Geologic Resources
Energy Resources
1. Refers to the portion of non-renewable resources that have been discovered and are exploitable using current technology under current economic and legal conditions.
a. reserve b. forestry c. mining d. power
2. These energy resources include solar, wind, wood, and agricultural products (e.g. ethanol). These energy sources generally have minimal environmental consequences.
a. Nonrenewable b. Renewable c. Fossil fuels
3. These energy resources include fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas), nuclear, and geothermal energy. For These resources we have to consider both the magnitude of the resource (reserves) and the environmental costs of exploitation.
a. Nonrenewable b. Renewable c. Fossil fuels
4. These include coal, oil, and natural gas, but also include unconventional sources such as oil shale and tar sands. All of these sources are natural organic matter derived from ancient plant and animal life forms.
a. Nonrenewable b. Renewable c. Fossil fuels
5. This energy comes from the splitting of uranium atoms.
a. Nuclear fission b. Nuclear fusion
6. This energy comes from the fusion of light elements like H and He and is the primary energy source of the sun.
a. Nuclear fission b. Nuclear fusion
FOSSIL FUELS
7. Two major groups of fossil fuels exist:
a. Wood and coal b. Petroleum and wood c. Coal and petroleum
d. None of the above
8. Fossil fuels have their name because they are derived from the remains of once-living organisms, and thus can be considered
a. Chemical fossils b. Mineral fossils
9. Forms from the remains of plants.
a. Wood b. Petroleum c. Coal
d. None of the above
10. Bacteria which require oxygen to live
a. aerobic bacteria b. anoxic bacteria c. both of the above d. none of the above
11. Petroleum means
a. "rock oil." b. "pure energy" c. "fire power" d. "gas rock"
12. There are two major forms of petroleum,
a. oil shale and tar sands b. crude oil and natural gas.
c. oil shale and natural gas. d. tar sands and crude oil
13. There are two minor types of petroleum
a. oil shale and tar sands b. crude oil and natural gas.
c. oil shale and natural gas. d. tar sands and crude oil
14. The primary fuel of the industrialized world is
a. Petroleum b. Coal c. Wood
d. None of the above
15. The second most important fuel of the industrialized world is
a. Petroleum b. Coal c. Wood
d. None of the above
16. Petroleum is derived from
a. the cells of marine plankton b. single-celled protozoa c. protophyta
d. All of the Above
17. Organic shales are the ultimate source of petroleum. They are known as
a. reservoir rocks b. source rocks
18. porous and permeable sandstones and limestones known as
a. reservoir rocks b. source rocks
Energy Resources and the Environment
19. True or False. On burning all fossil fuels release CO2 and H2O to the atmosphere along with lesser amounts of SO2 and NOx.
20. True or False. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides cause acid rain, and CO2 is a greenhouse gas. Coal also contains sulfur which when burned to SO2, causes acid rain.
21. True or False. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has been decreasing over the past 40 years.
22. CO2 is also a greenhouse gas, meaning that it absorbs energy in the
a. infra-red wavelengths b. visible.
23. CO2 passes energy in the
a. infra-red wavelengths b. visible
24. The sun emits in the
a. infra-red wavelengths b. visible
25. the earth emits in the
a. infra-red wavelengths b. visible
26. True or False. If greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere then the earth's surface temperature will increase.
27. True or False. Methane is the main greenhouse gas. Other greenhouse gases include CO2, nitrogen oxides and CFCs (chloro-fluoro-carbon).
28. The increase in CO2 is due primarily to
a. the burning of fossil fuels
b. photosynthesis by plants removes CO2 from the atmosphere and
c. burning of plant material
d. none of the above
29. In addition to atmospheric CO2 the earth has huge reservoirs of CO2
a. in carbonate rocks b. dissolved in sea water
c. all of the above
30. Although no greenhouse gases are generated by nuclear power, there are other environmental problems that are potentially as serious, including:
a. radioactive mine and mill wastes
b. enriching the 235 isotope leaves tons of depleted 238 which is radioactive
c. accidents at nuclear power plants can do massive environmental damage
d. all of the above
31. Petroleum is abundant in the world; we will not run out for over 100 years. However, we can experience disruptions in supply due to
a. Political conditions b. Economic conditions
c. All of the above
32. Problems using fossil fuels include:
a. burning fossil fuels causes air pollution
b. fossil fuels are expensive
c. fossil fuels are a nonrenewable resource
d. all of the above
MINERAL RESOURCES
33. True or False. We are not able to manufacture the chemical elements of the Periodic Table, so we have to go out and find them if we need them.
34. True or False. Many of the chemical elements of the Periodic Table have already been found, so we can also recycle stuff we've used previously.
35. Mineral resources are commonly divided into
a. metals and non-metals
b. political and economic
c. deep and surface
d. liquid and gas
36. True or False. Metals include stone, sand and gravel, cement (a major source of CO2), salt, clays, phosphate rock (fertilizer) as well as others. Demand for non-metals is increasing.
37. True or False. Non-metals include iron (steel), aluminum, copper, zinc, manganese, lead and others. Demand for new metals derived from ore deposits is decreasing, largely due to recycling.
38. The study of valuable mineral deposits and the geologic conditions that form them
a. Exploration geology b. Economic geology
39. the science of searching for and discovering valuable mineral deposits
a. Exploration geology b. Economic geology
40. rock or sediment that contains enrichment of one or more economically-valuable minerals
a. Gangue minerals b. Mineral ore deposit
41. waste or left-over minerals remaining after an ore deposit is mined and processed and the ore minerals extracted
a. Gangue minerals b. Mineral ore deposit
Types of Mineral Resources
42. iron, gold, silver, copper, aluminum, tin, zinc, lead are all
a. Metallic minerals b. Nonmetallic minerals
43. sand (quartz), limestone (calcite), gravel, clay, salt (halite), gypsum, borax, diamond, ruby, emerald, topaz, lubricants: graphite, talc, garnet, diamond, quartz, lithium, beryllium, cesium, iridium are all
a. Metallic minerals b. Nonmetallic minerals:
44. A lag-deposit of heavy minerals that have been concentrated by mechanical processes. The concentration usually happens as a result of the winnowing action of stream currents or ocean waves. Famous as a source of gold.
a. Hydrothermal Mineral Deposits b. Metamorphic Mineral Deposits
c. Sedimentary Mineral Deposits d. Placer Mineral Deposits
45. Ore minerals are finite, nonrenewable resources; all are currently being exploited at nonsustainable rates. Minerals are distributed unevenly on Earth; only six countries have the majority of valuable ore minerals:
a. United States, Canada, China, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil.
b. United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, South Africa, and Brazil.
c. United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, South Africa, and Brazil.
d. United States, Canada, Russia, Australia, Thialand, and Brazil.
Environmental Impacts of Mining
46. Extraction and processing of minerals creates waste materials in the form of
a. waste rock b. mine tailings c. waste chemicals
d. all of the above
47. These are gangue minerals discarded after the ore rock has been crushed and the ore minerals concentrated
a. tailings piles b. spoil piles
48. Rain water, however, enters these spoil piles, tailings piles, and chemical waste dumps and _____________ toxic and hazardous elements; these harmful elements are carried away and can do their damage somewhere else.
a. leaches b. neutralizes c. purifies d. immobilizes
49. Sulfur is often leached from spoil and tailings piles; sulfur plus water creates sulfuric acid, and these acidic waters cause,
a. acid mine drainage b. Hydrothermal Mineral Deposits
c. Metamorphic Mineral Deposits d. Magmatic Mineral Deposits
50. True or False. Heavy metals--such as lead, calcium, selenium, and mercury--leached from mine waste can cause contamination of the groundwater and poisioning of humans.
51. After a mine is shut down, the site should be cleaned up and rehabilitated, a process called
a. acid mine drainage
b. mine site drainage
c. mine site decommissioning.
d. acid mine decommissioning
General Questions
52. Which of the following is NOT a byproduct of the burning of fossil fuels?
a. nitrogen
b. sulfur dioxide
c. carbon dioxide
d. hydrocarbon emission
OVER--->
53. The three major contributors to global warming are
a. nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen
b. carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane
c. methane, chlorofluorocarbons, sulfur dioxide
d. carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbons
54. What region of the world contains more than 60% of all proven oil reserves?
a. North America
b. South America
c. Australia
d. Persian Gulf
55. Which of the following is LEAST common as a gangue mineral?
a. quartz
b. calcite
c. olivine
d. feldspar
56. The greatest environmental problem facing the world today is
a. human overpopulation
b. decreasing food supply
c. increasing pollution
d. depletion of natural resources