Geologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources Chapter 15

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Geologic Resources Nonrenewable Mineral and
Energy ResourcesChapter 15
Mineral resources are the building blocks on
which modern society depends. Knowledge of their
physical nature and origins, the web they weave
between all aspects of human society and the
physical earth, can lay the foundations for a
sustainable society. Ann Dorr
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Key Concepts

• Types of mineral resources
• Formation and location of mineral resources
• Extraction and processing of mineral resources
• Increasing supplies of mineral resources
• Major types, acquisition, advantages and
  disadvantages of fuel resources

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Nature and Formation of Mineral Resources

• Mineral resources
• Metallic
• Nonmetallic
• Energy Resources
• Magma
• Hydrothermal
• Weathering

4
Finding and Removing Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources

• Satellite imagery
• Aerial sensors (magnetometors)
• Gravity differences
• Core Sampling
• Seismic surveys
• Chemical analysis of water and plants

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Removing Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

• Surface Mining
• Overburden
• Spoil
• Open Pit
• Dredging
• Strip Mining

• Subsurface Mining
• Room-and-pillar
• Longwall Mining

Refer to Figure 15-4 (page 341) and Figure 15-5
(page 342)
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Environmental Effects of Extracting Mineral
Resources
Fig. 15-6 pg 343
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Environmental Effects of Processing Mineral
Resources

• Ore mineral
• Gangue
• Tailings
• Smelting

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Environmental Effects of Using Mineral Resources

• Disruption of land surface
• Subsidence
• Erosion of solid mining waste
• Acid mine drainage
• Air pollution
• Storage and leakage of liquid mine waste

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Supplies of Mineral Resources

• Economic Depletion
• Depletion time
• Reserve-to-production ratio
• Foreign resources
• Economics
• Environmental Concerns
• Mining the Oceans
• Fining substitutes

Fig. 15-9 pg 346
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Evaluating Energy Resources

• Renewable energy
• Nonrenewable energy
• Future availability
• Net energy yield
• Cost
• Environmental effects

Fig. 15-12 pg 351
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Important Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Fig. 15-10 pg 350
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North American Energy Resources
Fig. 15-20, p 356
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Oil

• Petroleum (crude oil)
• Primary recovery
• Secondary recovery
• Tertiary recovery
• Petrochemicals
• Refining
• Transporting

Fig. 15-18, p 355
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Oil Shale and Tar Sands

• Oil Shale
• Kerogen
• Tar Sands
• Bitumen

Fig. 15-28, p 361
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Natural Gas

• 50-90 methane
• Conventional gas
• Unconventional gas
• Methane hydrate
• Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
• Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
• Approximate 200 year supply

Fig. 15-29, p 362
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Coal

• Stages of coal formation
• Primarily strip mined
• Used mostly for generating electricity
• Enough coal for about 1000 years
• Highest environmental impact
• Coal gasification and liquefaction

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Coal
Fig. 15-30, p 363
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Burning Coal More Cleanly

• Fluidized-Bed Combustion

Fig. 15-33, p 364
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Nuclear Energy

• Fission reactors
• Uranium-235
• Potentially dangerous
• Radioactive wastes

Fig. 15-35, p 366
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The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Fig. 15-36, p 367
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Dealing With Nuclear Waste

• Low-level waste
• High-level waste
• Underground burial
• Disposal in space
• Burial in ice sheets
• Dumping into subduction zones
• Burial in ocean mud
• Conversion into harmless materials

Fig. 15-40, p 370
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Nuclear Alternatives

• Breeder nuclear fission reactors
• Nuclear fission
• New reactor designs

Storage Containers
Fuel rod
Primary canister
Ground Level
Overpack container sealed
Unloaded from train
Personal elevator
Air shaft
Nuclear waste shaft
Underground
Buried and capped
Lowered down shaft
Fig. 15-42 p. 376