Which of Earth's resources are renewable, and what are the trade-offs of how we use them?
Distinguish renewable and non-renewable resources, describe the major energy sources and Virginia's mineral and energy resources, and evaluate the environmental impacts and conservation of resource use (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.3 and ES.4).
A SOL-level answer on Earth's resources for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: renewable versus non-renewable, how fossil fuels form, nuclear and the alternatives (solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal), Virginia's coal, limestone, sand and gravel, and the environmental trade-offs and conservation of resource use, with worked exam questions.
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What this topic is asking
Virginia Earth Science SOL standards ES.3 and ES.4 include Earth's resources: telling renewable from non-renewable, knowing the main energy sources and Virginia's mineral and energy resources, and weighing the environmental impacts and conservation of how we use them. The EOC tests this by asking you to classify a resource, to compare the advantages and disadvantages of energy sources, and to reason about sustainability. Many items are evaluation items: there is a trade-off, and you must name both sides.
Renewable versus non-renewable
The test of "renewable" is the rate of replacement compared with use. Trees and groundwater can be renewable if they are not used faster than they regrow or recharge, so management matters.
Fossil fuels
Nuclear and the alternatives
- Nuclear energy releases energy by fission of uranium; it produces no carbon dioxide during operation but generates long-lived radioactive waste and carries accident risk.
- Solar converts sunlight to electricity or heat; renewable and clean, but intermittent (no power at night) and weather-dependent.
- Wind turns turbines; renewable and clean, but intermittent and location-dependent.
- Hydroelectric uses falling or flowing water; renewable and reliable, but dams alter rivers and habitats.
- Geothermal uses Earth's internal heat; renewable and steady, but limited to suitable geologic locations.
- Biomass burns organic matter; renewable if regrown, but still releases carbon dioxide.
Each source has a trade-off, which is exactly what evaluation items target.
Virginia's resources
Virginia has notable Earth resources tied to its geology. Coal is mined in the Appalachian Plateau in the far southwest. Limestone (and the related rock for cement) comes from the Valley and Ridge province. Sand, gravel and crushed stone are widely quarried for construction. Virginia also has natural gas and historically other mineral resources. Knowing that coal in Virginia comes from the southwestern plateau is a typical state-specific detail.
Conservation and stewardship
Because non-renewable resources are finite and extraction has impacts, the standard stresses conservation (using less and using efficiently), recycling (reusing metals and materials), reclamation (restoring mined land to a usable state), and sustainability (meeting present needs without preventing future generations from meeting theirs). Good resource decisions weigh the benefits (energy, materials, jobs) against the costs (pollution, habitat loss, climate impact).
Try this
Q1. Explain why coal is classified as a non-renewable resource. [2]
- Cue. Coal forms from buried plant remains over millions of years, far more slowly than we use it, so the supply is effectively fixed.
Q2. State one advantage and one disadvantage of solar energy. [2]
- Cue. Advantage: renewable and produces no carbon dioxide or air pollution while operating. Disadvantage: intermittent (no power at night) and weather- and location-dependent.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA Earth Science SOL 2023 (style)1 marksWhich of these is a non-renewable energy resource? (A) wind. (B) solar. (C) coal. (D) hydroelectric.Show worked answer →
A 1-point multiple-choice item on classifying resources.
The correct answer is C. Coal is a fossil fuel that forms over millions of years, far slower than we use it, so it is non-renewable. Wind (A), solar (B) and hydroelectric (D) are renewable, because they are replenished continually by the Sun and the water cycle.
The test rewards judging "renewable" by whether the resource is replaced as fast as it is used.
VA Earth Science SOL 2024 (style)2 marksA power company is deciding between a coal plant and a wind farm. (a) State one advantage and one disadvantage of using coal. (b) State one advantage and one disadvantage of using wind.Show worked answer →
A 2-point item evaluating energy trade-offs.
(a) 1 point: coal advantage, for example it is abundant, reliable and provides steady power; coal disadvantage, for example it is non-renewable and burning it releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants that harm air quality and add to climate change.
(b) 1 point: wind advantage, for example it is renewable and produces no air pollution or carbon dioxide while operating; wind disadvantage, for example it is intermittent (only generates when the wind blows) and depends on location.
Markers reward one genuine advantage and one genuine disadvantage for each source.
Related dot points
- Define a mineral and identify common rock-forming and ore minerals from their physical properties, including hardness, luster, streak, cleavage, color and density (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.4).
A SOL-level answer on minerals for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the five-part definition of a mineral, the physical properties used to identify them (hardness, luster, streak, cleavage and fracture, color, density), the major mineral groups led by the silicates, and why structure-based properties beat color, with worked exam questions.
- Classify igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks by how they form and explain the rock cycle, including how cooling rate, lithification, and heat and pressure transform rock (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.5).
A SOL-level answer on rocks for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks form, the link between cooling rate and crystal size, clastic versus chemical sediment, foliated versus nonfoliated metamorphic rock, and how the rock cycle transforms one type into another, with worked exam questions.
- Distinguish weather from climate, explain the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), and describe the evidence for climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9).
A SOL-level answer on climate for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the difference between weather and climate, the factors that control climate (latitude, elevation, proximity to water, ocean currents, prevailing winds), the evidence for climate change, the enhanced greenhouse effect, and its impacts on Virginia, with worked exam questions.
- Describe estuaries and the Chesapeake Bay, including brackish water and its role as a nursery, and explain how watershed land use, runoff and sea-level rise affect coastal Virginia (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.10 and human impact).
A SOL-level answer on the Chesapeake Bay for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: what an estuary is and why the Bay's brackish water makes it a nursery, the threats from nutrient runoff and eutrophication, the role of the watershed, sea-level rise and coastal flooding, and conservation, with worked exam questions.
- Explain the processes of the water cycle (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration) and describe watersheds, groundwater and the water table (Virginia 2018 Earth Science SOL ES.9 and ES.10).
A SOL-level answer on the water cycle for the Virginia Earth Science EOC: the processes that move water (evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, infiltration), the energy that drives it, what a watershed and divide are, groundwater and the water table, and porosity and permeability, with worked exam questions.
Sources & how we know this
- 2018 Science Standards of Learning (Earth Science) — Virginia Department of Education (2018)
- SOL Practice Items (All Subjects) — Virginia Department of Education (2024)