Lecture Outlines Physical Geology, 14/e Plummer, Carlson & Hammersley Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Resources Physical Geology 14/e, Chapter 22 Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Types of Geologic Resources Energy resources – petroleum (oil and natural gas), coal, uranium, geothermal resources Metals – iron, copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, gold, silver, platinum Non-metallic resources – sand and gravel, limestone, building stone, salt, sulfur, gems, gypsum, phosphates, groundwater, etc. Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Reserves & Resources Resources – the total amount of a valuable geologic material in all deposits, discovered and undiscovered Reserves – discovered deposits of geologic resources that can be extracted economically and legally under present conditions Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Energy Resources Fossil fuels – (oil, natural gas, and coal) account for nearly 90% of U.S. energy Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Energy Resources—Coal Coal – a sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of plant material that has not completely decayed lignite– (brown coal) is soft and crumbly sub-bituminous and bituminous – (soft coal) is black and dusty, burns with a smoky flame, is commonly strip mined anthracite – (hard coal), shiny and dust- free, burns with a smokeless flame, low level metamorphic rock Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Energy Resources—Petroleum Petroleum – oil and natural gas, occurs in underground pools and requires: a source rock rich in organic matter a reservoir rock in which it can be stored and transmitted (e.g., sandstone) an oil trap, a set of conditions holding rock in reservoir rock and preventing migration deep burial and sufficient time to cook the oil and gas out of the organic matter Oil traps Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Petroleum Recovery Oil fields – regions underlain by one or more oil pools oil and natural gas are removed through wells drilled down into an oil trap within a reservoir rock negative environmental effects resulting from oil recovery and transport include oil spills, brine contamination of surface water, and ground subsidence Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Petroleum Reserves Oil reserves – should last 30-40 years at current rate of use, worldwide, and natural gas reserves somewhat longer Alternate petroleum sources heavy crude – dense, viscous petroleum oil shale – black or brown shale with high solid organic matter content from which oil can be extracted by distillation oil sands (or tar sands) – asphalt- cemented sand or sandstone deposits Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Other Energy Resources Uranium – used to power nuclear power generators, accounts for 10% of U.S. energy production leaves radioactive waste as by-product Hydroelectric power – provides about 4% of U.S. energy needs, is renewable and non-polluting Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Other Energy Resources Geothermal power – provides about 0.2% of U.S. energy needs Other renewable, non-polluting energy sources – wave/current power, solar power, wind power, and hydrogen fuel cells Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Types of Geologic Resources Metals and Ores Types of Geologic Resources Metal ores – naturally occurring materials that can be profitably mined – an ore depends on chemical composition, the percent extractable metal, and current market value of the metal Metallic ore deposits – originate from crystal settling in igneous intrusions, hydrothermal fluids cooling in pores and fractures, chemical precipitation in water, or sedimentation in rivers (placers) Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Mining & Metals Mining – can be done at Earth’s surface or underground metals mined include iron, copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, silver, gold and many others Negative environmental effects of mining tailings piles, surface scars, land subsidence, and acid mine drainage can be minimized Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

Nonmetallic Resources Nonmetallic resources – not mined to extract a metal or an energy source construction materials – sand, gravel, limestone, and gypsum agriculture – phosphate, nitrate, and potassium compounds industrial uses – rock salt, sulfur, asbestos gemstones – diamonds, rubies, etc. household and business products – glass, sand, fluorite, diatomite, graphite Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.