Natural Resources and Properties
What is a natural Resource
Materials or substances that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain or to support life (examples: water, minerals, forests, fossil fuels)
How old is Earth?
4.6 Billion Years
Name one positive impact humans can have on the environment.
Any of: conservation efforts, reforestation/planting trees, recycling, using renewable energy, protecting endangered species, cleaning up pollution, creating nature reserves.
Free 100 points :)
Lucky Duck
Name one property scientists use to identify natural resources found in nature.
What is the Law of Superposition and how does it help determine fossil age? (Think of rock layers)
The Law of Superposition states that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest layers are on the bottom and youngest are on top. This helps determine that fossils in lower layers are older than fossils in upper layers.
What is one consequence of increased human population in an area?
Any of: increased resource consumption, more pollution/waste, habitat destruction, increased water usage, more energy demand, urban sprawl, loss of biodiversity.
Where does the majority of energy come from?
The Sun
Give an example of a Non-renewable resource and explain why it is non-renewable.
Answers will vary
What is the geologic time scale used for?
To lable out earth's extensive history and identify different changes and evolution in life on earth.
What does per-capita consumption of natural resources mean? "Remember the United States has a higher consumption of resources per capita"
Higher per-capita consumption means each person uses more resources,
Explain how Fossil Fuels like Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Coal form.
Dead plants and animals were buried under layers of sediment over millions of years. Heat and pressure from geoscience processes transformed them into coal, oil, and natural gas.
Think back on our documentary about petroleum. How is petroleum found in other materials other than just gasoline or energy?
How do scientists determine the beginnings and ends of geologic time periods?
Name a decision people can make that affects natural resource consumption.
Any of: choosing to recycle, using public transportation vs. driving, buying local products, reducing meat consumption, using reusable bags/bottles, conserving water/electricity, buying sustainable products, reducing waste.
Put the list below into two categories: renewable or nonrenewable
Sunlight, Forests, Petroleum, Coal, Wind, Natural Gas
Renewable: Sunlight, Forrest, Wind
Nonrenwable: Petroleum, Coal, Natural Gas
Are Earth's resources distributed (able to be found) evenly around the world? Why or why not?
Varying responses: 1) Different geological processes occurred in different locations, 2) Varying climate conditions affect resource formation, 3) Plate tectonics moved resources to different locations, 4) Different rock types and formations in different regions.
How has Earth's surface changed? Give one natural example and one example caused by humans.
Answers will vary: Geoscience processes reshape Earth's surface through erosion, weathering, volcanic activity, plate tectonics, etc. Fast example: volcanic eruption (days/years). Slow example: mountain formation through plate collision (millions of years) or canyon erosion by rivers (millions of years).
Explain how the changes in the human population affect Earth's resource consumption and use. Give one specific example involving a resource.
As population increases, demand for resources (water, food, energy) increases,
How does fossil fuel energy trace all the way back to ancient sunlight? Create a flow chart
Ancient sunlight -->
Ancient sunlight → captured by plants through photosynthesis → plants/animals die and are buried → heat and pressure (from Earth's interior) transform organic matter over millions of years → fossil fuel forms → humans extract and burn it → energy released as heat/electricity → energy returns to environment.