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Difficulty: MediumRenewable and Non-Renewable Natural Resources

Environmental energy planners evaluating resource management across West Africa need to distinguish finite geological deposits from naturally replenished energy sources. Which of the following groupings consists exclusively of non-renewable resources?

  1. Crude oil, uranium, and natural gasAnswer
  2. B
    Solar power, crude oil, and wind energy
  3. C
    Hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, and coal
  4. D
    Biomass energy, natural gas, and tidal power

Answer

Crude oil, uranium, and natural gas
The correct grouping includes crude oil, uranium, and natural gas, all of which are exhaustible geological resources that cannot be naturally restored once depleted through human consumption.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Define non-renewable natural resources
Non-renewable resources exist in finite quantities in the Earth's crust and form over millions of years, meaning their rate of extraction far exceeds their rate of natural formation.
Establishing clear classification criteria is essential for evaluating resource sustainability.
2
Analyze each resource in the options
Crude oil and natural gas are fossilized organic hydrocarbons, while uranium is a finite radioactive mineral deposit. None of these three resources can be regenerated on a human timescale.
Verify that every item within a selected grouping satisfies the non-renewable criteria.
3
Eliminate options containing renewable resources
Solar power, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, biomass energy, and tidal power are continuously replenished by natural ecological and physical processes.
Any grouping containing even one renewable energy source fails the requirement of consisting exclusively of non-renewable resources.

Key Concept

Classification of Natural Resources into Renewable and Non-Renewable Types
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Topics

Renewable and Non-Renewable Natural Resources

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