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Environmental Science > Test 4 > Flashcards

Test 4 Flashcards

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1
Q

Fossil fuels account for what percent of energy consumption in the U.S?

A

85%

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2
Q

Alternative/Renewable energy sources

A 
Biomass
hydroelectric
wind
geothermal
solar
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3
Q

Hydrocarbons created from the natural decay of organic material

A

Fossil fuels

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4
Q

3 forms of fossil fuels

A

Coal
Oil (petroleum)
Natural gas

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5
Q

Coal is derived from what?

A

Plant matter

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6
Q

Oil comes from what?

A

Algal remains

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7
Q

Natural gas is a by-product of what?

A

Thermal maturation of oil and coal

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8
Q

Advantages of fossil fuels

A
  • global availability
  • can generate enormous amounts of energy
  • existing infrastructure
  • power plants can be set up anywhere
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9
Q

Organic matter is converted to oil by increasing pressure and temperature in what?

A

Source rocks

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10
Q

Low density oil and gas migrate toward the surface through what porous rock?

A

Reservoir rocks

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11
Q

Oil and gas is trapped beneath what impermeable type of rocks?

A

Cap rocks

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12
Q

Geologic conditions able to capture and concentrate oil and gas

A

Anticlines, salt domes, and stratigraphic traps

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13
Q

Include all deposits on Earth (known and yet to be discovered, economical and not yet economical)

A

Resources

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14
Q

Known quantity of resources that can be extracted economically by today’s standards

A

Reserve

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15
Q

World oil reserves

A

~60% in the Middle East

~1.5% in the U.S.

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16
Q

World gas reserve

A

~70% in Russia and Middle East

~4% in North America

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17
Q

Environmental impacts of oil and natural gas

A
  • artificial structures disrupt natural ecosystems
  • leaking pipelines can cause soil and water contamination
  • tanker or platform spills
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18
Q

Technique used to extract oil or natural gas from tight formations; water, sand, and chemicals are mixed together and injected into wells at high pressures to create fractures for oil and gas to be extracted through

A

Hydraulic Fracturing (fracking)

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19
Q

Forms when partially decayed remains of plants turn into peat in response to increases in pressure and temperature

A

Coal

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20
Q

Partially decayed vegetation matter, usually forms in areas with high water content; precursor to coal

A

Peat

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21
Q

Coal ranks

A

Lignite -> Bituminous -> Anthracite

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22
Q

Forms when peat is exposed to increase pressure and temperature; immature coal; gray with high moisture and ash content; lowest energy value

A

Lignite

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23
Q

Soft coal; type most commonly used for electric generation in U.S; sedimentary origin

A

Bituminous

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24
Q

Hard coal; requires very high pressure and temperature to develop in geologic layers (metamorphic origin); highest energy value

A

Anthracite

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25
Q
  • recover 90-95% of coal
  • much cheaper to extract coal
  • relatively safe
A

Surface mining (strip mining)

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26
Q
  • recover only 40-45% of coal
  • more expensive method
  • extremely dangerous: collapse and explosions
A

Underground mining

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27
Q

Environmental impacts of coal mining

A
  • visual blight (strip mining)
  • land subsidence (underground mining)
  • enormous amounts of waste
  • acid mine drainage
28
Q

Gradual or sudden sinking/settling of the Earth’s surface due to the collapse of underground mines

A

Land subsidence

29
Q

When rainfall infiltrates into coal waste piles and reacts with pyrite in the presence of free oxygen to produce acidic, metal-rich contaminated water

A

Acid mine drainage (AMD)

30
Q

How can you minimize the impacts of fossil fuels?

A
  • Reclamation of strip mines
  • diverting water away from waste piles
  • disposal of ash and cinders in underground mines
  • use air scrubbers
31
Q

Devices that are used to remove some particulates and gases from exhaust stacks

A

Air scrubbers

32
Q

Organic-rich sedimentary rock that contains significant amounts of kerogen

A

Oil shales

33
Q

Solid mixture of organic chemical compounds from which liquid hydrocarbons can be extracted

A

Kerogen

34
Q

Sands that contain oil that is extremely viscous

A

Tar sands

35
Q

Contained in tar sands; dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum

A

Bitumen

36
Q

Nuclear energy

A
  • supplies ~7-8% of U.S. energy

- primary source is radioactive elements (uranium and thorium)

37
Q

Nuclear energy involves the controlled splitting of Uranium and Thorium called…

A

Nuclear fission

38
Q

Advantages of Nuclear Energy

A
  • large deposits of uranium and thorium
  • safety records in U.S are pretty good
  • efficient energy source (higher BTU than fossil fuels)
  • relatively non-polluting
  • uranium mines are safer than coal mines
39
Q

Environmental impacts of nuclear energy

A
  • accidental release of radioactive material

- generation of radioactive waste

40
Q

Requires U.S to store waste in deep, underground geological facilities

A

Nuclear Waste Policy Act

41
Q

Burning of wood, agricultural waste, and even urban garbage to produce heat

A

Biomass

42
Q

Fuels produced when living organisms convert inorganic substances into organic molecules (e.g. photosynthesis); matter can be converted into gasoline substitutes

A

Biofuels

43
Q

Damming of a river in order to use incoming water to turn turbines and generate electricity

A

Hydroelectric energy

44
Q

Amount of energy produced by a dam is due to this volume and height difference between the source and the outflow

A

Hydraulic head

45
Q

Wind turbines convert kinetic energy of blowing winds to mechanical energy

A

Wind energy

46
Q

Use of heat left over from the formation of the planet and from decay of radioactive elements

A

Geothermal energy

47
Q

Temperature difference between the Earth’s core and crust

A

Geothermal gradient

48
Q

Use of photovoltaic panels to directly convert sunlight into electricity

A

Active solar technique

49
Q

Selecting material with favorable thermal properties; mainly used for heat

A

Passive solar technique

50
Q

Disadvantage of Renewable Energy

A
  • higher costs
  • impacts from mining for materials
  • habitat destruction
  • land degradation
  • pollution concerns
51
Q

Natural compounds composed of one or more elements

A

Minerals

52
Q

Mineral characteristics

A

1) naturally occurring
2) inorganic
3) specific chemical composition
4) crystalline structure

53
Q

Mineral groups

A
  • silicates
  • native elements
  • carbonates
  • oxides
  • hydroxides
  • sulfides
  • sulfates
54
Q

Metal mineral resources

A
  • Ferrous versus non-ferrous metals

- precious metals

55
Q

Non-metal mineral resources

A
  • building materials
  • industrial uses
  • agricultural uses
56
Q

When mineral resources become concentrated/enriched to be economical

A

Ore

57
Q

Concentration of given mineral in ore (%) / average concentration of the mineral in crust (%)

A

Concentration factor

58
Q

8 elements in crust

A 
Oxygen
Silicon
Aluminum
Iron
Calcium
Sodium
Potassium
Magnesium
59
Q

Dealing with limited availability

A

1) find more
2) find a substitute
3) conserve and increase efficiency
4) recycle
5) do without

60
Q

Created from the heating of water or other fluids by magma bodies

A

Hydrothermal mineral deposits

61
Q

Divergent boundaries in the middle of the ocean

A

Mid-oceanic ridges

62
Q

As magma body cools in the subsurface, individual minerals precipitate out at different temperatures; creates layered surface

A

Igneous mineral deposits

63
Q

Mining waste

A

1200 active mining sites in U.S generate ~1.5 billion tons of waste annually

64
Q

Materials left over after process of separating valuable portion of an ore from the uneconomic portion

A

Tailings

65
Q

Filling in open pits, conturing land surface, replanting vegetation, and treating waste is all part of what?

A

Reclamation

66
Q

Energy Types

A

Fossil fuels, nuclear energy, alternative/renewable energy sources

67
Q

Emission of Sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrous oxides (NOx) into the atmosphere can cause this when combined with water

A

Acid rain

Environmental Science (4 decks)

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