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Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS
Course: Middle school Earth and space science - NGSS > Unit 5
Lesson 1: Natural resourcesNatural resources
Humans adapt and thrive using natural resources. Natural resources are things found in nature that can be used by humans. Renewable resources can be replaced over human lifetimes. Nonrenewable resources cannot. Both renewable and nonrenewable resources are unevenly distributed across Earth's surface. Created by Khan Academy.
Want to join the conversation?
- How are you supposed to know if it is renewable or non-renewable?(4 votes)
- Renewable resources are replaced in one human lifetime.
Nonrenewable resources take thousands to millions of years to replace, or can not be replaced at all.(14 votes)
- Just an FYI, the sun is renewable, for now. Because the sun can live for about 5-7 billion years. We should not worry about the sun dying out because it takes so long for it to exhaust its materials.(5 votes)
- Who first was thinking about making the building dam?(2 votes)
- I think humans got the idea from these little guys-🦫As early as 400 BCE, Asians built earthen embankments dams to store water for the cities of Ceylon, or modern-day Sri Lanka. In the 5th century AD, the Sinhalese built several dams to form reservoirs to catch the monsoon rains for their intricate irrigation system, and many of these reservoirs are still in use today.(9 votes)
- who decided on what to call all of these things(3 votes)
- I would say god, but probably humans. (Edit: Actually that was obvious, why did I say it)(4 votes)
- what is renewable or non-renewable?(3 votes)
- Renewable resources are replaced in a human lifetime while nonrenewable resources take millions of years to get replaced or it could not get replaced at all.(3 votes)
- is sunlight renewable(3 votes)
- Yes Sunlight can be replenished over a human lifetime(3 votes)
- how are u suposssed to know two combined(2 votes)
- How are you supposed to know if it is renewable or non-renewable?(2 votes)
- If it is plentiful, it is renewable. If it is very scarce, then it is most likely nonrenewable.(0 votes)
- how can you tell if it's renewable or nonrenewable.(0 votes)
- Renewable resources can be replaced fast enough for us to see it get replaced in our lifetime. Nonrenewable resources can take millions of years to get replaced or it could not get replaced at all.(3 votes)
- Who first was thinking about making the building dam?(1 vote)
- 🦫 creatures probably did(2 votes)
Video transcript
- [Instructor] Humans are an
amazingly adaptable species. Not only can we survive almost anywhere, we also find ways to thrive even in the most
inhospitable environments. Our clever brains allow us
to look the world around us and figure out how to find food and water, build safe and comfortable shelters, and design useful tools. All of this is possible because
of the natural resources that surround us wherever we go. A natural resource is
anything found in nature that can be used by people. Natural resources can be renewable, meaning they can be replenished
over a human lifetime, or non-renewable, meaning they can take far
longer to be replaced. Both kinds of resources are unevenly distributed across Earth. This makes sense for
non-renewable resources, right? These resources are formed
by geologic processes, such as plate tectonics that take place in specific
locations on Earth. As a result, non-renewable
resources like soil, minerals, and fossil fuels are often concentrated in the places where they first formed. Let's take a look at one type
of non-renewable resource, metal ore. Metal ores are rocks that
contain valuable metals that people can extract, and they're often found
in large accumulations called deposits. For example, most copper ore is found in what are called
porphyry copper deposits. Porphyry just means that the rock that makes up these deposits contains a mix of large
and small crystals, like in this image here. Porphyry copper deposits
form in subduction zones along convergent tectonic
plate boundaries. Today, most subduction zones are found along Pacific coastlines, so you can expect to find a lot of porphyry copper
mines in these places. However, we also find
many of these ore deposits throughout Eurasia and Australia. Why? Turns out many of these places were subduction zones in the ancient past. The geologic processes that
form non-renewable resources are always happening, even if they occur over
thousands or millions of years. This means that non-renewable resources are not always found
where they first formed. Porphyry copper deposits follow
the same, slow life cycle as many other metal ores, forming in magma chambers below the crust, then uplifting towards the surface through tectonic activity. Once exposed to the elements, the deposits can experience
weathering and erosion, which allows them to gradually
recycle back into the earth, unless people find and mine them first. How can renewable natural resources be unevenly distributed
across Earth though? Doesn't everywhere have
things like sunlight and wind? Well, yes, but Earth's
tilt means that some places experience more direct sunlight throughout the year than others. And geography and other factors mean that some places
are windier than others. For example, take a look at this map of
average annual wind speeds across the contiguous United States. These purple, red, and orange places typically experience higher wind speeds, while these green and yellow places typically experience lower wind speeds. As a result, this central
part of the country here has a much higher capacity
for producing wind energy, so more people have invested in wind turbine technologies in these places. We can see that in this second map, which shows the distribution of wind power plants across the same area. Notice how most of the
country's wind power plants are concentrated around the places where people recorded
the highest wind speeds. The distribution of
certain natural resources can also be impacted by human activities. After all, we typically need to harvest and move natural resources to use them. Think about fossil
fuels, like coal and oil. Humans extract these raw
materials from Earth's crust using mining or drilling wells and then transport them all over the world to refine into usable products. Once fossil fuels are
removed from the ground, it can take millions of years
for Earth to replace them. So every time we use these
non-renewable resources, we have less available for future use. People can seek out new deposits, but they run the risk of
finding lower-quality materials or sites that are more challenging to extract resources from. Even renewable resources can
be affected by human actions. Take fresh water, for example. People may redistribute
fresh water on the surface by building dams across
rivers or other waterways. Dams store water for communities to use, and some even act as renewable
hydropower generators, converting the kinetic energy of running water into electricity. However, by changing the
natural flow of the water, dams can reduce the amount of water available to communities and
ecosystems further downstream. People may also redistribute freshwater by pumping it up from underground. Groundwater can consistently
provide freshwater in places where other sources are scarce, but if communities draw
that groundwater up faster than the water
cycle can replenish it, it can dry up. Naturally, unequal
distribution of resources already makes life
difficult for some places. And without careful management, human activities can make
these disparities even worse. However, if we work together
to avoid overexploiting the resources our planet
naturally provides, whether they can renew themselves or not, we can all continue to thrive
no matter where we live.