earths resources Flashcards
(15 cards)
a star
a glowing ball of gas held together by its own gravity and powered by nuclear fusion at its core
inside different elements collide to form new elements through stellar evolution
how does a star form
begins with space dust and gas
comes together into a large cloud called a nebula
nebula begin to collapse inwards and start rotating faster
the gravitational attraction at the center leads to different elements colliding resulting in nuclear fusion or nucleosynthesis
why do nebulae start rotating faster after collapsing
nebula have certain amount of angular momentum in original shape
after collapse the shape is smaller so it takes less energy to complete one rotation
however the angular momentum stays the same so the nebula must start spinning faster
triple alpha process
process where three alpha particles (2 protons and 2 neutrons, same as nuclei of helium 4) fuse to form carbon 12
what are supernova and their different types
supernovae are when stars explode and send various elements out into space, leaving behind a neutron star of a black hole
type 1 occurs when a white dwarf star (ran out of energy star) collides or takes too much matter form another star
type 2 occurs when the core of a star becomes to massive to fight gravity, resulting in it imploding
kilanova
occurs when two neutron stars collide and create explosion thousands of times greater than normal nova
renewable vs nonrenewable resource
renewable resources can be replaced in nature at a rate similar to its rate of use
nonrenewable resources are in fixed amounts or used faster than it can be replaced
what is ore
ore is a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or other valuable mineral can be mined or extracted
what is a mineral
minerals are naturally occurring crystalline solids with specific chemical structures that give them their shape
why are many ores located near plate boundaries
this is because ores are often generated by the solidification of magma
what are fossil fuels
fossil fuels are the remains of living organisms trapped over time, turning into fuels due to their abundance of carbon bonds which create large amounts of energy when burned
what creates fossil fuels deposits
fossil fuels deposits are usually created by tectonic plate movement
e.g. in the middle east an oceanic plate (rich in marine petroleum) subducted under continental plates, melting and creating petroleum which rose up to form a petroleum deposit
what is differentiation
denser substances move to center while lighter substances move to surface
what are the layers of the earth
inner core - dense sphere of solid iron and nickel
outer core - layer of molten iron and nickel
lower mantle - mostly viscous / solid rock
upper mantle - mostly viscous / solid rock
crust - rigid rock
