Nonrenewable Sources

Nonrenewable Resources

3.1.2

Objectives

• recognize the importance of many nonrenewable resources

• explain the processes required to form nonrenewable resources

• examine how people use nonrenewable resources in their daily lives

• nonrenewable resource

• weathering

Prerequisite Vocab

• fossil fuel

New Vocab

Vocabulary

energy source formed from dead organisms

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Fossil Fuel

Match

Match the vocabulary word to its definition.

• nonrenewable resource

• climate

• weathering

natural resource that cannot be replaced

the average weather conditions

physical and chemical breakdown of rocks

• natural resource that cannot be replaced

• the average weather conditions

• physical and chemical breakdown of rocks

Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are nonrenewable resources that have formed deep within Earth for millions of years. These resources are extracted from the ground and burned to produce energy.

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Fossil Fuels

Match

Match the description to the fossil fuel that is being described.

• oil

• natural gas

• coal

a thick black liquid that makes gasoline

odorless vapor used for heat and cooking

solid rocky material that is burned

• a thick black liquid that makes gasoline

• odorless vapor used for heat and cooking

• solid rocky material that is burned

Over time, sediment layers build on the dead plants and animals. The increased heat and pressure slowly convert the organic remains into coal. The amount of heat and pressure determines the type of coal. Anthracite coal is the highest quality coal and the rarest form of coal.

​​Coal Formation

Oil and gas form from the remains of organisms. Many of these fossil fuel sources originate in areas that were once oceans. Over millions of years, sediment builds up and alters the organic remains with extreme heat and pressure.

Oil and Gas Formation

​Fossil Fuel Formation

Multiple Choice

Which of the following describes the materials from which fossil fuels form?

• trees that are harvested in swamp and marsh areas

• rocks that have been compressed by heat and pressure

• recently deceased organisms that are found on the ocean floor

• ancient organisms buried and compressed by layers of sediment

Photosynthesis and Fossil Fuels

Plants use photosynthesis to convert light energy into chemical energy. This chemical energy remains stored in plants even when converted into fossil fuels. This means that the energy released from burning coal, oil, and natural gas originally came from the sun.

Fossil fuels are not the only nonrenewable resource that comes from the ground. Minerals are also essential nonrenewable resources.

Minerals

Minerals

Minerals are naturally occurring substances found in the ground. These minerals are not exactly the same as the minerals like iron and potassium you find in food products. Earth's minerals are the components that form rocks. Minerals appear individually as single minerals, or rocks may be composed of various minerals. Metallic minerals include metals, such as iron and gold. Nonmetallic minerals do not contain metals.

Gold, silver, aluminum, copper, and iron are some of the most recognizable metallic minerals. Metallic minerals have unique properties, such as good conductivity, that make them useful for heat and electricity.

Metallic Minerals

Nonmetallic minerals serve various purposes, either being used in their raw unaltered state or as components for other materials. An example of a nonmetallic mineral used with minor alteration is halite in the form of table salt.

Nonmetallic Minerals

Mineral Formation

Some minerals require extreme conditions to form, such as the high temperatures that melt rock into magma and lava.

Extreme Conditions

Minerals may form under high-pressure conditions as Earth's tectonic plates move around and collide.

High Pressure

Mineral formation occurs when mineral-rich solutions, such as ocean water, evaporate. This process leaves behind mineral crystals, such as salt.

Evaporation

Regardless of the formation, Earth only has a limited quantity of any mineral. The process of forming new minerals can take millions of years. However, many metallic minerals are recyclable and reusable. Reusing nonrenewable resources helps extend the availability of limited materials.

Multiple Choice

Why are minerals considered a nonrenewable resource?

• minerals are replaced every few years

• minerals take a long time to form

• mineral use alters their form but does not deplete them

• minerals are all metals and reusable

Soil

Soil

Soil is a foundational component of agriculture. It is a mixture of rock and mineral particles, decayed organic material, air, and water. Without good soil, humans would be unable to produce the food necessary for survival. However, soil is a type of nonrenewable resource. Protecting the limited amount of soil is essential to ensure it is available for future farming. Soil is considered a nonrenewable resource because of the time it takes to develop into usable means, such as growing crops.

Soil Formation

Weathering is the breaking down of rocks over time. A significant component of soil is fragmented pieces of rock and minerals. Weathering takes a long time to build enough soil for plants to grow.

Weathering

A climate's characteristics, such as temperature and rainfall, impact how quickly soil forms. In areas where soil forms slower, soil depletion has a much longer impact.

Climate

The processes that form the bedrock, the solid layer of rock beneath the soil, can take thousands of years. It takes several millions of years for that solid layer of parent rock to push toward the surface, where it slowly breaks down into different soil layers.

Bedrock

Soil is damaged when it is not correctly managed and maintained. Planting too many crops in the soil causes the soil to lose nutrients that do not replenish quickly. Also, wind and rain erosion quickly remove soil if plants are not present to stabilize the ground and block the wind.