Chapter 1 Section 3
Other Natural Resources of PA
I. What is a Natural Resource?
• Natural Resource– Raw materials that exist in a natural state and are
used to produce products of finished goods– Forests
• ½ of the land in PA is forest• 20 state Forests• 114 State parks
– Allegheny National Forest
• All forests provide PA with lumber• Excellent outdoor escapes
– Hunting– Camping– Naturalists
– Soils• 1/3 of our the land is used for some kind of farming• The richest soils are found in the Piedmont Region• PA soil mostly made up of Loam
– Sand, clay, silt and organic matter
– Clay• Major industry in PA• 28 of 67 counties produce clay for building
– Fossil Fuels• Coal, Natural Gas, and Petroleum• Formed from the remains of plants and animals under
the earth’s Crust
– Coal• 1/3 of our state has coal deposits • Hard coal
– Anthracite
• Soft Coal– Bituminous
• PA is the 4th largest producer of coal in the US
– Natural Gas• PA has 24,000 wells of natural gas• Efficient• Easy to use• Does not cost much pollution
– Petroleum• Found in 23 counties within the state• Only 1% of the state’s petroleum output goes to the
national need
– Mineral Resources• Any useful substance found in the Earths crust that has
not bee formed by plant or animal remains• What do we have?
– Iron Ore» Major component of Steel
– Zinc– Sand
» Used to produce glass– Gravel
» Used in cement» Sand and Gravel are found in ½ of the PA counties
– Stone» Found in all counties in PA» Ranks 1st in the nation in production
– Human Resources• 12 million people in the state• Ranks 4th in Population