Human Geography Ch. 14 Flashcards
Residue of plants and animals buried millions of years ago
Fossil Fuels
What are the 3 main fossil fuels?
- Coal
- Petroleum
- Natural Gas
Heaviest consumers of fossil fuels are in _________ countries
developed
Many of fossil fuel reserves in _________ countries
developing
What countries consumer more fossil fuels
developing
What 3 principle places is NRG consumed?
- Businesses (coal)
- Homes (natural gas)
- Transportation (petroleum)
Where are today’s main deposits of coal found?
In midaltitude countries
Located on land that had been under-water
Natural Gas
Russia and Saudi Arabia supply 1/4
Petroleum
Amount of NRG remaining in deposits that have been discovered
Proven reserves
Involves pumping water to to break apart rocks and release more gas
Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)
Demand for petroleum has ________ in developed countries
declined
Demand for petroleum has declined in developed countries in 2 ways:
- High Price
- Conservation
Deposits undiscovered but thought to exist
Potential reserves
Forms so slowly can’t be renewed
Nonrenewable NRG
Essentially unlimited supply and is not depleted when used by people
Renewable NRG
Examples of renewable NRG:
- Wind
- Solar
- Geothermal
Generating electricity from movement of water
Hydroelectric
World’s 2nd most popular form of electricity
Hydroelectric
Many developing countries depend on ___________
hydroelectric
What two ways is NRG from sun harnessed in 2 ways:
- Passive systems
- Active systems
Heat-generating south facing windows
Passive systems
Photovoltaic cells convert light NRG to electrical NRG
Active systems
Characteristics of Nuclear
- Supplies 14% of world’s NRG
- Issues with storage of radioactive waste
Utilized on a large scale
Wind Power
NRG from naturally occurring hot water or steam
Geothermal NRG
Midwest =
coal
Northwest =
hydroelectric
Southwest and Florida =
natural gas
Eastern States =
nuclear
