Our Physical Resources
Geology 313
Course
Outline
Unit 1
Resources: An Introduction
Overview
Unit 1 of Geology 313: Our Physical Resources begins by contextualizing the pivotal role minerals play in modern society. A discussion on population growth and distribution, and their implications for resource use then follows. The unit continues with an introduction to the concept of resource and definitions of some essential terms that will be used throughout the course.
Objectives
After completing this unit, you should be able to
- explain, using examples, the interrelated nature of resource use.
- outline the trend of world population growth and its influence on resource consumption.
- describe the variations of age-sex population pyramids between nations as a function of economic development, and explain the reasons behind the differences.
- outline the role of geochemical cycles in the recycling of materials in the Earth’s crust—forming, concentrating, redistributing, and altering mineral resources.
- define renewable resources and non-renewable resources, and differentiate between the two.
- distinguish between the categories resources and reserves and describe the factors that may cause a mineral deposit to “transfer” from one category to the other.
