natruel rescorces Flashcards
any natural material that is used by humans, such as water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals
Natural Resource
a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed
Renewable Resource
a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which the resource is consumed
Nonrenewable Resource
the process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap; the process of reusing some items
Recycling
a nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived long ago; examples include oil, coal, and natural gas
Fossil Fuel
a liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds; used widely as a fuel source
Petroleum
a mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons located under the surface of the Earth, often near petroleum deposits; used as a fuel
Natural Gas
a combustible sedimentary rock formed by the compaction of partially decomposed plant material
Coal
precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow, that contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the pollution of the atmosphere
Acid Precipitation
urban air pollution composed of a mixture of smoke and fog produced from industrial pollutants and burning fuels
Smog
the energy released by a fission or fusion reaction; the binding energy of the atomic nucleus
Nuclear Energy
the energy released when a chemical compound reacts to produce new compounds
Chemical Energy
the energy received by Earth from the sun in the form of radiation
Solar Energy
the use of a windmill to drive an electric generator
Wind Power
electrical energy produced by the flow of water
Hydroelectric Energy
