Introduction to Environmental Geology, 5e (Keller)
Chapter 16 Energy Resources
16.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s, energy consumption in the United States
A) increased at a higher rate than previously
B) increased, but at a slower rate
C) decreased
D) remained the same
2) The ultimate source of the energy in fossil fuels is
A) the sun
B) the Earth’s internal heat
C) the energy of the plants and animals from which the fuel is formed
D) biomass
3) Coal type is based upon
A) the carbon percentage and heat value
B) the geographic location where it is mined
C) the sulfur content
D) the depth at which it is mined
4) Why is coal usage likely to increase in the future?
A) Coal is a relatively clean energy resource in terms of air pollution.
B) Mining and processing of coal create minimal environmental impact.
C) Coal is an abundant resource in relation to oil and gas.
D) Coal is generally considered a renewable resource.
5) Which of the following geologic features is not required for an oil or gas deposit to form?
A) source rock
B) cap rock
C) reservoir rock
D) volcanic rock
6) Which of the following geologic situations is most likely to contain significant oil
concentrations?
A) 1.1-billion-year-old rocks that accumulated in the vicinity of a divergent plate boundary
B) 200-million-year-old rocks that have been exposed by uplift in a subduction zone
C) 300-million-year-old rocks that accumulated in a subsiding sedimentary basin
D) 150-million-year-old rocks that are flat lying and unfaulted
7) Methane hydrates may be a viable future energy source because
A) they are abundant and clean burning
B) they are easily obtained from their deposits
C) they are not fossil fuels and therefore will not contribute to the greenhouse effect
D) they are renewable resources
8) What is the most important aspect of future oil supplies?
A) when the supplies will be exhausted
B) how much remains
C) when oil production will peak
D) how clean newly found oil reserves will be
9) Why does acid rain result from fossil fuel consumption?
A) Fossil fuels heat the atmosphere, making rain more acidic.
B) Fossil fuel burning releases nitrogen and sulfur oxides.
C) Particulates emitted from fossil fuel burning settle in lakes and acidifies them.
D) Fossil fuel burning releases stored organic carbon.
10) Nuclear fission is the process of
A) bringing light atoms together to make heavier atoms
B) splitting of heavy atoms to make light atoms
C) using solar energy to excite atomic nuclei
D) producing nuclear fuel
11) A breeder reactor differs from a burner reactor in that
A) a breeder reactor produces more nuclear fuel than it burns
B) a breeder reactor uses fuel at an unsustainable rate
C) a burner reactor burns uranium 235 at a sustainable rate
D) a burner reactor produces energy by fission, while a breeder reactor produces energy by
fusion
12) Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is a potentially viable site for nuclear waste disposal because
A) it features a strong rock in a dry climate
B) the salt deposits there will flow slowly into mine openings, sealing off the waste
C) the area is been geologically stable for more than 100 million years
D) it is an uncontroversial site
13) The ultimate source of geothermal energy is
A) the sun
B) heat generated in the Earth’s interior
C) hydroelectric
D) deeply buried biomass
14) The future use of photovoltaics is likely to
A) increase, because they can be adapted to meet a variety of needs
B) increase, because the energy is less expensive than that generated by fossil fuels
C) decrease, because they have proven to be inefficient
D) decrease, because they require large, centralized generating facilities
15) The main difference between hard path and soft path energy policy is
A) the reliance on fossil fuels and centralized power generation
B) their contrasting economic viability
C) their contrasting reliance on known energy sources
D) their contrasting reliance on government subsidies
16.2 True/False Questions
1) Fossil fuels are generated by processes deep in the Earth’s interior.
2) Most coal has the same sulfur content, but varies widely in heat content.
3) Natural gas and methane hydrate energy sources have the same chemical composition.
4) Most of the largest oil and gas fields are located in continental interiors, far from plate
boundaries.
5) Given current trends, oil supplies are likely to be largely consumed by the end of the 21st
century.
6) The best solution to concerns over acid rain is to buffer lakes with calcium carbonate.
7) Nuclear power from splitting of U-235 is a renewable energy resource.
8) The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused similar levels of environmental
degradation as did the Three Mile Island accident.
9) Radioactive minerals release energy only through the fission process.
10) Wind power generation has grown rapidly in the past decade.
11) Water power development is “clean” and has no environmental impacts.
12) Groundwater at normal shallow subsurface temperatures can be used as an energy source.
13) At the time of “peak oil,” gas prices are likely to peak.
16.3 Short Answer Questions
1) ________ coal has the highest heat content.
2) The rock unit that provides a barrier to upward migration of oil is called the ________.
3) ________ is the only site being considered in the United States for high-level nuclear waste
storage.
4) Nuclear ________ involves the joining of lighter elements to produce heavier ones.
5) ________ systems are characterized by hot water circulation.
6) ________ solar energy systems simply enhance absorption of solar energy without requiring
mechanical power.
7) Fuel cells rely on the element ________ for their energy source.
8) Electricity generation through urban waste incineration is an example of ________ power
generation.
9) ________ is the process of capturing wasted heat from power-generating and industrial
installations.
10) The ________ path of energy policy relies more on decentralized power generation.
11) All renewable energy sources ultimately capture energy from the ________.
12) ________ is the time when petroleum production begins to fall short of demand.
13) ________ cells generate electricity directly from the sun’s energy.