Earth’s Resources By Sturdivant

Resources Most things we use come from raw materials – specifically, mineral and energy resources Mineral resources produce things – computers, basketballs, forks, cars Energy resources produce energy – warmth in your home, fuel for your car, charge for your phone

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Renewable resources can be replenished over a fairly short time span Nonrenewable resources may take up to millions of years to replenish DEBATE – are trees a renewable resource?

Renewable Resources Renewable resources are “renewable” depending on how effectively they can be produced over time Renewability could be over months, years, or even decades Examples – material: plants and animals for food, fibers for clothing, trees for lumber. energy: flowing water, wind, solar, tidal energy

Nonrenewable Resources Please forward this slide to the federal government Many of our fuels are nonrenewable – coal, oil, and natural gas take millions of years to produce. Rare minerals such as copper, uranium, and gold do not replenish at any discernable rate

Energy Needs in the US As of 2009, 6% of the world’s population lived in the US. However, the US uses 30% of the world’s mineral and energy resources 90% of US energy needs come from fossil fuels. We plan to lower this to 80% by 2040 (we should really be doing much better than this, though) So, what IS a fossil fuel

Fossil Fuels Simply – coal, oil, and natural gas Coal comes from decaying plant matter. Begins as peat, compacts to lignite (“brown coal”) then to bituminous coal (“soft coal”) and then to anthracite (a metamorphic rock) Most coal is used to produce electricity Coal is high in sulfur, which burns to produce sulfur oxides, which turns into sulfuric acid (acid rain) Ask your president about “clean coal” because I don’t know what that means

Coal Resources in the US

Petroleum and Natural Gas As decaying plant and animal matter is buried on a sea floor, the sediment protects the matter from decay Over time this matter transforms into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons (like oil/petroleum and natural gas) These hydrocarbons migrate into porous rock, rising above water within the rock due to their low densities

Oil Shale Because shale most often forms in marine environments, it is also commonly associated with hydrocarbon production The Green River Formation in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming contains half the oil shale of the world Shale (as you’ve seen) is not very porous. That is why you see so many fracking wells as you drive through Colorado

Green River Oil Shale

Mineral Deposits Mineral resources – deposits of useful minerals that can be extracted. Even deposits that are not necessarily recoverable with modern technology, are still considered a valuable resource Ore – metallic mineral that can be profitably mined Copper for example makes up 0.0135% of Earth. For a copper deposit to be an ore, it needs a concentration closer to 1% copper

Mineral Deposits through Rock Cycle Valuable mineral resources are often associated with the processes of the rock cycle Especially within the igneous process, we see deposits of important metallic minerals Bingham Canyon in Utah has yielded 1.2 million tons of copper The Bushveld Complex in South Africa contains 70% of the world’s platinum

Copper Deposits in Utah

Platinum Deposits in South Africa

Mineral Deposits otherwise Hydrothermal solutions create ore deposits This is also associated with the igneous process Hot water with dissolved minerals leaves magma rich areas and cools, leaving behind metallic minerals

Hydrothermal Minerals

Nonmetallic Mineral Resources Processed either for the elements they contain or their physical/chemical properties These resources are split into building materials and industrial materials Building materials are resources such as gravel for construction Industrial materials are minerals such as graphite used for pencil lead

Alternate Energy Sources At current rates of consumption, fossil fuels will last 170 years or less In addition to its limited survivability, fossil fuel use has proven hazardous to the environment in terms of both pollution and atmospheric warming Because of this, we MUST find other ways to meet our energy demand

Alternate Energy Sources Solar Energy Nuclear Energy Wind Energy Hydroelectric Power Geothermal Energy Tidal Power

Solar Energy Most abundant energy resource on Earth We receive 10,000x our energy needs in the form of energy from the Sun every year Advantages: the fuel is “free” (only costs the Sun’s hydrogen) and it is nonpolluting Disadvantages: difficult to store and obtain the energy efficiently. Technology needs to advance

Solar Energy

Nuclear Energy Gives US about 7% of its energy Radioactive elements are split into smaller nuclei which release energy Advantages: technology is well developed, no polluting by-products, highly efficient process Disadvantages: the fuel is not free. Requires radioactive materials. Societal conception skewed since Chernobyl in 1986

Wind Energy If all wind from the Dakotas could be harnessed, it would cover the country’s energy needs Well developed energy source. It is not new energy. Example: sailboats Advantages: the fuel is free, albeit inconsistent. Easy to harness the energy Disadvantages: turbines are HUGE. Difficult to install. Noise pollution, visually unappealing to some

Wind Energy

Hydroelectric Power Old technology that’s been utilized since waterwheels The energy is simple, utilizing water’s weight to create electrical power Advantages: obtains free energy from gravity. Disadvantages: using dams for energy will drastically affect ecology and dynamics of river system (example – Glen Canyon Dam, Colorado River)

Geothermal Energy Energy harnessed from underground sources of steam and/or hot water This steam can be used to turn turbines and create electrical power Advantages: very little environmental impact, heat source is already there Disadvantages: the steam reservoir will not last forever, energy levels are not huge, can only obtain energy where volcanic activity is present

Geothermal Energy

Tidal Power Tidal power has been used for hundreds of years (helped produce energy for a flour mill in Boston) The energy is utilized with a dam where tides will flow in and out Advantages: obtains free energy from gravity, higher seas due to sea ice melt may increase tidal energy capacity Disadvantages: only worthwhile where tides go back and forth at least 8 meters, and where the bay isn’t too narrow

Tidal Power