USC Geology 110 Quiz 1 – Flashcards

ornamental

necessary for civilian, industrial, or military needs

gold, silver, copper, zinc, iron, aluminum

sand & gravel, gypsum, phosphate, building stone; 94% of mineral resources are nonmetallic

wood, coal, hydroelectric dams, nuclear power, gas hydrates, oil & gas beneath Earth's surface

petroleum, natural gas, coal, nuclear electric power, renewable energy

industrial, transportation, residential, commercial

nonrenewable; coal, oil, natural gas

organic remains (of plants & animals) are buried in sedimentary basins, causing them to be 'cooked' at different temperatures, producing hydrocarbon materials

1. biologically productive environment producing large quantities of organic material (typically shallow water continental margins) 2. limited supply of oxygen to bottom waters in contact with sediment limits the decomposition of organic material 3. rapid burial of un-decomposed organic material provides for efficient capture of this material in sediment deposits

the removal of rock from the mountains by weathering, erosion, & the deposition of that material in the form of clastic sediment around the edges of continents creates a great shift in mass from the mountains to the continental edges; the lithosphere sinks/subsides under the great weight of the sediment accumulation over millions of years

sediment from rivers are deposited in alluvial fans

one of the most important fossil fuel locations in the US; drains almost half of the continental US

one of the most important fossil fuel locations in the US

black, brittle sedimentary rock, non-renewable resource composed of organic materials that were living at the time the sedimentary rocks were deposited; most electricity (around 50%) in the US is produced through the burning of coal

primary sedimentary environments where thick accumulations of plant material can result in the production of a major coal reserve

burial & heating of organic material creates a progressive change from peat, to lignite, to bituminous coal, and then to anthracite coal; each of these steps involves progressive loss of nitrogen & water to create organic material with higher carbon & hydrogen contents to increase energy

commonly burned for fuel in boggy regions at high latitudes

highest grade of coal, 'cooked' at relatively high temperature resulting in a high energy content

landscape degradation, groundwater & air pollution, increase in greenhouse gases

not clean to mine, burn, or handle; expensive to produce 'clean coal'

when burned it produces abundant CO2 (a greenhouse gas) & liberates sulfur dioxide & ash into atmosphere

estimates that part of a total resource that can be extracted & marketed at a profit; may change dramatically in response to evolving technologies & economic conditions

typically occurs in marine sedimentary deposits 1. Diagenesis: occurs at the surface or under shallow burial depths of a few hundred meters and at temperatures generally less than 50° C; biological activity of burrowing organisms and bacteria is present under these conditions, resulting primarily in the decomposition of organic material and the formation of biogenic methane, which is also known as 'swamp gas' 2. Catagenesis: occurs at burial depths of 3.5 to 5 kilometers and at temperatures in the range of 50° - 150° C; water is forced out of the rock and most biological activity ceases; organic material is cooked into a mixture of kerogen (nonreactive/insoluble part of organic material) and oil; at temperatures near the high end of the catagenesis range, the breakdown of kerogen results in the formation of natural gas 3. Metagenesis: occurs at burial depths greater than 5 kilometers and at temperatures greater than 150° C; conditions of early metamorphism; production of natural gas continues from the breakdown of kerogen, beyond about 300° the remaining kerogen becomes graphite and the formation of natural gas ends

gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heavy fuel, heating oil

1. source rock: where hydrocarbons are created; usually a shale that contains a large quantity of organic material 2. migration pathway: allows the hydrocarbons to flow upward through the rock formations; this may be fractures in the rock, or pore spaces between mineral grains in the rock. 3. reservoir rock: which is where the hydrocarbons are trapped and stored; usually a porous and/or fractured sandstone, which has lots of open space to store oil and gas 4. trap: which keeps the oil or gas in the reservoir rock - it prevents the escape of the hydrocarbons; usually involve an unfractured rock with low porosity and low permeability

all geologic systems that produce oil also produce some amount of natural gas; disposed of by flaming

minimal processing, burns cleanly, most energy per unit, most energy per unit of CO2, extensive infrastructure already in place to handle gas, new technologies might make it a transportation fuel, extensive reserve growth in the US through fracking

sometimes explodes, methane (strong greenhouse gas) can leak from pipelines

nearly everything we use depends on petroleum made by machines & systems that depend on oil, rely on oil for transportation

all world's great oil fields have already been found, discovery of new ones are declining while consumption is increasing

bell-shape prediction curve, simple statistical analysis; his predicted peak & decline of US oil production came in 1970

large oil fields still remain to be discovered, extortion technologies & economic forces will greatly expand volume of reserves in the future (Kern River Oil Field is a good example of this)

alternative oil in Canada; constitute a potential oil reserve similar in size to the conventional oil reserves in Saudi Arabia; expensive to extract this oil

biomass, hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind, ocean thermal, wave/tidal; only a small amount of energy & electricity production was from renewable sources

hydrogen, clean coal, nuclear, biomass fuels, human power

generate electricity, heat in industrial processes, heating/cooling of buildings

electricity produced from flowing water

1. impoundment: requires dams 2. diversion: doesn't usually require a dam 3. pumped storage

pumping water & producing energy

conversion of wind energy into a useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines

plentiful, renewable, widely distributed, clean

non-dispatchable, intermittent

heating buildings & water, electric power plants, photovoltaic systems

space heating/cooling, water distillation/disinfection, daylighting

use of photovoltaic panels & solar thermal collectors to harness energy

orienting a building to the sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air

"an umbrella term that refers to any sources of usable energy intended to replace fuel sources without the undesired consequences of replaced fuels;" hydrogen, nuclear, tar sands/oil shale

1. coal as an alternative to wood 2. petroleum as an alternative to whale oil 3. alcohol as an alternative to fossil fuels 4. coal gasification as an alternative to expensive petroleum

naturally replenished, but can be limited by amount generated; hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal

depends on local heat flow conditions/availability of hot water or steam; generate electricity, space heating

CO2 emissions per unit of electricity produced are far lower than fossil fuels, clean, renewable, usually quickly replenished

simplest, most abundant element in universe; can be produced from fossil fuels, biomass, & by electrolyzing water

low energy: a car relying on hydrogen for energy would require a huge tank

1. used to boil water which generates steam 2. steam turns turbines which generate power 3. steam is cooled in large towers 4. steam, not smoke, exits towers

when a sufficient amount is brought together in a nuclear reactor (critical mass), a chain reaction of nuclear fission results; not technically a renewable resources, but dominates most of world energy reserve estimates

process of radioactive decay in Uranium, the breaking of are arms into smaller atoms & particles, releasing energy in the process; occurs in nuclear reactors; involves joining of 2 relatively light elements, such as hydrogen & hell, to form a large atom

create public fear & mistrust of this industry; problems with nuclear waste disposal

Three Mile Island (PA), Chernobyl Plant (Ukraine), Fukushima (Japan)