Chapter 4 Earth's Resources Flashcards
Which of the following is not a fossil fuel?
coal, natural gas, oil, uranium
uranium
What type of resources can be replenished over months, years, or decades?
Renewable resources
Which of these energy resources might replace dwindling petroleum supplies one day?
coal and natural gas
tar sands and uranium
oil shale and tar sands
wind and coal
oil shale and tar sands
What type of deposits form when heavy eroded particles settle out of moving water?
Placer deposits
Which of the following is a nonmetallic mineral resource?
wood, iron, coal, aggregate
aggregate
The advantage of solar energy include the fact that it is
nonpolluting
The fuel for nuclear fission in nuclear reactors is
uranium
What type of power is produced by falling water that turns a turbine?
Hydroelectric power
Natural underground reservoirs of steam and hot water is the source of what type of energy?
Geothermal energy
Which of the following is NOT a major use of freshwater resources?
drinking water
cooking food
growing food
fuel for transportation
fuel for transportation
What is the function of the atmosphere’s ozone layer?
shields Earth from harmful solar radiation
The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide helps to
maintain warmth near Earth’s surface
Which of the following is NOT a land resource?
soil
minerals
forests
methane
methane
Which of the following products is made from petroleum resources?
aggregate, plastic, nickel, cardboard
plastic
One way that mining for mineral resources damages land is by
increasing soil erosion
In which decade were the first important laws to decrease water pollution passed?
1970’s
Cars with hybrid and electric motors
create less air pollution
Contour plowing is a soil conservation method that involves
plowing across hill slopes
Compost helps preserve the health of soil because it
is a natural fertilizer
What act has decreased the illegal and unsafe dumping of hazardous waste?
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976
What type of resource are fossil fuels?
nonrenewable
Although it could replace petroleum one day, the mining of __________ has environmental drawbacks such as land disturbance and creation of contaminated water and sediment from processing.
tar sands
A rock that contains a waxy mixture of a hydrocarbon called kerogen is
oil shale
Many major mineral deposits form through __________ processes and the cooling of __________ solutions.
igneous
hydrothermal
Two broad categories of nonmetallic mineral resources are __________ materials and __________ minerals.
building
industrial
A simple solar _________ system can be a south-facing window that allows sunlight into a room.
energy
Hydroelectric dams have finite lifetimes because __________ build up behind them.
sediment
Earth’s atmosphere is a mixture of __________, oxygen, water vapor, and other gases.
nitrogen
The major source of air pollution that disrupts the atmosphere’s natural cycles is the combustion of __________ fuels.
fossil
Power plants release sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere, where they combine with water vapor to form __________ precipitation.
acid
The __________ Act requires industries to reduce or eliminate the release of point source pollution into surface waters.
Clean Water
The nation’s most important air pollution law is the __________ Act.
Clean Air
Forest habitat and soil is conserved through __________ cutting, in which only some trees in an area of forest are cut while others remain.
selective
A landfill with a plastic or clay liner that prevents the leaking of waste into soil and groundwater in a(n) __________ landfill.
sanitary
