(TEST 2) Earth Science, Lecture pt 4 (ch 13 and 14)

Question 1

What are fossil fuels?

Answer 1

An energy source formed by natural processes from buried dead organisms that have been converted to fuels such as crude oil, coal, natural gas, etc.

Question 2

What did people in the past use as an energy source?

Answer 2

They used windmills/watermills and then shifted to burning wood to produce more energy

Question 3

What enabled the industrial revolution?

Answer 3

Burning of fossil fuels

Question 4

What are some examples of non-renewable resources?

Answer 4

Crude oil, natural gas, and coal

Question 5

What are some examples of a renewable resource?

Answer 5

Solar and wind

Question 6

What is a renewable resource?

Answer 6

Alternative supplies of energy that can be produced at
fast rates and not a finite resource

Question 7

What percent of energy do humans consume comes from the burning of coal, oil, and natural gas?

Answer 7

88%

Question 8

What types of coal are the most desirable?

Answer 8

Bituminous and anthracite

Question 9

Why are bituminous and anthracite coals the most desirable?

Answer 9

• They produce more energy when they are burned
• They have a higher carbon content

Question 10

What happens to the carbon content as volatiles and moisture are removed due to increased heat from burial?

Answer 10

The carbon content increases

Question 11

What is a coal?

Answer 11

An organic sedimentary rock formed from plant remains
deposited in swamps and marshes

Question 12

What is the major use of coal?

Answer 12

The major use of coal is generating electric power

Question 13

What is one of the largest sources of CO2 (a greenhouse gas)?

Answer 13

The largest source is burning coal

Question 14

What is coal mainly composed of?

Answer 14

Carbon, hydrogen, and water

Question 15

What are some environmental impacts of mining coal?

Answer 15

• Explosions and collapses
• Black Lung Disease
• Land Subsidence (due to underground material removal)
• Acid mine drainage

Question 16

What are some impacts of mountain top removal mining?

Answer 16

• Places waste rock in a nearby valley
• Impacts the topography and streams

Question 17

What are some environmental impacts of burning coals?

Answer 17

• Acid rain
• Releases greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide) which contributes to climate change
• Mercury deposition around the globe
• Coal ash (waste product) contains many contaminants

Question 18

What does crude oil refer to?

Answer 18

They refer to unrefined oil made
up of liquid hydrocarbons

Question 19

What are some products made from crude oil?

Answer 19

• Kerosene
• Lubricants
• Waxes
• Asphalt
• Chemical

Question 20

How do we find oil and natural gas?

Answer 20

• Identify oil/gas reservoirs
  with seismic waves
• Drill exploration wells –
  used to verify if oil/gas is
  present
• Put in production (i.e.
  extraction) wells

Question 21

What is a source rock?

Answer 21

Where original organic material was deposited

Question 22

What is a petroleum trap?

Answer 22

Configuration of rock units that allows hydrocarbons to accumulate

Question 23

What is a petroleum reservoir?

Answer 23

Rocks where oil and gas are being stored

Question 24

What is a cap rock?

Answer 24

Low permeability layer that overlies the trap

Question 25

What is air pollution?

Answer 25

Hydrocarbons not fully burned during combustion and released as exhaust

Question 26

What are nonconventional fossil fuels?

Answer 26

All fossil fuels except for the traditional sources (such as coal, light crude oil, and natural gas)

Question 27

When do tar sands form?

Answer 27

They form when oil moves upward within a reservoir of porous, permeable sand is not stopped by an impermeable sedimentary layer

Question 28

A highly viscous asphalt or tar is called a

Answer 28

Bitumen

Question 29

What is an oil shale?

Answer 29

A sedimentary rock containing kerogen that has not been heated enough within the Earth to change the kerogen into hydrocarbons

Question 30

How do shale gas form?

Answer 30

When organic-rich black shales where extremely deep burial and extremely high temperatures have broken petroleum down into natural gas (methane)

Question 31

What is fracking?

Answer 31

Where high-pressure fluids and sand are injected to hydraulically fracture

Question 32

What are gas hydrates?

Answer 32

Ice-like substances made from methane (CH4) and water molecules

Question 33

Why do we need alternative based energy?

Answer 33

- Limited supply of fossil fuels - Environmental impacts of mining and burning fossil fuels

Question 34

What are two nuclear processes that produce energy?

Answer 34

1. Fission - splitting of atomic nuclei 2. Fusion - combining of smaller atomic nuclei into larger ones

Question 35

What are some alternative energy sources?

Answer 35

- Nuclear - Solar - Geothermal - Hydropower - Wind - Biofuels - Tidal

Question 36

What are some pros for nuclear source?

Answer 36

- Rich in energy - No carbon emissions - Reactors need little maintenance

Question 37

What are some cons for nuclear source?

Answer 37

- Produces nuclear waste - Are expensive to build - Can use a lot of water

Question 38

When does solar heating occur?

Answer 38

When solar radiation strikes a solid object and is transformed into thermal or heat energy

Question 39

What are active and passive heating systems?

Answer 39

Active - involve mechanical systems to collect and distribute the heat Passive - does not involve any mechanical effort

Question 40

What are some pros for solar power generation?

Answer 40

- Free energy source - Can last a long time without breaking - No type of pollution

Question 41

What are some cons for solar power generation?

Answer 41

- Requires a large commitment of land and mineral resources - Uses toxic material in production; these materials needs to be mined

Question 42

What are some pros of hydropower?

Answer 42

- Free energy source (uses gravity) - No carbon emissions - Controls flooding

Question 43

What are some cons of hydropower?

Answer 43

- Needs a large footprint - Traps sediment by not letting it move downstream - Affected by droughts

Question 44

What are some pros of wind energy?

Answer 44

- Free energy source - Can provide electricity 95% of the time

Question 45

What are some cons of wind energy?

Answer 45

- Creates noise issues (sound pollution) - Has energy storage issues - May kill off wildlife - Impacts views (not in my backyard)

Question 46

What is geothermal energy?

Answer 46

Energy produced where heat comes from magma or higher geothermal gradient

Question 47

What are some pros of geothermal energy?

Answer 47

- Free energy source - Is pollution-free - No carbon emissions - Competitive economically

Question 48

What are some cons of geothermal energy?

Answer 48

- Can contain a lot of dissolved chemicals that can clog/erode pipes - Geographically limited - Can pollute local waters if released

Question 49

What are biofuels?

Answer 49

Energy created from the processing of living organisms (i.e. plants) into fuel to burn

Question 50

What is ethanol?

Answer 50

Made from fermenting plant materials

Question 51

What is biodiesel?

Answer 51

Fatty acids derived from vegetable oils and animal fats

Question 52

What is a pro of biofuel?

Answer 52

A renewable fuel

Question 53

What are some cons for biofuels?

Answer 53

- Reduction in natural forests and grasslands for farmland - Can cause food shortages on competing crops - Has carbon emissions when in production and burning - Raised prices for corns and soybeans

Question 54

What is ocean thermal energy conversion?

Answer 54

- Temperature differences between surface (warm) and deep (cold) ocean water drives a turbine, producing electricity