Starter quiz
- How long does it take to form fossil fuels?
- one week
- one year
- hundreds of years
- millions of years ✓
-
- What is the scientific name for burning?
- pollution
- photosynthesis
- combustion ✓
- neutralisation
-
- What type of rock is coal?
- igneous rock
- metamorphic rock
- sedimentary rock ✓
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- Hydrocarbons are molecules found in coal, crude oil and natural gas. Which elements do hydrocarbons contain?
- oxygen and sulfur
- hydrogen and carbon ✓
- nitrogen and magnesium
- helium and calcium
-
- Match the key terms with the correct definitions.
- organic matter⇔this comes from living organisms ✓
- plankton⇔microscopic, aquatic plants and animals ✓
- decomposition⇔the break down of dead and decaying matter ✓
- fossil fuels⇔formed over millions of years from the dead remains of organisms ✓
- Which of the following are fossil fuels?
- coal ✓
- solar
- wind
- crude oil ✓
- natural gas ✓
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Exit quiz
- What name do we give fuels formed over millions of years from the dead remains of organisms?
- 'fossil fuels' ✓
- The organic matter that formed coal, oil and natural gas decomposed into which molecules?
- sulfur dioxide
- hydrocarbons ✓
- magnesium oxide
- calcium carbonate
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- What conditions lead to the production of fossil fuels from organic matter over millions of years?
- high temperature and low pressure
- high temperature and high pressure ✓
- low temperature and low pressure
- low temperature and high pressure
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- Coal is made from ...
- phytoplankton.
- zooplankton.
- plants. ✓
- crude oil.
- natural gas.
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- Where are crude oil and natural gas found?
- in coal mines
- deep in the oceans
- the base of volcanoes
- in pores of sedimentary rocks ✓
-
- Rearrange the statements to describe how crude oil and natural gas form.
- 1⇔Dead plankton settle at the bottom of the oceans.
- 2⇔Plankton become covered by sediments and mud.
- 3⇔High pressure and high temperatures turn the plankton into crude oil and gas.
- 4⇔The crude oil and natural gas moves through the pores in sedimentary rock.
- 5⇔Reservoirs of crude oil and natural gas form under impermeable rock.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Coal is a sedimentary rock that burns because it is made mostly of carbon, with some impurities.
- Coal is formed from deep sediments of organic matter made of prehistoric plants.
- Oil and gas formed from dead plankton mixed in with sediments that formed millions of years ago.
- Oil and natural gas are found in pores of sedimentary rock.
- The organic matter that formed coal, oil and natural gas decomposed into hydrocarbons.
Common misconception
Thinking we can keep finding more fossil fuels to use, and that they are a renewable energy resource.
Teach that fossil fuels take millions of years to form and they are being used at a faster rate than they are produced.
Keywords
Organic matter - Organic matter comes from living organisms. It contains carbon atoms as the main framework of compounds to which hydrogen atoms can attach.
Plankton - Plankton are microscopic, aquatic plants and animals.
Decomposition - Decomposition is the break down of dead and decaying matter.
Hydrocarbons - Hydrocarbons are molecules made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms only.
Fossil fuel - Fossil fuels are formed over millions of years from the dead remains of organisms.
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