Impacts of Mining
Name 2 types of surface mining
-open pit
-strip
-mountaintop removal
-placer
Remains of ancient biomass that take millions of years to form
What are fossil fuels?
Average US resident uses ___ times as much energy as the world average
What is 5 times?
The "cleanest” fossil fuel
Natural gas (it produces the fewest air pollutants)
The fossil fuel of which we have the largest available supply left
What is coal?
Leftover waste material separated from the valuable metal or mineral within ore (often stored in ponds at mine site)
What is tailings and/or slag?
Energy generated from uranium or other radioactive fuels
What is nuclear (energy)?
The second largest source of electricity
What is hydroelectric power?
Process through which crude oil is converted to products
What is fractional distillation?
Bitumen deposits where crude oil can be recovered, but with higher water & energy inputs
What are tar sands?
Negative impacts of surface mining on topsoil
What is topsoil erosion?
An organic depletable renewable source
What is biomass?
Energy generation process which causes the heat released to turn water into steam to turn a turbine to generate electricity
What is uranium fission?
Partially decomposed organic matter found in wet, acidic ecosystems like bogs and moors
What is peat?
Hydrocarbon within petroleum that is used to make plastic and starts with an 'n'
What is naphtha?
Urbanization in costal cities can lead to ___
What is salt water intrusion?
Common term relating wood, charcoal, and ethanol
What is biomass?
Subsistence fuels
What is biomass that residents of underdeveloped nations can easily gather/purchase? (wood, charcoal, dried animal manure)
The highest quality or form/grade of coal
What is anthracite?
Process by which gas trapped in semi-permeable, sedimentary rock layers is released by cracking the rock with pressurized water
What is hydraulic fracturing AKA fracking?
Identify the 3 ways to subsurface mine.
-shaft mine
-drift mine
-slope mine
Identify 2 nondepletable renewable energy sources.
-solar
-geothermal
-wind
-hydroelectric
Identify two tax-related tactics a government can use to directly cut down on fossil fuel production?
-Taxes increases to discourage companies from building FF power plants
-Rebates, or tax credits to encourage companies building renewable energy power plants
Define natural gas.
Flammable gas, consisting largely of methane and other hydrocarbons, occurring naturally underground and used as fuel.
Identify one of the geological features associated with natural gas reserves.
-Coalbed methane
-Tight sand gas accumulations
-Conventional gas accumulations
-Gas-rich shale