Where Earth’s Resources Are Found
- Earth & Space
- Ages 11–14 · Grades 6–8
What you’ll find out
- Mineral, energy and water resources are unevenly distributed because of past geological processes.
- Most such resources took millions of years to form and are non-renewable on a human timescale.
- Recycling, efficient water use, repair and renewable energy make resources last longer.
No sign-up and no real names. In the lesson you check your understanding as you read, and practise until it sticks.
Unevenly spread
People depend on resources from the Earth, such as metals, fossil fuels, fresh water and fertile soil, but these are spread very unevenly around the planet. A few countries hold most of the world’s oil, while others have almost none. Metal ores, like copper and gold, are concentrated in particular rocks. Fertile soils form on river floodplains and around old volcanoes, and fresh water is abundant in some regions but scarce in deserts. These patterns are the result of geological processes over millions of years.
Using resources wisely
Because most mineral and energy resources took millions of years to form, they are limited, and using them up faster than nature replaces them cannot continue for ever. As the world’s population and wealth grow, demand keeps rising, and countries trade to obtain resources they lack. People can make resources last longer by recycling metals such as aluminium and copper, using water more efficiently on farms, reducing waste, and switching to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Curriculum links: NGSS MS-ESS3-1 · England KS3: Earth and atmosphere · Cambridge Lower Secondary Stages 7–9: Earth and space · NCERT Social Science, Classes 6–8