Geologic Resources: Part I

Resources

• Renewable– A resource that is replenished at a rate equal to or

faster than it is consumed• Ex: Solar power, wind, hydroelectricity. Also timber,

water, paper, leather if managed properly

• Non-renewable– A resource that cannon be produced, re-grown, or

created at the same rate that it is consumed• Ex: Coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear fuel

Industrialization

• Major technological changes in agriculture, manufacturing, production, and transportation– Ex. Euro/American

industrial revolution

• Demand for energy outside of traditional sources (horse/mule/man power)

“With Industrialization Comes Great Responsibility…”

• Industrialization is often associated with– Population growth– Desire to improve standard

of living• Needed food for more

people more quickly– Faster food production and

shipping—horses and canoes didn’t cut it

– The faster it is, the faster people want it

“New” Technology

• New technologies allow people to do new things– Steam engine• Burning of coal to boil watersteamturns a

turbine=energy• Trains—could transport lots of stuff• Engines adapted to other functions

– Logging equipment, electricity, motors

• People want more “bang for their buck”– Technological arms race

“Let’s do the Time Warp, Again…”

• Btu: Amount of energy necessary to raise T of 1 lb of water by 1°F

• In 2005, the US used 100 quadrillion Btu (100 quads) of energy– The world as a whole used

440 quads– Each American consumes

4.5x the global average energy consumption/person

Numbers in Context

• What do these numbers mean?• First, we need to look at – Reserves• The known amount of economic materials

– What we are actively mining/storing

– Resources• The amount of a given material that may become

available for use

Estimated Global Resources

480 yrs

135 yrs

36 yrs

35 yrs

29.6 yrs

715.6 yrs total, at current rate of ~500 quads/yr

Oil and Natural Gas

How do they form?

• Organic matter is deposited with mud in large lakes and in ocean basins

• Over millions of years, sediment buries organic-rich mud

• At depths of 2-5 km, heat (50-100°C) and pressure convert the organic matter into liquid petroleum

• At T>100°C, methane (natural gas) forms

How do we get oil reservoirs?

• Sediments compact and force oil into pore spaces of nearby rock

• Low density of these oils causes them to rise to the highest place they can reach where they float atop the water

How do we get oil reservoirs?

• Sediments compact and force oil into pore spaces of nearby rock

• Low density of these oils causes them to rise to the highest place they can reach where they float atop the water

• Need some geologic formation that traps the oil/gas (so it doesn’t escape)

Reserves of Oil and Natural Gas

• Oil and gas deposits are not evenly distributed across the earth

• More than half of the world’s total estimated reserves are situated in the Persian Gulf region– Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc…

• Some countries have few or no natural gas/oil reserves—must import– Japan, Western Europe

Oil Production and Consumption

• In 2004, 30 billion barrels were pumped out– Increase of 3.4% for the previous year– US produced 2.6 billion barrels – more than any

country except Saudi Arabia– But it consumed 7.5 billion barrels – one-quarter of

the world total– Gap in US between production and consumption is

growing at 5% per year– At current rates of consumption, the US will be

importing all of its oil by 2020

Will We Run Out of Oil?

• Estimates indicate that the peak level of oil production has passed—resources in decline

Common Uses for Oil/Natural Gas

• Oil– Plastics– Asphalt– Diesel Fuel– Fuel oils– Gasoline– Kerosene– Lubricating oils– Tar

• Natural Gas– Power generation– Heating– Vehicle fuel– Ammonia production– Hydrogen production– Manufacturing

• Glass, fabrics, steel

Environmental Impacts of Oil/NG

• CO2 and CO from burning

• Nitrogen oxides from burning—smog

• Oil spills– Exxon Valdez—10.9

million gallons of crude oil spilled in Prince William Sound

Coal

How Does it Form?

• Need lots of vegetation• Need quick burial• Over millions of years,

sediment buries dead plant matter

• High T and P converts plant matter into “seams” of coal

• Various grades

How Much is There?

• Coal is more abundant and more evenly distributed than oil/natural gas

• If entire planet used nothing but coal—135 yrs

Common Methods of ExtractionSurface strip mining

Mountain top removal

Problems With Coal

• “Black lung” disease– Lungs coated with inhaled coal dust

• CO2 released with burning• Low-grade coal has impurities—sulfur– Acid rain

• Acid mine drainage• Coal Fires