Natural Resources Flashcards
Natural Resource
Any natural material that is used by humans, such as water, petroleum, minerals forests , and animals.
Renewable Resource
A natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is consumed.
Nonrenewable Resource
A resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed.
Recycling
The process of recovering valuable or useful materials from waste or scrap.
Fossil Fuel
A nonrenewable energy resource formed from the remains of organisms that lived a long time ago.
Petroleum
A liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbon compounds.
Natural Gas
A mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons located under the surface of the Earth, often near petroleum deposits.
Coal
A fossil fuel that forms underground from partially decomposed plant material.
Acid Precipitation
Rain, sleet, or snow that contains a high concentration of acids.
Smog
Photochemical haze that forms when sunlight acts on industrial pollutants and burning fuels
Nuclear Energy
The energy released by a fission or fusion reaction.
Chemical Energy
The energy released when a chemical compound reacts to produce new compounds.
Solar Energy
The energy received by the Earth from the sun in the form of radiation.
Wind Power
The use of a windmill to drive an electric generator.
Hydroelectric Energy
Electrical Energy produced by falling water.
