Geology

1
Geology Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
2
Chapter 16 Overview

• Major geologic processes
• Structure of the earth
• Plate tectonics
• External Earth processes (erosion and weathering)
• Earthquakes and volcanoes
• Minerals, rocks and the rock cycle
• Mineral types (diamond, quartz)
• Rock types (igneous (granite, basalt),
  sedimentary (limestone, sandstone) and
  metamorphic (marble, slate))
• Non-renewable mineral resources
• Metallic, non-metallic, energy resources, ores
• Categories identified, undiscovered, reserves

3
Chapter 16 Overview

• Finding mineral resources
• Satellite and air imagery
• Radiation detectors
• Magnetometers
• Gravity differences
• Seismic surveys
• Chemical analyses
• Extracting mineral resources
• Open-pit, dredging, area strip, contour strip
  (surface mining)
• Room-and-pillar, longwall (subsurface mining)

4
Environmental Effects of Mining Mineral Resources

• Surface Mining Control Reclamation Act of 1977
  (limited success)
• Disruption of land surface
• Subsidence
• Erosion of solid mining waste
• Acid mine drainage
• Air, water and soil pollution
• Radioactive waste
• Storage and leakage of liquid mining waste

5
The Future of Mineral Resources

• Ore mineral, gangue, tailings, smelting
• Economic depletion
• Depletion time
• Foreign sources
• Environmental concerns
• Economics
• New technologies
• Mining the oceans
• Finding substitutes

6
Nonrenewable Energy Resources
7
Chapter 17 Overview

• Evaluating energy resources
• Renewable energy
• Non-renewable energy
• Future availability
• Net energy yield
• Costs
• Environmental effects
• Oil resources
• Characteristics
• Advantages and disadvantages
• ANWR controversy

8
Chapter 17 Overview

• Natural gas resources
• Characteristics
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Coal resources
• Characteristics
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Nuclear fission
• Characteristics
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Three Mile Island
• Chernobyl
• Nuclear waste
• Yucca Mountain controversy
• Alternatives (new designs, fusion)

9
Energy Efficiency Renewable Energy
10
Chapter 18 Overview

• Inefficient energy uses (incandescent lights,
  nuclear power plants the internal combustion
  engine)
• Improving energy efficiency (characteristics,
  advantages and disadvantages for all examples)
• Solar energy
• Flowing water (dams and tidal power)
• Wind energy
• Biomass
• Geothermal energy
• Hydrogen
• Decentralized power systems