Nonrenewable Energy Resources
What is a natural resource?
Anything naturally occurring in the environment that humans use.
What is the cost?
the amount of something spent up front
Ore
a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine
Obtain
to get
In what way does water scarcity harm the economic development of an area?
Without enough water, people cannot live and grow or use water for agriculture or industry. This would harm the economy of the area.
What is nuclear fission?
A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
Renewable Resource
A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed
Crystallize
to take a definite form or shape
Component
A part or element of a larger whole.
What is a nonrenewable resource?
A natural resource that is not replaced in a useful time frame.
Biomass or biofuels, which are burned produce carbon dioxide and other emissions that can be harmful.
Distribution
The arrangement of something across Earth's surface.
Desalination
A process of removing salt from ocean water
Explain the relationship between minerals and ores.
All ores are minerals but not all minerals are ores. Ores are mineral deposits that are valuable enough and accessible enough for people to take them from the ground.
The fossil fuel that is produced from the remains of peat is coal.
No, the wind does not occur equally around the planet. Some areas experience more wind than other areas.
What are minerals? List examples.
Minerals are nonliving solid substances made from elements. Some minerals are gold, diamond, potassium, and talc.
What are the different sources of freshwater on Earth?
Different sources of freshwater on Earth come from glaciers and ice caps, groundwater, and surface water.
If a resource is abundant and easy to get it will probably be used until it runs out or becomes harder to get. A renewable energy resource may be more reliable because it is always available. Nonrenewable energy resources can be abundant and cheap in the short term but eventually, it will run out or be too scarce to remain cheap.
Fossil fuels form as the result of certain geological processes and take a very long time to form. The conditions required for fossil fuels to form are not found all around Earth, so the deposits of these resources are not evenly distributed.
Solar energy, bioenergy, geothermal energy, wind energy, and hydropower.
What causes minerals to be unevenly distributed on Earth?
Different geological processes, materials, and conditions result in different kinds of minerals. Because these vary from one place to another the minerals in different places are not the same.
What factors account for the uneven distribution of groundwater on Earth?
The presence of groundwater depends on the type of rock in Earth’s crust. There must be porous rocks that can store the water that seeps into the ground from precipitation and runoff.
Are humans more likely to use surface water or groundwater as a freshwater source? Explain.
Surface water, because it is easier to get to, whereas groundwater can be difficult to obtain or not near where humans live.