Key Terms

Question 1

What is resource exploitation?

Answer 1

The action of using natural resources to the fullest or for the most profitable use

Question 2

What is resource exploration?

Answer 2

The process of searching an area with the intention of finding and mapping natural resources

Question 3

What is resource development?

Answer 3

Taking a resource and making it ready for people to use and accessible to buy

Question 4

What is uneven distribution?

Answer 4

The concentration of some resources in certain areas giving national governments varying levels of territorial control over these

Question 5

What is a resource?

Answer 5

Any aspect of the natural environment that can be used to meet human needs

Question 6

What is resource security?

Answer 6

The ability of a country (or other scale of organisation) to maintain a reliable and sustainable flow of resources to maintain and/ or improve living standards

Question 7

What is resource sustainability?

Answer 7

Using resources in such a way that it does not harm the resource security or environment in the future

Question 8

What is resource conflict?

Answer 8

Disagreement over resource access and use that could move from verbal disagreement to legal disputes to violence and warfare

Question 9

What is a stock resource?

Answer 9

Non renewable resources which can be used up/ are finite- quantity is expressed in absolute amounts eg oil

Question 10

What is a flow resource?

Answer 10

Resources that are renewable and can be replaced eg wind and timber- quantity is expressed usually in annual rates

Question 11

What are measured reserves?

Answer 11

A confident estimation of a quantity of resource in an area based on well established knowledge of grade,quality, densities and physical characteristics

Question 12

What are indicated reserves?

Answer 12

An estimation that has a level of confidence that makes it worthwhile to carry on evaluating the economic viability of a resource in an area

Question 13

What are inferred reserves?

Answer 13

Quantity, grade and quality of a resource in an area that is based on limited geological sampling and so may be inaccurate

Question 14

What are possible resources?

Answer 14

Broad geological knowledge of deposits of resources which may become worth looking for in more detail in the long term

Question 15

What is a resource fronteir?

Answer 15

A newly colonised region where resources have been discovered and are brought into production for the first time

Question 16

What is resource peak?

Answer 16

The point in time when the maximum production rate of a resouces occurs follwed by decline- at differing scales from local to regional to global

Question 17

What is the environmental impact assessment (EIA)?

Answer 17

A process of evaluating the likely environmental consequences (both beneficial and adverse) of a proposed resources project before it goes ahead- also considers the socio- economic, cultural and health impacts

Question 18

What is the pattern of production?

Answer 18

The distribution of where resources are produced- often uneven eg there will be places that produce much of a resource and places with none

Question 19

What are the patterns of consumption?

Answer 19

The distribution of where resources are consumed/ used- often uneven eg there will be places that consume much of a resource and places that use none of it

Question 20

What is geopolitics?

Answer 20

The study of international relations as influenced by geographical factors eg physical landscape, migration history

Question 21

What are mineral ores?

Answer 21

A useful element that is found in a rock containing a high concentration and from which it can be extracted- often a metal (iron, aluminium, silver)

Question 22

What is a primary energy resource?

Answer 22

Energy sources in their raw form (oil, gas, wind) not useable until converted into heat or mechanical action to produce secondary energy

Question 23

What is a secondary energy resource?

Answer 23

Energy that is transformed or converted from primary energy soures into manufactured, usable sources of power (petrol, electricity)

Question 24

What is nuclear waste?

Answer 24

Radioactive by products of generating nuclear power- very difficult and expensive to dispose of safely

Question 25

What is acid rain?

Answer 25

Caused by emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxides from industrial fossil fuel combustion which react with water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acidic precipitation which is environmentally harmful

Question 26

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

Answer 26

The increasing release of gases (co2) into the atmosphere by human activity which then leads to accelerated warming

Question 27

What is a non-ferrous metal ore?

Answer 27

Metallic mineral which does not contain iron is simply non ferrous eg gold, copper

Question 28

What is an extraction scheme?

Answer 28

A project which is proposed, designed and implemented to take out one component for sale from a broad area of raw materials eg removing copper from an open cast mine?

Question 29

what is resource supply and demand?

Answer 29

The balance of resource production with consumption and which will affect the price for customers

Question 30

What is alternative energy?

Answer 30

Energy sources which are renewable and have lower carbon emissions than fossil fuels eg hydropower , wind energy , Solar energy, geothermal energy, and biofuels.