A nonrenewable energy resource that forms in the Earth's crust for millions of years.

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Multiple Choice

A nonrenewable energy resource that forms in the Earth's crust for millions of years.

Fossil fuels come from ancient plants and other organisms that were buried under sediments and transformed by heat and pressure deep underground for millions of years. That geologic time scale means the amount produced by nature is far larger than what we can renew in any human lifetime, so they are nonrenewable. Hydroelectric power relies on flowing water, a renewable cycle; solar energy comes from the sun, also renewably available. Nuclear fuels are finite too, but their formation isn’t the same organic, long-term process as fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels come from ancient plants and other organisms that were buried under sediments and transformed by heat and pressure deep underground for millions of years. That geologic time scale means the amount produced by nature is far larger than what we can renew in any human lifetime, so they are nonrenewable. Hydroelectric power relies on flowing water, a renewable cycle; solar energy comes from the sun, also renewably available. Nuclear fuels are finite too, but their formation isn’t the same organic, long-term process as fossil fuels.

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