UGRC 143 : SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN OUR

LIVES
SECOND SEMESTER : 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR
EARTH RESOURCES

We use things the Earth gives us to help us live

better lives
Our Earths Resources
Dr. Larry Pax Chegbeleh
Department of Earth Science
University of Ghana, Legon
1

OVERVIEW

Purpose and Objectives of lesson

Introduction
Resources
Earth resources
Resources management
The rock cycle, formation and
classification
2

Purpose and Objectives

This lesson is to enable you

understand what resources are and
how to manage them for
sustainable livelihood
It is expected that by the end of the
lesson you should be able to ..
3

Purpose and Objectives

Define resources in general and earth

resources in particular
Identify various categories of resources
Differentiate between resources and
reserves
Define the types of rocks
Explain the formation of the rock types
State the major classifications of rocks
4

Introduction
To

some extend you have

prior knowledge of what
resources are
More understanding is
required to know their
differences
5

What are Resources?

All those things that are necessary or
important to human life and civilization
A source or supply from which benefit is
derived or produced
Any material that can be transformed to
produce benefit

What are Resources?

Typical

examples include:

Materials
Knowledge
Staff (Human resources) skills, energy, talent
and knowledge used for the production of
goods or rendering of services
Services
Energy
Other things that are transformed to produce
benefit

What are Resources?

The benefit derived can be utilized/consumed
or made unavailable in the process
Some of the benefits of using resources
include:

Increase in wealth
Meeting our needs
Proper functioning of a system
Enhancing well being

How we use them

We use resources to make things and to

grow things we need

Examples of things we use include:

Water to drink and grow plants for food,
shelter, and clothing.
Soil to grow plants for food, shelter, and
clothing.
Rocks for building and jewelry.

How we use them

Metals to make cans, building parts, and
jewelry.
Sand to make glass.
Oil to make plastics and gasoline.

Earth or Natural
Resources
Resources that are involved in or formed by
geologic processes
From human point of view is anything
obtained from the environment to satisfy
human needs
From ecological or biological view point is
anything that satisfies the needs of living
organisms

Earth or Natural
Resources
Examples of earth resources include
Groundwater
Soil
Rocks
Minerals
Oil and gas

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources

Earth resources are classified into various

categories based on:
Source of origin
Stage of development
Renewability or replenishment

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources

Based on origin, resources may categorized

into:
Biotic: - these are obtained from the
biosphere (living and organic material)
Examples: forests and animals and
materials that can be obtained from
them
Coal and petroleum are formed from
decayed organic materials

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources

Abiotic: - these are those that come from

non-living and non-organic materials
Examples include: air, fresh water, land,
minerals

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources

Based on stage of development, resources may

categorized into:
Potential resources: - these are those that
exist in an area or region and are
recoverable in the future
Example: petroleum may occur in various
regions, until it is actually drilled out,
developed and put into use, it remains a
potential resource

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources

Actual resources: - these are those that that

have been investigated and quantified and
being used in present times
Reserved resources: the part of an actual
resource that can be developed profitably
with available technology
Stock resources: those that have been
investigated but can not be put to use due
to lack of technology

Classification of Earth or Natural

Resources
Based

on the time required to replace the

quantity of resources used (renewability) or
consumed, resources can be
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Inexhaustible (Perpetual resources)

Renewable Resources
Resources that can be replenished over fairly
short spans of time, such as months, years, or
decades (e.g., trees)
Can be replenished naturally
From human perspective, rate of replenishment
or recovery exceeds that of consumption
Can be depleted by human consumption

Nonrenewable Resources
Rate of consumption exceeds rate of

replenishment or recovery (time needed to

create >>> time needed to consume).
Form slowly or do not naturally form in the

environment (may take millions of years to

form and accumulate)
E.g. fossil fuels (petroleum)

Inexhaustible Resources
These are available continuously
Their quantity is not affected by human

consumption
We shall never run out, like sunlight, air, and

wind
However it can be ruined by pollution.

Resources may also be categorized based on

distribution
Ubiquitous resources: these are found

everywhere in the world (e.g. air, light and

water)
Localized resources: these are found in

certain parts of the world or within certain

localities (e.g. Iron ore, copper ore and
geothermal power)

Exceptions
All earth resources, except
groundwater, are nonrenewable

Resources, People and

standards of living

The more people on earth

o The more water we consume

o The more food we grow/eat

o The more fuel we burn
o The more minerals we use

Resources, People and

standards of living

Rates of resources used even

increasing faster than rate of

population increase.

Why?

Resources, People and

standards of living

o Elevated standards of living.

o improvements in life-styles hence,
increasing quantities of
manufactured goods ( cars, clothes,
computers, etc.)

End of Lesson