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9th grade How fuels and minerals formed, and why they are where they are worksheet

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How fuels and minerals formed, and why they are where they are

Grade 9 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Coal ranks (EIA)

    RankCarbon
    lignite25% to 35%
    subbituminous35% to 45%
    bituminous45% to 86%
    anthracite86% to 97%
  2. USGS: to count as coal, rock must hold less than 50% ash-forming mineral matter. Which sample is coal (model data): 40% or 60% mineral matter, by Esme's reading?

    • Both, since any dark rock counts as coal
    • The 60% sample
    • The 40% sample
    • Neither sample
  3. EIA: U.S. bituminous coal is 100 million to 300 million years old, and most subbituminous at least 100 million. Of these two coals, which has the higher rank, by Jun's reading?

    • Peat
    • Bituminous
    • Lignite
    • Subbituminous
  4. Use this

    A rock cross-section with oil in sandstone pores.

  5. Where does conventional natural gas collect, by Kira's reading (EIA)?

    • At the bottom of the mantle
    • In ice cores
    • In hot magma chambers deep beneath the volcanic mountains
    • In large cracks and spaces between overlying rock layers
  6. Which rock would make a good oil reservoir, by Luz's reading (EIA)?

    • A living peat swamp
    • A layer of fresh lava
    • A sedimentary rock with many tiny connected spaces
    • A solid, dense granite with no open spaces between its crystals
  7. Why are oil and gas usually found in sedimentary rock, by Milo's reading (EIA)?

    • They form inside cooling magma deep under the volcanoes
    • They fall as rain
    • They form in a few years under lakes
    • They formed from remains buried in sediment layers
  8. Use this

    A volcanic arc above a subduction zone with ore below.

  9. USGS: porphyry ore forms 1 to 4 km deep, above source magma likely 8 to 10 km or more down. Using 10 km, how far below the shallowest ore is the magma, by Noah's math?

    • About 4 km
    • About 11 km
    • About 40 km
    • About 9 km
  10. USGS: some porphyry deposits formed after subduction ended, in collision zones. What does that show, by Ren's reading?

    • Most form above subduction zones, but not each one
    • They form in a few years
    • They form far from plate boundaries
    • They form in swamps
  11. Table, How resources form (USGS, EIA), with columns Resource, Starts as, Forms where

    Coal, swamp plants (peat), buried swamps; oil, tiny sea life such as diatoms, buried sea-floor sediments; natural gas, buried plant and animal remains, with oil, in shale pores, in coal beds; porphyry copper, fluids from cooling magma, arcs above subduction zones.

  12. Using the table, which resource starts as tiny sea life, by Tala's reading?

    • Oil
    • Peat
    • Porphyry copper
    • Coal
  13. Using the table, which resource forms from fluids of cooling magma, by Zee's reading?

    • Porphyry copper
    • Coal
    • Natural gas
    • Oil
  14. Why are fuels and ores unevenly spread around Earth, by Ari's reading?

    • They each form at plate boundaries
    • Each needs certain conditions: swamps, buried sea sediments or arc magmas
    • They formed where people live today
    • They formed at random in a single year
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9th grade How fuels and minerals formed, and why they are where they are worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Explain how fuels and ores form and why they are where they are. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can explain that coal forms from swamp peat over millions of years, and rank coal from lignite to anthracite by carbon.
  • I can explain that oil and gas form from buried tiny sea life and sit in the pores and cracks of sedimentary rock.
  • I can explain why porphyry copper forms from magma fluids in arcs above subduction zones, and use a criteria table to predict where resources are.

Standard: HS-ESS3-1

Words to know

peat: Partly decayed swamp plant matter that can become coal

coal rank: A step in coalification, from lignite up to anthracite

reservoir rock: Porous rock whose tiny spaces hold oil or gas

shale gas: Natural gas held in the tiny pores of shale

porphyry copper: Copper ore formed from fluids of cooling magma

magmatic arc: A belt of volcanoes and magma above a subduction zone

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up what fuels form from. USGS and EIA: coal forms from swamp plant peat; oil and gas mostly from tiny sea plants and animals, such as diatoms.

Your child mixed up the coal ranks. USGS: plant matter, peat, lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, anthracite, with heat and pressure rising; anthracite holds the most carbon.

Your child shortened the time. EIA: coal, oil and gas take millions of years to form.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with how fuels and minerals formed, and why they are where they are?

Your child mixed up what fuels form from. USGS and EIA: coal forms from swamp plant peat; oil and gas mostly from tiny sea plants and animals, such as diatoms.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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