renewable Resources

Exist in fixed amounts and can't regenerate quickly. Examples: Coal, oil, natural gas.

Biotic Resources

Come from living things. Examples: Trees, fish, animals.

Abiotic Resources

Come from non-living, physical environments. Examples: Water, soil, minerals.

Conventional Energy

Traditional fuels. Examples: Oil, coal, natural gas.

Alternative Energy

Renewable and eco-friendly options. Examples: Solar, wind, hydroelectric power.

Oil sands (Tar Sands)

Mixture of sand, clay, and bitumen.

Bitumen

A thick, heavy type of crude oil.

Metallic Minerals

Yield metal when refined. Examples: Gold, copper, iron.

Fossil Fuels

Burnable minerals for energy. Examples: Coal, oil, natural gas.

Industrial Minerals

Used for manufacturing, not metallic or energy. Examples: Salt, potash, diamonds, asbestos.

Overburden

The layer of soil, rock, and vegetation that must be removed before mining.

Strip Mining

For shallow, horizontal deposits (e.g., coal, oil sands).

Open Pit Mining

For deeper deposits near the surface (e.g., copper, iron).

Deep (Underground) Mining

For deep underground minerals (e.g., gold, nickel).

Tailings

Toxic leftovers of mining (water, chemicals, and rock).

Tailing ponds

Where tailings are stored to settle and evaporate.

Commercial Forests

Warm/wet areas, good for logging and selling timber.

Non-commercial Forests

Cold/dry areas, trees grow too slowly to harvest.

Boreal Forest

Largest forest region, across Canada; mainly coniferous trees.

Taiga Forest

North of boreal; colder and less dense; coniferous.

West Coast Forest

Most productive; large deciduous trees.

Montane Forest

East of coastal mountains; coniferous.

Mixed Forest

Southeastern Canada; both hardwoods and softwoods.

Clear Cutting

Removes all trees. While fast and cost-effective, it often harms local ecosystems.

Shelterwood Cutting

Removes oldest trees in an area. Supports natural regrowth but is time-consuming.

Selective Cutting

Only removes specific trees. This is sustainable, but can be expensive and slow.

Groundwater

Water stored below Earth’s surface in porous rock.

Runoff

Water that flows over land into lakes and oceans.

Wetlands

Saturated land like bogs and swamps (14% of Canada).

Atmosphere

The gases around Earth (oxygen, carbon dioxide).

Hydrosphere

All of Earth’s water.

Geosphere

Landforms, rocks, soil (solid Earth).

Biosphere

All living organisms.

Igneous Rock

Rock formed from cooled magma/lava.

Sedimentary Rock

Rock formed by compacted sediments (often contains fossils).

Metamorphic Rock

Rock formed by heat and pressure.

Crust

Earth's outer shell where we live.

Mantle

Earth's thickest layer. Solid but flows; causes plate movement.

Outer Core

Liquid metal layer that creates Earth’s magnetic field.

Inner Core

Dense, solid metal (iron/nickel) inner layer of Earth.

Convection Current

Hot mantle rises, cools, and sinks — this cycle moves tectonic plates.

Plate Tectonics

Earth's crust is divided into large plates that move over time.

Convergent Boundary

Plates collide; can form mountains, subduction zones, and volcanoes.

Divergent Boundary

Plates move apart; new crust forms.

Transform Boundary

Plates slide past each other; causes earthquakes.

Subduction

When a denser oceanic plate sinks beneath another plate at a convergent boundary, forming trenches and volcanoes.

Alfred Wegener

A German scientist who proposed the Theory of Continental Drift and the idea of Pangaea.

Pangaea

A supercontinent that existed about 250 million years ago when all Earth's landmasses were joined.