12. Materials from fossils
Limestone
Some of the materials we gather from the ground come from ancient living organisms. These living organisms include bacteria, fungi, plants and animals that inhabited the planet millions years before us. Limestone is an example of such a material. They are ancient seafloors that have acquired layers upon layers of dead aquatic animals, especially their cells, or coral reefs.
Limestone cliffs. Limestone is made from the shells of ancient marine invertebrates.
Sometimes, individual shells can still be seen embedded in limestone cliffs. These remains of ancient living organisms are called fossils. Water can erode limestone and create magnificient stalactite caverns. They are popular tourist destinations.
Image on the left: Fossils. Image on the right: A stalactite cavern made from limestone.
Limestone can be quarried, and its chalk can be used to make concrete. Concrete is a popular building material. It is used to make buildings and roads. Many famous buildings all over the world, such as the Giza pyramids in Egypt and the Notre-Dame Cathedral in France, are made out of limestone.
Chalk can be quarried and used to make concrete, which is a popular building material in roads and buildings.
Crude oil, natural gas and coal
The fossils of ancient marine organisms have also created the planet's crude oil ja natural gas deposits. The marine organisms that have sunk in the seafloor have transformed into oil and gas in the high underground pressure. This process has taken millennia. Crude oil is mostly drilled from inside the ground. Because the planet's oil and gas deposits are limited, people have had to search for these fossil fuels from even more difficult locations. Oil drilling rigs make it possible for us to drill oil from the seafloor.
All of the crude oil that is drilled from the ground is not used as a fuel. It is also used to produce plastics, glues and paints.
Coal is a fossil fuel that has been formed from ancient plants that have become caught in high underground pressures. These plants have transformed into coal over the course of hundreds of millions of years.
Coal is mined from deep underground. It is mostly used as a fuel and as a raw material in the chemical industry.
The gathering, refining and use of fossil fuels such as oil and coal is harmful for the planet. When burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This accellerates the planet's natural greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming. This is why the use of oil and coal has to be reduced.
Coal is mined from deep under the ground.
Plastic
Plastic is a material made from crude oil. Nowadays, it is one of the most widely used materials in the world. It is cheap to produce, and it can be made into different kinds of objects very easily.
Plastic can be used to make light yet durable items and structures. Plastic resists moisture better than wood. Plastic consists of incredibly long molecules.
PE plastic is a type of plastic that does not melt in high temperatures. It is also very durable and can float on water. It is used to make plastic bags and liquid containers.
PP plastic is a common material in buckets, jars, containers and mats. It also floats on water and can resist heat very well. However, it is not quite as durable as PE plastic.
PE plastic (on the left) and PP plastic (on the right) are used in various containers.
PS plastic is used to create containers and styrofoam. When PS plastic is boiled in water, it will return into a disc-shaped form. PS plastic is not very durable and cannot float on water.
PET plastic is a transparent plastic used mainly in bottles.
Containers made out of PS plastic (on the left) and PET plastic (on the right).
Vinyl or PVC plastic is harmful when burned. It is used in various places, such as water pipes.
Plastics are harmful to the environment, and they should never be left in nature. The planet's oceans are already full of large plastic reefs. This is why the amount of plastic waste must be reduced immediately.
Image on the left: PVC plastic. Image on the right: The amount of plastic waste must be reduced!
Terminology
| Term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| fossil | The petrified remains of an ancient living organism. |