ch14 review questions
Tunnel collapse and methane gas explosion are still dangers of underground coal mining; fortunately black lung disease has been eliminated by use of a vaccine.
False Black lung disease is caused by inhalation of coal dust, not by virus or bacteria. More stringent regulations and breathing through filters have helped control it. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 485)
Large oil fields contain such great quantities of oil because they've developed from the largest dinosaurs.
False Oil develops from tiny algae and plankton, not from dinosaurs. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 470)
A typical reservoir rock, into which oil has migrated and collected, is: shale. granite. slate. basalt. sandstone.
Sandstone Sandstone is a good reservoir rock because it's porous and permeable. Shale is impermeable and would not permit oil to move into or through it. The others are igneous or metamorphic rocks, and the heat involved in those processes destroys any material that might develop into oil. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 471)
Events in the oil industry have made colorful and important contributions to United States history, including: "Colonel" Edwin Drake discovered oil in Texas and started the Texas oil boom in 1859. People nicknamed "wildcatters" were daredevils who put out oil-field fires. Andrew Carnegie made his fortune by establishing Standard Oil Company. The Supreme Court broke the monopoly of Standard Oil by forcing it to break down into several smaller companies, like Exxon and Conoco. All of the possible answers are correct.
The Supreme Court broke the monopoly of Standard Oil by forcing it to break down into several smaller companies, like Exxon and Conoco. Drake drilled the first well at Titusville, Pennsylvania, in 1859; Rockefeller started Standard Oil Company; wildcatters are people who search for new oil fields. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 473)
Drilling mud: is a slurry of water and clay. is pumped down the center of an oil-drilling pipe. is used to cool the drill bit and to flush rock cuttings up and out of the drill hole. weighs down oil in the drill hole and thus helps prevent gushers. All of the possible answers are correct.
All of the possible answers are correct.
Identify the false statement. Oil shale: contains kerogen, which is a precursor to oil. when heated to 500°C yields liquid oil and gas. wasn't discovered until the 1980s, when the price of oil was very high. is currently not an economic fuel source due to the high costs of mining, reclamation, and producing energy to process the shale. can be burned directly and has been used as a fuel since ancient times.
wasn't discovered until the 1980s, when the price of oil was very high. Lumps of oil shale have been burned since ancient times and a process to make liquid oil from oil shale rock was developed in the 1850s. (Section refs: 14.5, p. 482)
From the rock layers that are drawn in the diagram, it is logical to say this is a normal fault. this is a reverse fault. oil would most likely be found at C. both A and C are true. both B and C are true.
this is a normal fault. The fault is normal because the hanging wall did go down; oil would be found at B, not C, because E (shale) is the seal rock, keeping the oil in B, the reservoir rock. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 472)
Oil formed because: leaves, twigs, and tree trunks decomposed under conditions of heat, pressure, and low oxygen. tiny algae and plankton decomposed under conditions of heat, pressure, and low oxygen. the decomposition of organic material remained aerobic (lots of oxygen) for a long time. large sauropod-type dinosaurs decayed in swamps. the temperature reached a minimum of 1,000°C.
tiny algae and plankton decomposed under conditions of heat, pressure, and low oxygen. Choice A describes coal formation; oxygen would lead to total decay; dinosaurs had nothing to do with oil formation; and if the temperature exceeds 250°C, graphite is formed, not oil or gas. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 470)
Which of the following statements is false? Secondary recovery techniques: are used to coax more oil out of a drilled hole. include the use of steam to make oil less viscous. include the use of steam pressure to help push oil up and out of the drill hole. include creating fractures in the rock through which oil can more readily flow. usually enable drillers to get 90% of the oil out of the ground.
usually enable drillers to get 90% of the oil out of the ground. At best, secondary recovery usually extracts about 20% more of the oil left in the ground after simple pumping. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 476)
Which statement is true? Hydroelectric power has many advantages and no disadvantages, provided the dam is properly constructed. Geothermal energy offers great potential because most cities lie near geothermal resources. The Organization for Petroleum Environmental Concerns (OPEC) establishes rules concerning where oil well rigs can be placed. A barrel of oil is forty-two gallons of oil. Tar sands in western Canada are especially valuable because the oil is so close to the surface that wells need to be only about 200 feet deep.
A barrel of oil is forty-two gallons of oil. Dams and reservoirs always change the environment, not always in a good way; most cities are not in volcanic areas so they're not close to geothermal resources; tar sands are usually mined, not drilled; and OPEC is the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and it regulates amounts of oil production and distribution. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 483)
Acquiring and using energy resources can damage the environment. For example: coal burning produces carbon dioxide gas, which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. coal burning produces sulfur dioxide, which combines with atmospheric water to produce sulfuric acid, which leads to acid rain. oil drilling can damage land, and oil spills have polluted land, groundwater, and surface water. oil drilling can damage land, and oil spills have polluted land, groundwater, and surface water. All of the possible answers are correct.
All of the possible answers are correct. Unfortunately, modern lifestyles require huge amounts of energy, and obtaining and using the resources can damage the Earth. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 494)
Which statement is true? If the diagram in the previous question showed a syncline, the oil would be found in the synclinal bottom. At the anticlinal crest in the diagram, it would be normal to have gas sitting on top of oil sitting on top of water. Anticline traps make good diagrams for test questions, but they're rare in nature. There's no way any of these wells could turn into gushers because the top shale layer would prevent that. All of the possible answers are correct.
At the anticlinal crest in the diagram, it would be normal to have gas sitting on top of oil sitting on top of water. Gas is less dense than oil or water so it would sit above them; anticline traps are common; and great enough gas pressure causes gushers no matter what rock is present. (Section refs: Box 14.1)
Which of the following statements is false? Coal couldn't form until vascular land plants became abundant. Anthracite coal develops at depth along mountain belt borders where temperatures reach 300°C. Underground coal mining is dangerous because of possible tunnel collapse and possible methane gas explosions. Coal in the western United States is of Carboniferous age and has higher sulfur content than Cretaceous age coal of the Midwest. Strip mining can be done economically down to a depth of about 100 m.
Coal in the western United States is of Carboniferous age and has higher sulfur content than Cretaceous age coal of the Midwest. Coal in the western United States is of Cretaceous age and has lower sulfur content than the Carboniferous coal of the midwest. Read more about the sulfur concern in Section 14.9 Energy Choices, Energy Problems. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 484)
Which of the following statements is false? Fossil fuels are the hydrocarbon remains of past life forms. Oil is usually several millions of years old. Most of the coal mined today in the United States is used in electric power plants. Coal is considered a renewable resource because it's currently forming in swamps. Coal rank is based on the carbon content of the coal.
Coal is considered a renewable resource because it's currently forming in swamps. "Renewable" means on a human time scale, not a geologic one; oil and coal are both forming in today's world, but too slowly to replace themselves as we use them up. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 482)
Once oil forms and migrates into reservoir rock in an oil trap, it can remain there forever.
False Oil eventually decomposes by bacterial action or leaks through seal rock. Ancient oil fields have vanished over time; current ones, if left alone, will disappear. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 472)
Green plants produce food through photosynthesis, which is the combination of oxygen and chlorophyll to yield carbon dioxide and water.
False Photosynthesis is the combination of carbon dioxide and water, in the presence of chlorophyll and light, to yield sugar and oxygen and water. (Section refs: 14.2, p. 469)
There have been two meltdown events at nuclear power plants; the first was at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, the second at Chernobyl in the Ukraine.
False The 1986 accident at Chernobyl was a steam explosion that released radioactive debris, not a meltdown; the Three Mile Island event in 1979 was a much less serious accidental release of some radioactive material. In 2011 a partial meltdown and hydrogen gas explosions occurred at the Fukushima, Japan nuclear plant, following an earthquake and tsunami. (Section refs: 14.7, p. 489)
Which of the following has never been a use for oil? a waterproof sealant a preservative to embalm mummies an ingredient in patent medicines of the 1800s lamp oil Oil has been used at some time in history as a waterproof sealant, a preservative to embalm mummies, an ingredient in patent medicines of the 1800s, and lamp oil.
Oil has been used at some time in history as a waterproof sealant, a preservative to embalm mummies, an ingredient in patent medicines of the 1800s, and lamp oil.
Nuclear reactors are basically steam engines; fission produces heat which changes circulating water to steam, which turns turbines that generate electricity.
True As sophisticated as the name sounds, nuclear power plants are really just steam generators. (Section refs: 14.7, p. 487)
Drag lines are used in strip mining operations both to remove overlying soil and rock from the coal seams and to replace topsoil after the mining is done.
True Drag lines are used to strip away the overburden and uncover the coal and to replace the overburden after the coal is removed. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 484)
Fission breaks bonds that hold protons and neutrons together in the nucleus, splits atoms into smaller pieces, and changes matter into energy.
True Fission, which is nuclear energy, results from the conversion of matter into energy. (Section refs: 14.7, p. 487)
Experts believe it is highly probable that humans will have exhausted all usable quantities of oil by the year 2150.
True Most experts agree that the world will have exhausted its commercial quantities of oil by the year 2150, if not sooner. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 494)
The search for an energy source to replace oil is complicated by the public's fear of nuclear energy and its insistence that the new source be economical, environmentally friendly, and clean.
True So far, there's no good plan for what to do when commercial quantities of oil are exhausted. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 494)
The United States is the largest oil consumer (roughly 25% of world consumption) but has only about 4% of the world's total reserves.
True Sobering facts, aren't they? (Section refs: 14.4, p. 477)
Spindletop Hill was the site of a tremendous gusher that started the Texas oil boom.
True The discovery of oil on Spindletop Hill did start the Texas oil boom. Read more in Box 14.2 Spindletop. (Section refs: Box 14.2, p. 478)
The largest oil reserves in the world are in countries around the Persian Gulf.
True The largest oil reserves are found in the Persian Gulf area. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 477)
The Oil Age we live in has a limited future because known reserves are diminishing fast and current consumption exceeds the rate of discovery of new oil by a factor of 3.
True The message is clear for those who will listen: we need to develop alternative energy sources. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 493)
Lignite is described as a low-rank coal, bituminous coal is mid-rank, anthracite is high rank, and peat isn't ranked at all.
True The varieties of coal are ranked on the basis of their carbon content, which determines their fuel efficiency; lignite is the lowest and anthracite is the highest. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 484)
Which of the following is a typical oil trap? anticline syncline neck of an ancient volcano an igneous dike All of the possible answers are correct.
anticline Oil rises because of buoyancy and would not settle at the bottom of a syncline; the heat of igneous activity would destroy any oil formed. Read more in Box 14.1 Types of Oil and Gas Traps. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 472)
Natural gas: consists of a mixture of petroleum products with carbon chains ten to twenty carbons long. is used more extensively than oil is. is found layered between oil and water in a drill hole. burns more cleanly than oil does. All of the possible answers are correct.
burns more cleanly than oil does. Gases have very short carbon chains (one to four carbons long); gas is found above oil and water in the drill hole; more oil is consumed than gas because gas transportation is difficult and expensive. (Section refs: 14.5, p. 480)
The first oil well was drilled: 3,000 years ago by the Babylonians in what is now Iran. by John D. Rockefeller in 1901 in Texas. by Edwin Drake in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania. to a depth just short of one mile. by Edwin Drake in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, to a depth just short of one mile.
by Edwin Drake in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The well was a little over 20 m deep (60+ ft); Rockefeller started the Standard Oil Company in the early 1900s. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 473)
Macroscopic organic material (leaves, stems, trunks) of swampy areas undergoes heat and pressure in an oxygen-poor environment over a geologically long time. The result is: oil shale. kerogen. tar sands. petroleum. coal.
coal. Choices A to D name energy resources that began as microscopic marine organisms. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 483)
In a nuclear power plant: fusion is happening. there must be enough nuclear fuel to equal a critical mass. control rods regulate the rate of the reaction by absorbing excess neutrons. pitchblende (U238) is the most common fuel. All of the possible answers are correct.
control rods regulate the rate of the reaction by absorbing excess neutrons. Fission is happening; critical mass is the amount that would result in an explosion; and U235 is the most common fuel isotope of uranium. (Section refs: 14.7, p. 488)
A vertical pipe within which heat separates the components of crude oil is called a(n): migration pathway. solar collector. ethanol generator. biodegradation column. distillation column.
distillation column. Choice A is a situation that allows movement of oil and gas through rock, like fractured limestone. Contrary to answer B, it's a collection of mirrors and lenses that focus light. Contrary to answer C, ethanol is a type of alcohol that results from fermentation of corn or sugar cane. Contrary to answer D, biodegradation means bacteria attack and change organic molecules, as in the natural production of the tar of tar sands. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 477)
Currently the United States: recovers 90% of the oil from each well drilled. imports more than half of the oil it uses. is finding huge new oil resources in new geologic areas, like igneous deposits. is the site of most of the 25 known super-giant oil fields. All of the possible answers are correct.
imports more than half of the oil it uses. Oil recovery is about 50%; and the heat of igneous activity would destroy oil. Unfortunately, the US has few of the super-giant sites, the largest of which surround the Persian Gulf. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 473)
Identify the false statement. In a typical nuclear power plant: metal fuel rods are filled with a radioactive material like uranium oxide. intense heat focused on the rods causes atoms of fuel to split (fission). fission releases neutrons that keep a chain reaction going. fission produces heat and electromagnetic energy. "the brakes are applied" by insertion of boron-steel control rods to absorb neutrons.
intense heat focused on the rods causes atoms of fuel to split (fission). Fission is initiated by a free neutron striking a radioactive atom. (Section refs: 14.7, p. 487)
A seal rock: is a necessary ingredient of an oil trap. typically is fractured limestone or poorly cemented sandstone. must lie beneath the reservoir rock in a trap to keep oil from filtering downward. has high porosity and high permeability. All of the possible answers are correct.
is a necessary ingredient of an oil trap. Choice B would be good reservoir rocks; oil doesn't leak downward; and the porosity and permeability must be low. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 472)
A seismic-reflection profile: is created by interpreting reflected seismic waves. shows the shapes but not the depths of underground sedimentary layers. is used even by amateurs looking for oil because it's relatively easy and cheap. is essentially the same thing as a geologic map. All of the possible answers are correct.
is created by interpreting reflected seismic waves. The profile is created by experts, costs millions of dollars, and shows shapes and depths of rock layers underground. A geologic map shows rock layers and geologic structures on Earth's surface. (Section refs: 14.4, p. 474)
Identify the false statement. Gas hydrate: is a chemical compound consisting of a methane molecule surrounded by a framework of water molecules. is found as layers of white, ice-like solids in shallow water along continental shelves. is produced when anaerobic bacteria digest dead plankton on the sea floor, and the methane produced dissolves in water. reserves probably contain more potential energy from stored organic carbon than all other organic carbon reservoirs worldwide. has not been utilized yet because no safe recovery technique has been developed.
is found as layers of white, ice-like solids in shallow water along continental shelves. The ice-like layers lie 90 to 900 meters beneath the sea floor, typically in water depths greater than 300 meters. (Section refs: 14.5, p. 482)
Identify the false statement. Tar sand (oil sand): is sand or sandstone that contains high concentrations of bitumen (heavy oil). is the residue of larger molecules left behind after microbes attack existing underground oil reserves. is the result of biodegradation by bacteria. is mined in open-pit mines, then heated to extract the oil. is found in huge amounts in the Green River Basin of Wyoming.
is found in huge amounts in the Green River Basin of Wyoming. The largest reserves are in Alberta, western Canada, and in Venezuela. The Green River Basin is noted for its oil shale. (Section refs: 14.5, p. 480)
The oil window: is the late Cenozoic, when all current oil was formed; any older oil has already decomposed. means the depth in Earth at which oil forms, roughly 40-50 km. is the relatively narrow range of temperatures in which oil can form, 90-160°C. is the holes in the drill bit through which oil enters. is the time of year at which OPEC allows new oil fields to be drilled in its member countries.
is the relatively narrow range of temperatures in which oil can form, 90-160°C. Choices A, D, and E are just nonsense; oil forms no deeper than 6.5 km; gas no deeper than 9 km. Natural gas forms between 160-250°C; over 250°C organic matter transforms into graphite. Note Fig. 14.5. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 470)
Identify the false statement. The fundamental energy sources for Earth are: nuclear fission in the Sun that reaches Earth via the solar wind. the pull of gravity. nuclear fission from Earth's radioactive components. energy stored in chemical bonds of compounds. heat energy stored in Earth's interior.
nuclear fission in the Sun that reaches Earth via the solar wind. The Sun produces energy by nuclear fusion (fusing small atoms together to create larger ones), not nuclear fission (splitting larger atoms into smaller ones). The Sun's energy reaches Earth via electromagnetic radiation. (Section refs: 14.2, p. 468)
On the diagram: oil well A would yield the most oil because it goes the deepest into permeable reservoir rock. oil well B would yield the most oil because it's on an anticline crest in permeable reservoir rock. oil well C would yield the most oil because it's drilled directly into source rock. all three wells would yield about the same amount of oil because all three reasons offered are true. no well could yield oil because no reservoir rock is shown.
oil well B would yield the most oil because it's on an anticline crest in permeable reservoir rock. Oil flows to the top of an anticline and stays there (anticline trap). Source rock is not permeable, so it prohibits flow into the well. (Section refs: Box 14.1)
Coal develops in the following order: lignite -> peat -> bituminous coal -> anthracite peat -> lignite -> anthracite -> bituminous coal bituminous coal -> peat -> lignite -> anthracite peat -> lignite -> bituminous coal -> anthracite plankton -> lignite -> bituminous coal -> anthracite
peat -> lignite -> bituminous coal -> anthracite If you chose E, note that plankton bodies may eventually form oil, not coal. Note Table 14.1 Types of Coal. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 484)
Which of the pairs below shows a highly volatile petroleum product as the first item and a very viscous petroleum product as the second item? tar (40-carbon chain) and butane (4-carbon chain) kerosene (12-carbon chain) and gasoline (5-carbon chain) kerosene (12-carbon chain) and heating oil (15-carbon chain) propane (3-carbon chain) and kerosene lubricating oil (26-carbon chain) methane (1-carbon molecule) and ethane (2-carbon chain)
propane (3-carbon chain) and kerosene lubricating oil (26-carbon chain) Volatility (the ability to evaporate) and viscosity (the ability to flow) depend on the size of the hydrocarbon molecule. The shorter the chain, the more volatile and less viscous is the substance. Refer to Fig. 14.3. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 469)
A typical source rock of oil, which started out as mud in which dead organic matter settled, is: shale. granite. conglomerate. sandstone. slate.
shale. Igneous granite and metamorphic slate are not possible because of the intense heat associated with their formation; the other two don't represent the oil-forming environment necessary, which is mud at the bottom of standing water. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 470)
Identify the false statement. No perfect energy source has yet been found; all present potentially serious problems. For example: wind power requires large noisy towers. hydrogen fuel cells are susceptible to damage by impact, and their storage of the explosive gas hydrogen definitely presents a safety problem. burning biomass currently is not cost effective; its production costs must be subsidized to make it affordable. photo voltaic cells are only 10-15% efficient in changing energy input into electric output. solar collectors are proven dangerous fire starters.
solar collectors are proven dangerous fire starters. Solar collectors are not notorious as fire starters, but they've proven useful only in limited, small-scale situations, like cooking or heating hot-water systems. (Section refs: 14.8, p. 492)
Identify the false statement. Underground coal bed fires: may start from a variety of causes, including lightning strikes, methane explosions, and trash fires in mines. thankfully cannot start from spontaneous combustion; an "outside event" is necessary. are extremely difficult to extinguish because fuel obviously is abundant and oxygen can enter easily, even through joints in surrounding rock. have caused the abandonment of parts of Centralia, Pennsylvania. are a problem worldwide.
thankfully cannot start from spontaneous combustion; an "outside event" is necessary. Heat is generated when coal reacts with air, and this can start a spontaneous-combustion fire. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 486)
Identify the false statement. Oil and gas: that escape from reservoir rock and appear at Earth's surface create an oil seal. in an anticline trap collect at the crest of the anticline. in a fault trap collect at the top of tilted reservoir rock strata where they butt against the impenetrable fault surface. in a salt dome trap collect in tilted reservoir rock strata along the flanks of the dome. in a stratigraphic trap collect where the reservoir rock layer pinches out.
that escape from reservoir rock and appear at Earth's surface create an oil seal. Escaped oil on the surface is called an oil seep. Seal rock is impermeable rock like shale, salt, and unfractured limestone that contains the oil in the reservoir strata. Read more in Box 14.1 Types of Oil and Gas Traps. (Section refs: 14.3, p. 472)
Identify the false statement. Coal bed methane: is a type of natural gas. bonded to the carbon molecules of coal poses a serious risk of explosion. trapped in deep layers below current mining levels is a possible future energy resource. is held in place in deep strata by the natural water pressure there. will have to be mined from extremely deep mines.
will have to be mined from extremely deep mines. Coal bed methane will need to be extracted by drilling, not mining. (Section refs: 14.6, p. 485)
Reasonable conservation of fossil fuels probably: will allow the world to have fossil fuel energy for as long as humankind exists. will help by buying time to develop other energy resources. is unnecessary, because oil shortages are not real; they're simply the result of political manipulations. will keep us going until the fossil fuel developing naturally today will be usable. will allow us to be oil dependent for a minimum of 500 more years.
will help by buying time to develop other energy resources. Experts believe oil supplies will last a maximum of 150 years, and other fossil fuels will also be exhausted faster than they're forming. Alternative energy sources must be developed if our standard of living is to be maintained. (Section refs: 14.9, p. 493)
