Earth's resources

Part of Hall of Planet Earth.

Earth Resources AMNH/R.Mickens

The Earth’s resources are many and varied.  Some are illustrated by the samples shown here.  Coal has long been an important and abundant source of energy, salt is a nutrient necessary for life, and gold has been considered precious throughout human history because of its rarity, malleability, and color.

Earth Resources
AMNH/R.Mickens
Coal
AMNH/R.Mickens
Salt
AMNH/R.Mickens
Chromium Ore
AMNH/R.Mickens
Vandium Ore
AMNH/R.Mickens
Platinum Ore
AMNH/R.Mickens
Bauxite
AMNH/R.Mickens
Oil Shale
AMNH/R.Mickens

In This Section

Gold in conglomerate Since their discovery in 1886, the Witwatersrand deposits have yielded more than 40,000 tons of gold. Coal Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel. It forms when dead and decaying plants are buried in swamps and marshes. Salt Salt beds form in sedimentary basins where water collects and evaporates. What is an ore? Ore is defined as an economic concentration of minerals. The richness of ores can be vastly different. Dwindling resources Many natural resources renew themselves, but often do so much more slowly than they are extracted and used.