5.2 Distributionn of Natural Energy Resources Flashcards
how do countries calculate their proven reserves for an energy resource
geologic and engineering data
proven reserve
estimate of the amount of a resource that can be obtained from an area in an economically profitable manner
producers
countries that have natural deposits of an energy resource
if a country produces a resource what do they do with it
extracts and prepares it for sale to other countries
how many methods are there for extracting fuel and what are they
2: mining and drilling
mining
method used to extract solid fuels
solid fuel examples
coal uranium
drillling
method used to extract gaseous or liquid fuels
examples of gaseous or liquid fuels
ntural gas or crude oil
subsurface mining
the process of extracting resources from deep underground, using tunnels and shafts to reach deposits
cons of subsurface mining
dangerous for workers
cause environmental problems such as cave-ins, fires, and contamination of nearby waterways
surface mining
the process of accessing and extracting resources by removing overlying soil and rock
when is surface mining done
when resources are located near the surface
mountaintop removal
type of surface mining in which explosives are used to blast away the top of a mountain in order to access a buried resource
cons of mountaintop removal
destructive to the environment, generating large amounts of excess rock and soil which are often dumped into nearby valleys and waterways
strip mining
type of surface mining in which a long, relatively shallow strip of overlying soil and rock is removed to access the resource below
cons of strip mining
type of surface mining in which a long, relatively shallow strip of overlying soil and rock is removed to access the resource below
in-situ leaching
method where uranium is mined
in-situ leaching process
chemicals are pumped underground where they dissolve the uranium found in porous rocks. The uranium-containing liquid is then pumped back to the surface where it can be processed
vertical drilling
wells are drilled vertically deep into the ground, and then oil and gas resources are brought to the surface
fracking
Unconventional methods of oil and gas extraction include drilling horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing
fracking techinque
injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, creating fractures in the rock from which oil and natural gas are released
cons of fracking
methane being released into the atmosphere and groundwater contamination
why are not all fossil fuels the same
bc they get heated and compressed differently
