Why are resources like soil, petroleum, and metal ores nonrenewable?
• They have been broken down over millions of years and cannot be used.
• There is not enough heat and pressure to create these resources.
• They are being used up faster than they can be formed again.
• There is plenty of time for these resources to renew as humans use them.
The correct option is: They are being used up faster than they can be formed again.
Resources like soil, petroleum, and metal ores are considered nonrenewable because they are being extracted and consumed much quicker than they can naturally replenish themselves. These resources form over geological time scales, often taking millions of years to develop through natural processes. The extraction rate by human activity is far surpassing the rate of their formation, making them nonrenewable in practical terms.