Renewable/Nonrenewable     Resources 

I. Natural Resources

    A. Old Definition- materials from the earth that provide manufacturing materials

                                or energy.

    B.  New Definition- old definition and...

        1.  All of earth's organisms

        2.  Air

        3.  Water

        4.  Soil

        5.  All materials removed from the ground.

II.  Renewable Resources

    A. Definition- Any material or energy source that can naturally be replenished

                        within a human life span.

    B. Categories

        1.  Food & Fiber

            a.  Crops- for humans and livestock

            b.  Forests

            c.  Wild and Domestic Animals

        2.  Soil

            a.  Mixture of living (leaves, bacteria, etc) and nonliving (ground rocks) materials

            b.  Renewable as long as it remains fertile (good for growing plants)

        3.  Wind

            a.  Occurs because of the uneven heating of the earth's surface

                1.  hot air rises

                2.  cooler air moves in to take its place

            b.  Considered a resource because it can help generate electricity

        4.  Water

            a.  Replenished through the water cycle

            b.  Must be careful- we're using it faster than it can be replenished

        5.  Biomass Fuels

            a.  Organic (living) matter that contains solar (sun) energy

            b.  Sun's energy released when matter is burned

            c.  Types

                1.  dried vegetation

                2.  crop residue

                3.  aquatic plants

                4.  animal wastes

            d.  15% of the world's energy source (mainly in developing countries)

            e.  35% of heating/cooking  energy in developing countries

       6.  Geothermal Energy

            a.  Heat generated deep within the earth

            b.  Transferred to the earth's surface through water

            c.  Used to produce electricity

III.  Nonrenewable Resources

    A.  Overview

        1. Those materials that can NOT be naturally replenished within a human

            life span

        2.  Most took millions of years to form

        3.  We can run out of them- must be conserved

        4.  Need to start looking for alternative sources

    B.  Categories

        1.  Ores

            a.  Metallic/nonmetallic mineral deposits that must be mined

            b.  Metallic Ores- iron, aluminum, copper, lead, gold, silver, etc.

            c.  Nonmetallic Ores- salt, clay, sand, gravel, diamonds, etc.

            d.  Rocks

                1.  mixture of 1 or more minerals

                2.  common in PA- marble, sandstone, granite, limestone, shale, slate

                3.  mostly used in building- decorative

        2.  Fossil Fuels

            a.  Release energy when burned

            b.  Types- wood, charcoal, peat, petroleum (oil), natural gas

            c.  Developing (third world) countries use- wood, charcoal, peat

            d.  Developed (United State) countries use- coal, petroleum, natural gas

            e.  Coal

                1.  Formation

                    i.  wetland plants die

                    ii.  plants are buried

                    iii.  pressure and heat cause a physical and chemical change

                2.  Stages of coal

                    i.  Peat- 50% carbon (doesn't burn well or clean)

                    ii.  Lignite- 70% carbon (starting to really get pressed together)

                    iii.  Bituminous- 85% carbon (soft coal)

                    iv.  Anthracite- 90% carbon (hard coal, cleaner and hotter burning)

                3.  Coal in PA- predominant fossil fuel in PA

                    i.  Eastern 1/2 of state- Anthracite

                    ii.  Western 1/2 of state- Bituminous

                4.  15% of the world's coal comes from the US

            f.  Petroleum (what we call oil)

                1.  Played an important role in PA's early economic development

                2.  First major well dug in Titusville, PA (1859)- started oil boom in US

                3.  Used in making gasoline, plastics, motor oil, some fabrics, etc.

            g.  Natural Gas

                1.  Found with petroleum

                2.  Used in heating homes

            h.  Formation of Petroleum and Natural Gas

                1.  remains of plants, bacteria, algae get buried

                2.  pressure and heat cause a physical and chemical change- like coal

                3.  found near coastal water- helps keep it a liquid

                4.  Source rocks- where petroleum and natural gas are formed

                5.  Reservoir rocks- where they are stored

                6.  Both can be found in the same location

                     i.  petroleum heavier- on bottom

                    ii.  natural gas lighter- on top.