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