Fossil Fuels & Minerals
Fossil FuelsFossil fuels are formed from ancient plant and animal life. Extracting fossil fuels can be very dangerous and difficult. Some examples of fossil fuels include oil, natural gas, and coal. Fossil fuels sometimes need to be separated from water, minerals and gas.
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MineralsMinerals are natural solid substances. They are found in rocks. Minerals need to be separated and processed.
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Where is it found?
Coal is found underground by mining. Examples Peat, Lignite, and Anthracite |
Where is it found?
Metallic minerals are found in molten rocks. Non-metallic minerals are found in sedimentary rocks. Examples Gold, Copper, and Iron |
How Do We Rely On Fossil Fuels?
Using Coal For Electricity
Coal is the most abundant (meaning most existing or available) fossil fuel in the world. The World's Coal Association estimates that at the current rate we are using coal, there will be enough coal to last 112 years. Luckily, Canada is reducing their use of coal due to environmental concerns, as is the rest of the world. Without coal, we have limited energy options going into the future. While we are looking for environmental alternatives for energy, coal remains one of the top fossil fuels for energy. Burning coal results in carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions. Most of this comes from Asia, where coal is most important for electricity. For example, 69% of China's energy comes from burning coal.
How We Use Minerals Everyday
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We use minerals every single day, even without realizing it. Minerals have become an necessity for an average human, and here are just some examples how we use minerals every day.
- Copper wires deliver electricity throughout your house
- Copper pipes deliver water to your house
- Steel (which is made from iron) is in your appliances (pens, kitchen supplies) and in some furniture
- gravel was used to make concrete for the base of your house
- A lot of minerals go into the making of devices (cellphones, laptops, and TV's)
Where We Find Fossil Fuels
Fossil Fuels were created hundreds of millions of years ago from dead plants and animals. The remains were buried under layers of rock, mud and sand. To make fossil fuels out of these remains, it took millions of years. The pressure of the layers built up decomposing the remains into fossil fuels. Different conditions of pressure called for different fossil fuels.
- Crude oil is oil that hasn't been refined. It's made in places beneath sea level where dead sea life was covered by sediments (material that has sunk to the bottom). The pressure from the layers of material combined with the heat from the Earth's core from crude oil. A concentration of oil is called an oil deposit.
- When deep crude oil deposits are heated even more, gases are released. These formed deposits are called natural gas.
- Trees and other plants covered by layers of materials slowly form into coal.
- Crude oil is oil that hasn't been refined. It's made in places beneath sea level where dead sea life was covered by sediments (material that has sunk to the bottom). The pressure from the layers of material combined with the heat from the Earth's core from crude oil. A concentration of oil is called an oil deposit.
- When deep crude oil deposits are heated even more, gases are released. These formed deposits are called natural gas.
- Trees and other plants covered by layers of materials slowly form into coal.
Where We Find Minerals
Minerals are formed by the same forces that have created the landform of the planet. We can find minerals by looking at the types of rocks and forces that created them.
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