nonrenewable resources are resources LhaL form exLremely slowly and Lhose LhaL do noL naLurally

form ln Lhe envlronmenL Mlnerals are Lhe mosL common resource lncluded ln Lhls caLegory 8y Lhe
human use perspecLlve resources are nonrenewable when Lhelr raLe of consumpLlon exceeds Lhe
raLe of replenlshmenL/recovery a good example of Lhls are fossll fuels whlch are ln Lhls caLegory
because Lhelr raLe of formaLlon ls exLremely slow (poLenLlally mllllons of years) whlch means Lhey
are consldered nonrenewable from a human use perspecLlve Some resources acLually naLurally
depleLe ln amounL wlLhouL human lnLerference Lhe mosL noLable of Lhese are Lhe radloacLlve
elemenLs such as uranlum whlch naLurally decay lnLo heavy meLals Cf Lhese Lhe meLalllc mlnerals
can be reused by recycllng Lhem
1
8uL coal and peLroleum cannoL be recycled
2
Term exhaustible resource Definition: A natural resource that cannot be increased by
the natural forces of the environment. The quantities of exhaustible resources are
effectively fixed and thus the more used today, the less is available for use in the future.
It is possible, and even expected, that exhaustible resources will be exhausted at some
time in the future. Common examples of exhaustible resources are the three fossil fuels
-- petroleum, coal, and natural gas. The vast array of mineral resources -- iron, silver,
gold, and copper -- represent other examples.