Mineral Resources
united states reserves of natural gas will last about ______ years
60
solar cells ______ collect sun energy and convert it to electricity
actively
the cleanest burning coal
anthracite coal
Corundum is used _________________
as an abrasive
nonmetal mineral resources used for ___________ include aggregate, gypsum, and stones.
building
what is energy from the sun
solar energy
wind does not always blow ______ so it is unreliable energy source
steadily
when upper layers of rock and soil are removed to expose coal, it is used when coal deposits are near the surface.
strip mining
few regions of the world have ____ enough wind to generate electricity
strong
what are types of renewable energy resources?
sun, wind, water and geothermal energy
hydrocarbons can be extracted from coal to form liquid and gaseous
synthetic fuels
current _______ do not exist to allow fusion in controlled manner
technology ??????
Underground coal mining methods -
tunneling, drift mines, and slope mines
Ganque
waste rock that must be removed before a mineral can be used
one problem with nuclear energy is that nuclear power plants produce highly radioactive _______; EPA has determined that nuclear waste must be stored and contained for at least _______ years
waste, 10,000
a ____ ______ uses a large number of windmills to generate electricity
wind farm
as decaying plant material loses gas and moisture, carbon ___________ increases.
concentration
______ fossil fuels will help slow down the current consumption rate
conserving
what is hydroelectric energy?
electricity generated from running water flowing over dams; dams can create environmental problems
Americans obtain most of their ___________ from oil and natural gas
energy
what is geothermal energy
energy obtained from hot magma or dry, hot rock inside Earth
since oil and natural gas are under pressure, they can be _________ up a narrow pipe to the surface
extracted
_____________ such as oil, natural gas, and coal formed from the remains of swamp plants and other organisms that were buried and altered over millions of years.
fossil fuels
the fusing of low-mass materials to form higher mass substances
fusion
___________ is used in the production of wallboard.
gypsum
Oil is a thick black liquid _________
hydrocarbon
_______________ include sandstone, halite and garnet.
industrial minerals
A mineral called hematite is the main source of the metal _________
iron
__________, located in ocean floor sediments, are believed to contain high amounts of carbon and might someday be a useable source for clean-burning methane
methane hydrated ?????
nonrenewable
minerals are said to be _____________ because they take millions of years to form
The more valuable the mineral in a deposit is the ______ likely the deposit is to be considered an ore
more
____________ is used mostly foe heating and cooking
natural gas
____________ mineral resources ---- any mineral resources not used as fuels or as sources of metals, can be grouped into industrial minerals and building materials.
nonmetalic
the two basic groups of ______________mineral resources are industrial minerals and building materials.
nonmetallic
most energy sources are ___________, which means they are used up faster than natural processes can replace them
nonrenewable
nuclear energy is considered a ___________ energy resource
nonrenewable
an alternate energy source that is produced from the fission, or splitting of uranium atoms
nuclear energy
fossil fuels are __________ from the ground through mining or pumping
obtained
_______ is used in many ways including as heating oil, or gasoline, and in manufacturing.
oil
over millions of years, the buried remains of microscopic marine organisms form _________ and __________
oil and natural gas
natural gas is a gaseous hydrocarbon that often forms with ______ but above it, since natural gas is a ______ ______.
oil, lighter molecule
what are the stages of coal formation
peat, lignite coal, bituminous coal, and anthracite coal
recycling
people help conserve mineral resources by making new materials from old ones
__________ uses old materials to produce new ones and helps reduce demand for mineral resources, which are nonrenewable.
recycling
____________ uses old materials to produce new ones and helps reduce demand for mineral resources, which are nonrewewable.
recycling
the process of extracting a useful substance from an ore involves concentrating and _____________
refining
amount of a fossil fuel that can be extracted at a profit using current technology
reserve
south facing window act as _______ solar collectors, warming exposed rooms
passive
Current reserves of coal will last about ______ years
250
_____ is a resource from which we get table salt
Halite
smelting
a chemical process that is sometimes used to remove unwanted elements from metals
aggregate
a nonmetallic mineral resource called __________ is made up of crushed stone or gravel and sand and is used in making concrete
fusion is a potential ______ source of energy
clean
solar energy is not readily useable on ______ days or at _____
cloudy, night
what is the most abundant fossil fuel? it is a rock that contains at least 50% plant remains
coal