environmental geology chapter 13-15 exam
which country relies most heavily upon nuclear power for its energy
France
gypsum is mined to yield this
Plaster of Paris (primarily for making wallboard)
within which country are the largest proven reserves of crude oil located?
Saudi Arabia
the largest complex of geothermal power plants in the U.S. is found here
The Geysers near San Fransisco, California
a geologic repository for storage of high-level nuclear waste is planned for this site
Yucca Mountain, Nevada
worldwide reserves for most metals are projected to last
a few decades
any rain water having a pH less than 5.6 is
acid rain
severe leaching of tropical laterite soils has produced economically important ore deposits of a
aluminum
which has the greatest world reserves (supply for the future)?
aluminum
new enhanced oil recovery methods can extract more oil from a reservoir
and so expand oil reserves
which is the highest grade and most carbon-rich coal?
anthracite
blood diamonds
are diamonds mined in war zone countries, like Sierra Leone, Africa, and sold to finance weapons
oil spills
are increasingly underreported by the new agencies
A ______ _____ is a sedimentary rock, consisting of alternating iron-rich and silica rich layers, that may qualify as an ore of iron
banded iron formation
____ is the most commonly mined source of aluminum
bauxite
which ore deposit yields aluminum?
bauxite
within which country are the largest proven reserves of natural gas located?
former USSR
hydrothermal deposits of ore minerals form
from hot water circulating through rocks
which energy resource utilizes the earths internal heat?
geothermal
metamorphism of coal produces
graphite
commercially, the most valuable petroleum reservoirs (like aquifers) are
high in probity and high in permeability
geopressurized natural gas may be deep underground in
hot salty groundwater
_____ ore deposits are formed by warm fluids circulation in the earths crust
hydrothermal
the metal-rich muds at the bottom of the Red Sea are most likely formed as a result of
hydrothermal activity
the bulk of our metallic mineral resources is associated with
igneous rocks
the most heavily used metal is
iron
aluminum is a widely used metal because it
is both strong and light
why do so many environmentalist groups oppose hydropower development?
it destroys habitat and scenery
diamonds are mined from a type of igneous rock called ____ that occurs as pipeline intrusive bodies
kimberlite
diamonds are found in
kimberlites
recycling aluminum is beneficial because
less electricity is required to re-melt aluminum than refine it from ore
geothermal heat is a good energy source but
limited to specific sites
the marine mineral resource having the greatest potential for exploitation in the near future is
manganese nodules
the concentration factor
measures the relative enrichment of ore bodies
which source could yield large amounts of natural gas in the future?
methane hydrates
which is a fossil fuel?
natural gas
where are the greatest wind resources available in the U.S.?
north-central U.S.
which is not in the top three sources of world energy production?
nuclear power
a fission nuclear reactor core meltdown
occurred at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania
mangase nodules form
on the deep sea floor
an _____ is a rock in which a valuable or useful metal occurs at a concentration high enough to make it economically practical to mine
ore
metallic mineral deposits that are worth mining are
ores
twenty miles per gallon is the average fuel consumption of a
passanger car
large feldspar crystals are abundant in what ore deposit?
pegmatite
_____ are ore deposits mechanically concentrated by the sorting action of moving water
placers
coal forms from
plants buried in sediment
a breeder reactor makes more this fuel than it consumes
plutonium-239
aluminum ore deposits are
residual deposits
which mineral/rock resource is most intensively used in the U.S.?
sand and gravel
in the U.S., the bulk of uranium deposits are found in
sandstone
banded iron formation is what kind of mineral deposit?
sedimentary
where are the solar energy resources available in the U.S.?
southwestern U.S.
currently, the greatest use of solar energy is for
space heating
_____ ____ are piles of waste rock produced by surface mining
spoil banks
black smokers on the seafloor occur near
spreading ridges
oil shale is currently extracted by
strip mining
hydrothermal deposits are predominately composed of what type of ore minerals?
sulfide
_____ are piles of crushed or ground water rock produced a a by-product of mineral processing
tailings
waste materials left from processing mineral deposits are called
tallings
the amount of energy potentially available from hydroelectric power is limited primarily by
the limited number of sites that have appropriate rivers
why might certain minerals be considered renewable resources while others are nonrenewable?
the renewable metals are those which have been recycled
the main reason we presently do not utilize more solar energy in the U.S. is that
using solar would require a fundamental change in the energy industry
the major drawback to fusion power is
we cannot carry out a fusion reaction
an important reason that the U.S. is not generating much energy from nuclear fission is
we have no repository for high-level nuclear waste
using both primary and secondary petroleum recovery techniques, what proportion of the oil in an oil field is usually pumped out?
1/3
the 20 billion barrels of oil in Alaska's north slope deposits would supply the U.S. for about
2 years
ninety-eight percent of the earths crust is composed of only ______ elements
8
Breeder reactors constitute what percentage of nuclear power plants in the United States?
0
Optimistic projections state that nuclear fission will supply about how much of the total energy used in the United States by the year 2020?
1/3
coal supplies about ____ percent of the energy used in the U.S.
25
natural gas supplies about ____ percent of the energy used in the U.S.
25
Currently, the best experimental solarcells have an efficiency of about percent.
30
Hydroelectric power provides about percent of the total energy needs of the United States.
4
Petroleum accounts for about _____ percent of the energy used in the U.S.
40
One barrel of oil is equal to how many gallons?
42
The worst oil spill in United States waters was the
Exxon Valdez spill
The fuel to be used by fusion reactors is
Hydrogen
the nation having the largest proven reserves of crude oil is
Saudi Arabia
clay
a component of drilling muds
in 1995, wind power accounted for what percentage of the electric generating capacity of the U.S.?
about 3
Which of the following is a technological problem that must be solved before fusion reactors become a reality?
all of the above
hydroelectric power
all of the above
the environmental disaster that has affected the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania was caused by
an underground coal-mine fire
The term ________ describes processes that occur in the absence of oxygen.
anaerobic
Which one of the following fuels would give off the most heat per given unit weight?
anthracite
laterite weathering produces which ore deposit
bauxite
which of the following alternative energy sources has the greatest potential form becoming a large-scale energy supply in the future?
binary geothermal
fuels are those derived from living or recent organisms.
biomass
_______ ______ is a name given to hydrothermal vents that emits dark clouds of suspended sulfide minerals
black smokers
is a reactor that produces more fissionable nuclear fuel than it consumes.
breeder reactor
acid rain is caused primarily by
burning high-sulfur coal
chromite forms
by crystal settling in a magma
is a series of fission reactions occurring in a mass of fissionable material such as uranium-235.
chain reaction
The largest recoverable U.S. energy reserve is
coal
which energy source will last the longest?
coal
which produces the most carbon dioxide when it is burned?
coal
atmospheric pollution is the worst when
coal is burned
gasification and liquefaction techniques
convert coal to more versatile fuel
is a nuclear reactor accident caused by the loss of core coolant and the resultant overheating of the core.
core meltdown
ocean thermal energy conversion is limited most by easy access to near-shore
deep cold water
most gasohol blends are from
distilled grains
some pegmatites are mined for gemstones such as
emerald
halite, gypsum, and phosphate are examples of minerals recovered from
evaporate deposits
rock salt and rock gypsum are what kind of mineral deposit
evaporite
A major disadvantage of recycling aluminum is that it takes significantly more energy to recycle scrap aluminum than it does to extract new aluminum from its ore.
false
Geothermal energy is being tapped most extensively at hot spots.
false
In 1995, geothermal energy was the dominant renewable energy source in the United States.
false
Most petroleum is found in rocks no older than one to two million years old.
false
Most petroleum source rocks are highly permeable, coarse-grained, clastic sedimentary rocks.
false
Oil and natural gas are believed to have formed from the bodies of large land animals such as dinosaurs.
false
Substituting some of the uses of one metal with another metal is perhaps the most effective way to extend reserves of the substituted metal.
false
The United States consumes about 10% of all the world's oil resources.
false
The United States has consumed almost half of its total coal resources.
false
The United States has enough reserves of uranium-235 to last for 600 years.
false
The potential fuel in tar sands is a waxy solid called kerogen.
false
The primary use of sulfur in the United States is in the manufacture of explosives
false
The process used by commercial nuclear power plants is fusion.
false
The radioactive wastes produced by nuclear reactors can be rendered harmless by combining the wastes with chemicals to make them nonradioactive
false
banded iron formations are relatively recent geological formations
false
the graphite used in "lead" pencils is usually mined from placer deposits
false
oil spill clean-up experiments after the Exxon Valdez spill that were the most encouraging involved
fertilizer sprayed on the beaches
is the splitting apart of atomic nuclei into smaller nuclei.
fission
waste disposal is a problem with which energy resource?
fission
breeder reactors would provide a renewable supply of fuel for
fission power plants
________ ________ are hydrocarbon energy sources formed from the remains of once-living organisms.
fossil fuels
Oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of
fossil fuels, hydrocarbon fuel, nonrenewable resources
is the joining of atomic nuclei to form larger ones and the releasing of energy in the process
fusion
the reservoir now beloved to contain the largest amount of carbon is
gas hydrates
is a fuel consisting of a blend of 90% gasoline and 10% alcohol.
gashol
________ is the process by which coal is converted into a gaseous hydrocarbon fuel.
gasification
energy is derived from the internal heat of the earth.
geothermal
Coal subjected to overly high temperatures will metamorphose into
graphite
is a potential geothermal energy source where thermal gradients are at least 40oC/kilometer and where groundwater is lacking.
hot dry rock
As societies evolve from primitive to technological, the energy consumption associated with agriculture
increases
Which one of the following is not an advantage of solar energy?
it is a widely dispersed resource
a major limitation of hydroelectric power is that
it is limited to the stationary nature of streams
the hydrocarbon fuel in oil shale is
kerogen
______ is a soft, brown coal formed directly from peat.
lignite
_______ is the process by which coal is converted into a liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
liquefaction
The gaseous fuel obtained from sanitary landfills is
methane
______is the most common gaseous hydrocarbon in natural gas.
methane
of the following non-fuel minerals, the U.S. has significant reserves only of
molybdenum
As heat and pressure act upon petroleum, it finally becomes
natural gas
geopressurized zones might one day become an important source of
natural gas
________ energy resources are those not being replenished or formed on a human time scale.
nonrenewable
All of the following are reasons why no new nuclear power plants have been ordered since 1978 except
nuclear plants have higher fueling and operating costs than coal-fired plants
__________, or petroleum, is not a single chemical compound, but a liquid mixture of various hydrocarbons.
oil
_______ ________ is a sedimentary rock containing the waxy hydrocarbon fuel called kerogen.
oil shale
the U.S. has about 2/3 of the worlds known resources of
oil shale
The accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant was caused by
particle loss of coolant
or solar cells, produce electricity directly from sunlight.
photovoltaic cells
copper
primarily used for electrical applications
an oil well "gusher" would be an example of
primary recovery
of silver
principle use is for photographic materials
coal that is high in sulfur often contains visible crystals of this mineral
pyrite
the greatest cost of coal strip-mining is
reclamation of strip-mined land
______ _____ is investigation by methods such as aerial photography and satellite imagery
remote sensing
In the United States, most uranium deposits are found in
sandstone
fossil fuels are found in
sedimentary rocks
expanded use of which energy resource would contribute least to global warming?
solar
which of the following energy resources has the least environmental impact?
solar
halite
source of sodium and chloride
Maximum insolation occurs over the _____ United States.
southwestern
the substance found in coal that contributes to acid rainfall is
sulfur
________ _______ are sedimentary rocks containing a viscous, tar-like petroleum.
tar sands
which region of the U.S. has the greatest potential for the development of large scale windmill arrays
the Great Plain
A Chernobyl-style accident would be unlikely at a commercial nuclear plant in the United States because
the design of American commercial nuclear reactors is different from that of the Chernobyl reactor
All of the following are problems that growth causes for cells EXCEPT
the low quality of the oil
which of the following does not depend on our geologic understanding of magmatic mineral deposits?
the prediction of likely locations of future volcanic eruptions
Which of the following is not an advantage of geothermal power?
the useful life of a geothermal field is nearly endless
aluminum
third most abundant element in the earth's crust
Antarctica may contain vast reserves of mineral resources; however, active mineral exploitation must be carefully controlled to preserve Antarctica's environment.
true
Because plants concentrate certain metals within their tissues, they can be used as indicators of those metals.
true
Coal formation from land plants takes place under conditions in which oxygen is absent, or nearly so.
true
Continued explorations and improvements in mineral-processing technology may make some currently subeconomic mineral deposits profitable to mine.
true
Currently, space heating seems to be the most practical use of solar energy.
true
Even if a nuclear reactor experienced a complete loss of core coolant, there would not be an explosion like an atomic bomb.
true
Nuclear fusion is the process by which the sun generates its tremendous quantities of energy
true
One problem with breeder reactors is that the process is very slow.
true
Potentially wind power could supply 25 to 50% of the electricity used by the United States if a major national program for wind-energy development existed.
true
The United States has about two-thirds of the world's supply of tar sands.
true
The United States obtains almost 90% of its energy from fossil fuels.
true
The consumption of rock, sand, and gravel in the United States vastly exceeds its consumption of metals and minerals.
true
The richest oil shale deposits in the United States occur in the western states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.
true
hydrothermal and magmatic ores are ate associated with lithospheric plate boundaries
true
oil and gas migrate out of their source rocks and
upward toward the surface
The fissionable isotope of uranium used in most nuclear power reactors is
uranium-235
platinum
used as a catalyst in automobile emissions-control systems
gold
used for jewelry and in the electronics industry
lead
used in batteries, solders, paints, and ceramics
zinc
used to galvanize steel cans and in the manufacture of boxes
gypsum
used to make plaster, portland cement, and wallboard
the biomass energy source that provides about 1/3 of Hawaii's electricity is
wastes from sugar-can processing plants
fossil fuels include all of these except
wood