Deck 11: Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Question 1

If oil shale is buried deep enough to attain a temperature of 200°C, what is formed?

A) gas
B)oil
C)graphite
D)kerogen

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A ____________ rock would make the best reservoir rock in a conventional hydrocarbon system.

A)high-porosity, high-permeability
B)low-porosity, low-permeability
C)high-porosity, low-permeability
D)low-porosity, high-permeability

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Source rocks are always sedimentary because sedimentary rocks

A)are the only rocks that contain fossils.
B)are most abundant at the surface.
C)contain pores for plankton to live in.
D)are the only rocks formed in the ocean.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In the subsurface, natural gas

A)consists of longer carbon chains compared with oil.
B)is denser than oil and thus will float.
C)is generated at higher temperatures than oil.
D)is generated at higher temperatures than graphite.

Question 5

A buried body of rock that is induced by heat to exude oil is termed a ____________ rock.

A)reservoir
B)seal
C)source
D)trap

Question 6

Which sequence shows an increase in coal rank from lowest to highest?

A)anthracite, bituminous, lignite
B)lignite, bituminous, anthracite
C)bituminous, lignite, anthracite
D)bituminous, anthracite, lignite

Question 7

Coal is formed when heat and pressure alter deposits of ancient

A)kerogen.
B)plankton.
C)terrestrial plants
D)tar.

Question 8

A black, organic-rich shale could likely serve as either of which two necessary types of rocks within oil fields?

A)source rock or seal rock
B)reservoir rock or seal rock
C)source rock or reservoir rock
D)reservoir rock but not source rock

Question 9

Which organic substance is produced by black organic shale at temperatures below (cooler than) the oil window?

A)natural gas
B)coal
C)kerogen
D)keratin

Question 10

A reservoir rock contains ____________ porosity and permeability, whereas a seal rock contains ____________ porosity and permeability.

A)higher; lower
B)lower; higher
C)no; high
D)no; low

Question 11

A large portion of the coal reserves in the world formed during the ____________ period.

A)Jurassic
B)Silurian
C)Carboniferous
D)Permian

Question 12

If the average geothermal gradient in an area is 15°C/km, oil shale must be buried at depths of greater than ____________ but no more than ____________ to be transformed into oil.

A)10 km; 15 km
B)3 km; 6 km
C)6 km; 15 km
D)6 km; 10 km

Question 13

What is an example of a conventional hydrocarbon reserve?

A)shale gas
B)tar sand
C)oil shale
D)crude oil

Question 14

In which of these geologic settings are you most likely to find anthracite coal forming?

A)bottom of sedimentary basins
B)edges of mountain ranges
C)margins of igneous plutons
D)bottom of swampy areas

Question 15

A landowner is looking to develop a coal mine on their property. She determines that a surface mine is the best option, as the coal seam she is targeting is close to the surface. The cost to start the mine is $20 million and the annual cost to operate is $16 million. She estimates that they can remove 450,000 tons of coal a year and sell the coal for $38.50 per ton. How long will it take before she is able to pay off her investment and start to make a profit?

A)15 months
B)15 years
C)1.15 years
D)115 months

Question 16

Chemically, oil and gas are both

A)pure forms of carbon.
B)carbohydrates.
C)hydrocarbons.
D)carbonate minerals.

Question 17

Which of the following would make the best reservoir rock in a conventional hydrocarbon system?

A)poorly-cemented shale
B)hydrofractured shale
C)poorly-cemented sandstone
D)well-cemented sandstone

Question 18

The classification of coal is based on the concentration of carbon in the rock. Which of the following chain of processes causes the concentration of carbon to increase?

A)burial  decay of plant matter  release of organic molecules  concentration of carbon
B)burial  chemical reactions  release of gases  concentration of carbon
C)decay of plant matter  burial release of gases  concentration of carbon
D)chemical reactions  burial  release of gases  concentration of carbon

Question 19

Salt and fine-grained limestone are good candidates to serve as ____________ within an oil field.

A)a reservoir rock
B)a seal rock
C)a source rock
D)either a source rock or a reservoir rock

Question 20

What creates an easy route for oil to follow from the rock to a well?

A)hydrofracturing
B)seismic reflection
C)drilling mud
D)pumps

Question 21

The stereotypical gold rush prospector panning for gold in a streambed is an example of exploiting ____________ deposits.

A)magmatic
B)placer
C)residual mineral
D)sedimentary

Question 22

What type of power uses flowing water to produce energy?

A) wind
B) geothermal
C)hydroelectric
D)nuclear

Question 23

Fission occurs when a neutron strikes a radioactive parent atom, causing it to split into smaller daughter atoms and in the process releasing

A) protons.
B) anions.
C)energy.
D)electrons.

Question 24

Solar energy uses sunlight to induce a flow of ____________ between two wafers in a photovoltaic cell.

A)water
B)oxygen
C)light
D)electrons

Question 25

Which of the following is a nonmetal mineral formed by evaporation and used to make drywall?

A)sulfur
B)gypsum
C)zinc
D)marble

Question 26

The image below is of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Southern California, which was shut down in 2012 because of safety concerns. Which of the following alternative energy resources could be used in this environment to replace the energy generated by the nuclear power plant?

A)geothermal
B)tidal
C)biomass
D)fuel cells

Question 27

Nuclear fission produces a large yield of energy; however, this energy is not in the form of electricity. What form of energy is produced by fission?

A) mechanical
B) thermal
C)chemical
D)gravitational

Question 28

In what types of rocks are ore minerals found?

A)only in igneous rocks
B)only in igneous and sedimentary rocks
C)only in igneous and metamorphic rocks
D)in igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks

Question 29

Which of the following occurs when a neutron strikes a radioactive parent atom?

A)fusion
B)fission
C)enrichment
D)atomic splicing

Question 30

Blocks of rock used in construction are termed

A)dimension stone.
B)gemstone.
C)ore.
D)lodestone

Question 31

Consult the figure below. In what kind of terrain would you expect to find a placer deposit?

A)a dry lake bed
B)a mountain peak
C)the ocean floor
D)a streambed

Question 32

In a nuclear reactor, failure of control rods may cause the system to become too hot and melt down because the control rods absorb ____________ and thus decrease the number of atoms undergoing ____________.

A)radiation; decay
B)radiation; fusion
C)neutrons; fission
D)neutrons; fusion

Question 33

Geothermal energy is used extensively in Iceland and New Zealand because both countries host multiple

A)rivers.
B)mountains.
C)volcanoes.
D)coastlines.

Question 34

An array of panels situated in sunlight that can produce electricity are called

A)household solar collectors.
B)solar turbines.
C)photovoltaic cells.
D)sunlight collectors.

Question 35

What type of energy would NOT be as useful in the Pacific Northwest as it would be in Texas?

A)wind
B)solar
C)nuclear
D)geothermal

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a likely environmental issue associated with mining operations (both underground and on the surface)?

A) acid mine runoff
B) acid rain
C)earthquakes
D)large manmade topographic depressions (holes) on Earth's surface

Question 37

The principal concern with storing nuclear waste is

A)allowing sufficient time for short-lived radioactive atoms to decay.
B)ensuring access to groundwater to keep the waste cool.
C)keeping spent fuel rods separated from other waste.
D)making biodegradable waste containers.

Question 38

The industrial process that separates metals from ore material is known as

A)quarrying.
B)mountaintop removal mining.
C)smelting.
D)ore processing

Question 39

U-235, the isotope of uranium commonly used in nuclear power plants, is

A)the most common of the naturally occurring isotopes of uranium.
B)heavier than the other well-known isotope of uranium.
C)rare even in uranium-rich deposits and must be enriched to use as fuel.
D)only found in quartz veins in granite plutons.

Question 40

A mineral that consists of only metal atoms is known as a(n) ____________ metal.

A)native
B)ore
C)industrial
D)rare earth

Question 41

Limestone is often used as dimension stone and also as crushed stone. If a mining company wishes to establish a new limestone quarry, what type of depositional environment should they look for in the rock record?

A)deep marine
B)coastal estuaries
C)shallow marine
D)desert playa lakes

Question 42

What are biofuels? Identify some examples of biofuels.

Question 43

Nonrenewable energy resources have adverse environmental impacts and will eventually run out. Analyze why they are still used so prevalently in our society.

Question 44

Which of the following nonmetallic resources has an igneous origin?

A)salt
B)granite
C)limestone
D)gypsum

Question 45

A resource is considered renewable if

A)it is used at rates greater than it is naturally replaced.
B) nature can replace it within a short time span relative to human life.
C) nature can replace it within hundreds or thousands of years.
D)nature can replace it within a million years.

Question 46

What is a seismic reflection profile? Summarize how they can be used in oil exploration.

Question 47

Explain Hubbert's Peak. What implications does it have for the future of human civilization?

Question 48

Distinguish between cement and concrete. Explain how cement is produced. Describe why cement and concrete are so important to society.

Question 49

Which of the following lists contains only fossil fuels?

A) coal, oil, natural gas
B) coal, geothermal, wind
C) nuclear, wood, natural gas
D) hydroelectric, geothermal, wind

Question 50

The image below is of a limestone quarry in Illinois. On the wall at the very back of the quarry you can see geologic strata that appear to curve upward. What type of depositional environment do these layers represent?

A)lines made by the miners as they remove material
B)cross-bedding produced at eolian sand dunes
C)layers of deep marine, sedimentary basin deposits
D)layers of shallow marine, continental shelf deposits

Question 51

In 1900, the most commonly used source of energy in the United States was

A) coal.
B) oil.
C)natural gas.
D)hydrothermal.

Question 52

Gold is often found at the bottom of streambeds in placer deposits. Describe the process that forms these deposits.

Question 53

Categorize the differences between a renewable and nonrenewable resource. What are some examples of each?

Question 54

Describe how oil is formed. Make sure to address what organisms must accumulate, in what environment they must be deposited, and how the oil window effects the formation.

Question 55

Explain how coal forms and how this process is different from the ones that yield oil and gas.

Question 56

Most mineral resources are considered to be and may present a strategic challenge globally because.

A)nonrenewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth
B)nonrenewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves
C)renewable; they are not uniformly distributed on Earth
D)renewable; all nations possess roughly equal and significant reserves

Question 57

Mineral resources are

A)renewable because they are naturally formed.
B)renewable because we use them at slower rates than they are formed.
C)nonrenewable because they are formed at slower rates than we use them.
D)nonrenewable because they are no longer formed.

Question 58

Explain how sources of energy for society have changed over time.

Question 59

Stone used for buildings, chemicals in fertilizers, and sand used to make glass are all examples of mineral resources known as

A)tailings.
B)industrial minerals.
C)clinker.
D)slag.

Question 60

Most energy for human consumption in the industrial world comes from

A)fossil fuels.
B)wind.
C)nuclear power.
D)water.