nonrenewable resources

• nonrenewable energy resources - resources that form at a rate which is much slower than the rate they were consumed
• nonrenewable energy resources - originates from sources that are irreplaceable
• nonrenewable energy resources - cannot be replaced quickly once used
• nonrenewable energy resources - cannot efficiently be regenerated; take millions of years to form
• 4 major types of nonrenewable resources

  1. coal
  2. petroleum
  3. nuclear energy
  4. natural gas
• fossil fuels - formed within earth; most common nonrenewable resource
• fossil fuels - found in underground layers of rock and sediments
• fossil fuels - contains trapped energy from dead plants and animals
• fossil fuels - made up of hydrocarbons
• coal - type of rock; most burned fossil fuel
• coal - reliable source of energy
• coal - its deposits were naturally formed through carbonization
• carbonization occurs when partially decomposed plant material is buried in swamps and mud
• petroleum - liquid fossil fuel
• petroleum - referred to as oil or crude oil
• petroleum - used mostly to produce gasoline and diesel fuel
• petroleum - crude oil is found in rocks below earth's surace and is pumped through wells
• nuclear energy - obtaianed from radioactive elements
• nuclear energy - most common radioactive material is uranium extracted from uraninite
• nuclear energy - harvests the energy in the nucleus or core of an atom in a process called nuclear fission
• natural gas - used for cooking and heating homes
• methane is a colorlesss flammable gas; burned to generate electricity
• natural gas - is also turned into a liquid form (gas tank)
• liquefied petroleum gas (lpg) is much cleaner than other fossil fuels