GEOL 101: Final Exam Review

Volcanic activity

Basalt forms through effusive eruptions, while andesite, dacite, and rhyolite form through explosive eruptions

Energy resource

Matter producing heat, electricity, or mechanical energy

Hydrocarbons

Form from organic material in sedimentary rocks through heat and pressure

Hydrocarbon migration

Source rock, reservoir rock, trap

Drilling for hydrocarbons

Vertical and horizontal drilling techniques

Refining

Process of heating crude oil to separate into different components

Coal usage

Global consumption increasing, emits CO2

Coal formation

Peat to coal through burial and chemical reactions

Fossil fuel reserves

Finite resources, facing depletion

Nuclear fission power

Uranium, power plants, concerns about meltdowns and waste

Lithium

Mined for electric vehicle batteries, extraction process

Metal ore deposits

Formed by tectonic processes and hydrothermal activity

Renewable energy

Wind, solar, hydroelectric power sources, benefits and challenges

Negative aspects of dams

Dams can destroy valued landscapes, alter ecosystems, trap sediment requiring expensive dredging, and accelerate erosion downstream. Breaching dams can result in massive flooding.

Nuclear fusion energy

Hydrogen fusion, similar to the sun, offers limitless clean power and releases approximately 4 million times more energy than fossil fuels. It is primarily used in research with efforts to confine the reaction and harness the energy for long-term clean power.

Renewable leaders

China is at the forefront of renewable energy development.

Challenges and the future of renewables

Fossil fuels are subsidized, creating an uneven playing field. The capital cost of renewable energy production is high for both residential and large projects. A supportive regulatory framework, resource availability, technological advancements in storage capacity, and supporting infrastructure are crucial for progress.

Earth’s changing climates through time

Geologists have reconstructed a global climate record showing oscillations between warmer greenhouse and colder icehouse periods. Modern actions, like burning fossil fuels, have disrupted natural fluctuations of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).

How GHGs work to warm climate

Greenhouse gases like H2O, CO2, CH4, and NO2 absorb and re-radiate thermal energy, warming the lower atmosphere by trapping infrared energy released from Earth's surface.

GHG natural emissions and sinks

Greenhouse gases are essential for Earth's livable climate. Water is the most critical greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide. Processes that increase greenhouse gases warm the atmosphere, while those that remove them cool it.

CO2 sources and trends

Human activities like industrialization, energy use, deforestation, and transportation have led to a steady increase in CO2 levels since the Industrial Revolution. Annual oscillations reflect CO2 removal by plants in the northern hemisphere summer.

CH4 sources and trends

Human activities such as agriculture, livestock, fossil fuels, and deforestation have increased methane (CH4) emissions, a potent greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than CO2. CH4 concentrations are rising in tandem with CO2 levels.