This document discusses Earth resources and their management. It defines resources as materials, knowledge, staff, services, energy and other things that provide benefits to humans. Earth resources specifically include groundwater, soil, rocks, minerals, oil and gas. Resources are classified based on their origin (biotic vs abiotic), stage of development (potential, actual, reserved, stock) and renewability (renewable, nonrenewable, inexhaustible). Proper management of resources is increasingly important as population growth and rising standards of living lead to higher consumption rates of resources like water, food, fuel and minerals.

1. We use things the Earth gives us to help us live
better lives
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UGRC 143 : SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN OUR
LIVES
SECOND SEMESTER : 2014/2015 ACADEMIC YEAR
EARTH RESOURCES
Dr. Larry Pax Chegbeleh
Department of Earth Science
University of Ghana, Legon

2.  Purpose and Objectives of lesson
 Introduction
 Resources
 Earth resources
 Resources management
 The rock cycle, formation and
classification
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3.  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
…..
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4.  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
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5.  To some extend you have
prior knowledge of what
resources are
 More understanding is
required to know their
differences 5

6.  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

7.  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

8.  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

9.  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.

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

11.  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

12. Examples of earth resources include
 Groundwater
 Soil
 Rocks
 Minerals
 Oil and gas

13. Earth resources are classified into various
categories based on:
 Source of origin
 Stage of development
 Renewability or replenishment

14. 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

15.  Abiotic: - these are those that come from
non-living and non-organic materials
▪ Examples include: air, fresh water, land,
minerals

16. 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

17.  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

18.  Based on the time required to replace the
quantity of resources used (renewability) or
consumed, resources can be
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Inexhaustible (Perpetual resources)

19. 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

20. 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)

21. 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.

22. 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)

23. Exceptions
All earth resources, except
groundwater, are nonrenewable

24.  The more people on earth
oThe more water we consume
oThe more food we grow/eat
oThe more fuel we burn
oThe more minerals we use

25.  Rates of resources used even
increasing faster than rate of
population increase.
Why?

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