1. Energy resources: Coal Most relevant mineral resources to most Americans ENERGY! Coal a combustible rock composed mainly of carbon. Most coal formed 360 to 286 mya Long use in human history industrial revolution increased use tremendously Forming much slower than consumption rate Peat pre-coal in oxygen deprived bogs, swamps

2. Fig. 5.17, p.108 3. Table 5.3, p.108 4. World Coal Reserves http://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/resource/coal/ 5. Extracting Coal: Surface Mining Surface Mining Open pit large open holes dug to extract materials Strip mining earth above deposit (called overburden) is removed ore is extracted overburden in replaced Mountaintop removal involves the blasting and stripping of mountain tops to extract coal inside mountains 6. Mountain Top Removal 7. Strip Mining 8. Fig. 5.14, p.106 9. Open Pit Mining 10. Extracting coal: Subsurface Mining Shafts and tunnels lead to various veins of coal running through an area Room and pillar large deposits of coal are mined in sections with columns of coal left to support the roof Longwall mining similar to room and pillar but in this case all the coal is along one wall of the room. 11. Longwall 12. Fig. 5.12, p.106 13. Shaft Mining 14. Room and Pillar 15. Problems with Coal Mining Subsidence sinking of ground surface due to extraction of subsoil and rock Acid Mine Drainage water leaking into mine dissolves acids in soil and rock Habitat Destruction surface mining removes habitat and disrupts ecosystems 16. Fig. 5.15, p.107 17. 5.5 Energy resources: Petroleum Petroleum formed from organic residue of plants and animals. Burial in mud, slow heating Source rock where it comes from Oil traps folds or other rock structures that trap rising petroleum 18. Mineral Extraction: Petroleum Extraction companies drill wells into reservoirs of petroleum on land or under the ocean 19. Problems with Petroleum Wells getting deeper Much oil too viscous (thick) to pump Secondary recovery injection of water Tertiary recovery use of superheated steam and/or surfactants Found in hostile / sensitive places Open sea floor, ANWR Foreign Dependency Needed for other products: plastics, fertilizers, chemicals 20. Petroleum Dilemma Modern Technology needs energy Reserves of coal and oil will run out eventually How quickly they run out depends On the level to which they are used by developed nations. The increasing energy demands of developing nations. Whether alternative energies are developed and widely distributed. 21. 5.5 Energy resources: natural gas Natural gas forms as a by-product of coal and oil formation Mainly methane, used as fuel without processing Coal bed methane associated with coal seams US produces 99% of its own natural gas energy needs. Most versatile of fossil fuels: can be used for heating, generating electricity and transportation 22. http://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/resource/gas/ 23. Natural Gas Extraction Extracted as a secondary process of oil and coal extraction often burned off as nuisance gas. Hydraulic Fracturing fracking Method of extracting gas from previously unusable shale formations Involves drilling into the ground vertically to the shale formation Then drilling horizontally along the shale Then fracturing the shale rock and injecting solution of sand and chemicals to flush out the natural gas 24. Hydraulic Fracturing fracking 25. Images of Fracking in US 22,000 active oil and gas wells Weld County, CO. Each red dot represents up to 52 active wells Fracking Field 26. Problems with Fracking Problem #1 Chemicals mixed in water/sand to promote gas release 27. Problems with Fracking produced water Evaporation pits for Allow chemicals to escape into the atmosphere Spills of produced water onto ground and into streams and rivers Drilling and storage sites emit toxic vapors into the air The list goes onFor more info just google fracking problems youll get an eyefull!! As always I advocate looking at numerous sites and vetting the sites (i.e where do they get their information from, who supports their research, can the data they give be validated??) 28. summary Mineral Extractions impacts the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere Land issues include: Habitat loss Soil erosion Spills & contamination Subsidence Laws in place to prevent and repair damage Resource Conservation Recovery Act Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act Clean Water/Clean Air Act