Natural Resources and Their Importance

Natural Resources

• Natural resources are materials found on Earth that living things use to meet their needs.
• Almost everything people use comes from natural resources.
• Examples include air, soil, timber, water, coal, oil, gas, sand, and gravel.

Energy Resources

• Energy comes from various sources, including sunlight, fossil fuels, flowing water, and others.
• Energy resources are crucial to run appliances, power lights, and operate various electrical devices.
• Almost all manufactured products require energy resources.

Land Resources

• Land resources are essential, as many items in people's homes originate from the Earth.
• Examples include cast iron skillets, pots, pans, steel appliances, magnets, bowls, glass cups, etc.
• Land resources support all living things, including humans. For instance, people use land to grow food and for grazing animals.

Air and Water Resources

• Air and water are resources that humans cannot live without.
• Living things need air for a few minutes of survival, oxygen in the air helps support the human body and provide energy for cells.
• People use water for various purposes including agriculture, transportation, recreation, cooking, and cleaning.
• Plants also need water for growth.

Renewable vs. Nonrenewable Resources

• Renewable resources are those that can be replaced quickly by natural processes.
• Examples include air, water, living things, solar, geothermal, wind, and biomass.
• Non-renewable resources take millions of years to form and are typically limited in supply.
• Examples include fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and minerals.

Distribution of Resources

• Some areas are rich in resources, while others have few.
• The uneven distribution of fossil fuels is linked to past geological events like the presence of swamps and ancient oceans.
• The conditions for the formation of oil and gas must be met for oil and gas deposits to form.

Fossil Fuel Formation

• Fossil fuels form from the remains of prehistoric organisms that were buried under layers of sediment.
• Over time, intense heat and pressure change the remains chemically into different types of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas.
• Three factors that affect the type of fossil fuel created: organic matter type, temperature and pressure, and duration of burial.

Striking Oil

• The map shows the distribution of sedimentary basins in the US that contain petroleum.
• Locations rich in petroleum are associated with sedimentary basins.
• Differences in the presence of petroleum basins across the US could be due to varying factors in the formation.

U.S. Crude Oil Reserves Graph

• The graph displays a decrease in U.S. crude oil reserves over time.
• The graph shows that between 2020 and 2022, crude oil reserves in the US decreased.
• This decline in US Crude Oil reserves indicates high dependence on oil which might exhaust the resource in the future.

Explore the vital role of natural resources in everyday life. This quiz delves into various types of resources, including energy, land, air, and water, illustrating their significance for human survival and industry. Understand how these resources are fundamental to our existence and the products we rely on.