| Term | Definition |
|---|
| fossil | the hardened remains or traces of an animal or plant of a former age. Fossils of ferns are found in coal. |
| petroleum | an oily, dark-colored, flammable liquid found in the earth, consisting mainly of a mixture of various hydrocarbons. Gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil, paraffin, and lubricants are made from petroleum |
| geothermal | of, having to do with, or produced by action of the internal heat of the earth |
| coal | a solid, hard black substance that burns and gives off heat. It is formed from partly decayed vegetable matter under great pressure and heat in the earth |
| anthracite | a coal that burns with very little smoke or flame; hard coal. It consists almost entirely of carbon. |
| refinery | a building and machinery for purifying metal or sugar, distilling petroleum, or other such processes |
| gasification | the process of converting into gas |
| oil shale | a soft, fine-grained sedimentary rock from which oil and natural gas are obtained. |
| hydropower | electricity generated by means of water power |
| nuclear | of or having to do with atomic energy; atomic |
| fission | the splitting of atoms which releases tremendous amounts of energy and is used to start the chain reaction of an atomic explosion |
| uranium | a white, radioactive metallic chemical element that weighs more than any other element in nature |
| radioactive | giving off radiant energy in the form of alpha, beta, or gamma rays by the breaking up of atoms |
| nuclear fusion | the action or process of combining two atomic nuclei to produce a nucleus of greater mass |
| fuel cell | a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy. |
| hydrogen | a colorless, odorless gas that burns easily |
| hydrolysis | a chemical process in which a compound is broken down and changed into other compounds by taking up the elements of water. |
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