12.1: Why It Matters- Geological Resources
Identify common geological resources and discuss how people use them.
Introduction
This section takes into consideration everything we have discussed so far. We will take a glance back at the formation of rocks and minerals, concentrating on mineral and energy resources. These resources focus mainly on our fossil fuels—oil, natural gas and coal. However, we use a variety of other material as well. Most of the resources we use are done so indirectly. For example, each person will use over 450,000 pounds of coal in their lifetime. While you may not go to the store and purchase coal to use like you would gasoline for your car, you do it in other indirect ways—for instance, most electricity in the US is generated by coal burning. The following graphic illustrates the type and amount of resources each American will need and use throughout their lives.
This chart provides us with some staggering statistics on the amount of resources we use:
Were you surprised see some of the items listed? How about the quantities—3.11 million pounds of resources per person?!
One item not shown on the figure is tantalum. If you have a cell phone, tablet, computer, camera or gaming system you own some tantalum. This resource is used because it has many desirable properties including high heat capacity, ductile and the ability to conduct electricity ( Tantalum, 2015 ). However, tantalum is considered to be a “conflict resource.” This means that it is mined in an area where a dispute or conflict is occurring. It could also mean that the resource is used to perpetuate the conflict. In the case of tantalum, it is mined in an area of the Congo where it is believed to have played a role in helping finance war in the area. This conflict is believed to have caused the death of 5,400,000 since 1998 (Tantalum, 2015)!
These resources are collected in a variety of ways from drilling to mining. Depending on the resource and its location, different mining methods may be used. And these resources are mined on every continent (except Antarctica).
Unfortunately not all of our resources will be around forever. Our nonrenewable resources are in jeopardy of depletion. Alternative or renewable resources will play a bigger role in meeting our energy needs in the future.
Learning Outcomes
- Learn common processes of geologic formation of rock and mineral resources.
- Describe some of the extraction methods and identify different types of mining.
- Describe geologic materials as current or potential energy resources and categorize sources as renewable or nonrenewable.
Contributors and Attributions
- Authored by : Kimberly Schulte and Lumen Learning. Provided by : Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
- 2015 Per Capita Use of Minerals. Authored by : Minerals Education Coalition. Located at : https://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2015percapita.jpg . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Unless otherwise noted, MEC materials may be used unaltered and in their entirety for educational purposes. This includes, but is not limited to individual educators in a classroom setting and Science Teacher Workshops. Materials may be downloaded, printed and copied at no charge when used for educational purposes.
- 2015 Mineral Baby. Authored by : Minerals Education Coalition. Located at : https://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/sites/default/files/uploads/2015baby.jpg . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Unless otherwise noted, MEC materials may be used unaltered and in their entirety for educational purposes. This includes, but is not limited to individual educators in a classroom setting and Science Teacher Workshops. Materials may be downloaded, printed and copied at no charge when used for educational purposes.