school energy&environment
Subsoil
The solid part of the Earth is made of rocks that can be collected directly from the Earth’s surface or that can be extracted from mines and by deep drilling both on dry land and on the ocean floors. The rocks can be those forming the mountain we climb up, and can also be formed by deposits created by a large number of fragments, cemented together, that we walk upon every day. Rocks are formed from the combination of a number of minerals, solid substances defined by a precise chemical formula that can be found in nature. Consequently the study and analysis of rocks and minerals is very important because it enables us to define the structure and the composition not only of the Earth’s surface by also what lies inside the Earth.
Hydrocarbons are a particular type of sedimentary rock, present in nature in the solid, liquid and gaseous form, as bitumen, oil (petroleum) and gas respectively. Since a long time, man has learnt to exploit these resources. In particular, in the energy section, we shall examine in detail how these deposits are utilized and how important they are.
The mineral resources are important for industrial development. These consist of minerals or rocks whose concentration is suited for extraction and utilization by man for various purposes.
In the subsoil we do not only find rocks and minerals, but also another resource that is very important: water, that is concentrated mainly in the layer that is no more than 750 metres deep. As it is one of the principal resources that has enabled the development of life on the Earth, we have dedicated it a special section, which you can refer to for more detailed information.
subjects dealt with in Subsoil
Rocks and minerals
Minerals are solid substances that are present in nature and can be made of one element or more elements combined…
Earthquakes
An earthquake, as the word itself describes, is a quake or a movement of the Earth, also known as seism…
Subsoil: a resource
Easily pliable limestones, sandstones and igneus rocks are often used for some specific constructions, like frames, building fronts, columns and…
Mineral deposits
Modern industrial society consumes high quantities of energy for heating, transport and industries. The main energy sources are natural fuels,…
special reports
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16 July 2013 / Earth
Van Allen belts
The spectacular phenomenon of polar auroras The Van Allen belts are responsible for polar auroras, one of the most fascinating…
8 November 2013 / Earth
Magnets and superconductors
The phenomenon of magnetism Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?…
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
-
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
30 April 2019 / Earth
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
-
16 July 2013 / Earth
Van Allen belts
The spectacular phenomenon of polar auroras The Van Allen belts are responsible for polar auroras, one of the most fascinating…
8 November 2013 / Earth
Magnets and superconductors
The phenomenon of magnetism Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?…
-
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
-
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
30 April 2019 / Earth
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
-
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
-
16 July 2013 / Earth
Van Allen belts
The spectacular phenomenon of polar auroras The Van Allen belts are responsible for polar auroras, one of the most fascinating…
-
8 November 2013 / Earth
Magnets and superconductors
The phenomenon of magnetism Which one of us has not played at attracting small pieces of iron with a magnet?…
-
10 January 2012 / Energy
Shale gas
The golden age of gas The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an international organisation that represents one of the points…
-
18 January 2016 / Energy
Ten years of oil demand
World oil demand Eni has recently published the 14th edition of the 2015 World Oil and Gas Review, the annual statistical…
-
13 May 2013 / Earth
Small steps, great footprints
Which one takes up more space, an apple or a steak? Have you ever wondered how much space is taken…
-
28 August 2020 / Earth
The Earth seen from above: signs of fires
This image was taken by the ASTER sensor installed on the NASA TERRA satellite platform. The image was taken on…
-
15 July 2020 / Earth
Earth viewed from above
Remote satellite sensing: what it is and what it is used for In the scientific field, the images produced by…
-
30 April 2019 / Earth
Urban woods
When walking along a tree-lined avenue in a crowded and traffic-congested city, wrapped up in our daily commitments, we do…
-
12 April 2019 / Earth
Easter with extinct friends
Easter Island is shaped like a triangle with three extinct volcanoes placed at the vertices, and has a total area…
from the Multimedia section
curiosities
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Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...
-
Volcanic activity of Vesuvio
One of the most famous volcanic disasters was the eruption of Vesuvio in 79 A.D....
-
Mountains on the Earth
The different landscapes that we analysed in the previous section are distributed...
-
And in underground tunnels?
There are groups of terrestrial animals that eat insects, worms and other invertebrates...
-
Laterite and bauxite deposits
These deposits can be observed in those tropical areas that are characterized by...
-
What about the permafrost?
In Sub Arctic Swedish regions, some scientists studied the changes of permafrost...