Natural Resources of Texas
When one thinks of natural resources, probably the first things that come to mind are fossil fuels. If you bring the state of Texas into the equation, you think of the big oil wells. Texas tea, black gold, swamp juice, whatever you want to call it, oil is a big part of people's perception of Texan natural resources. But there are a lot more natural resources in Texas than you might think. The natural soils make for good farming and ranching conditions, we've got great rock deposits for a variety of industrial uses, and we have a number of different mineral deposits scattered through the state. It's time we took a look at some of the many natural resources Texas has to offer.
First up, of course, has to be the big one. Out of 254 counties in the state, 232 produce some quantity of oil. How did the petroleum industry get started in Texas? People actually knew about petroleum deposits in Texas long before they could figure out a good use for the stuff. Indians knew of seeps in the ground where petroleum oozed up long before Europeans found their way to the Americas. Those Europeans didn't know what to do with it either at first. Hernando de Soto's crew used the stuff to caulk their boats to make them watertight. The first Texas oil well was drilled in Nacogdoches County in 1866, and other small wells followed. The first major oil well in Texas was drilled in Corsicana in 1894, and the BIG one, Spindletop, blew out in grand style on January 10, 1901. But the demand for the oil took a while to catch up to production. After Spindletop, the country started seriously moving towards a petroleum-based economy.
Petroleum has played a major part in shaping the economic, geographic, and social ...
... middle of paper ...
...y comes from the Balcones Escarpment. Larger crushed rock from this area is used as a base layer for roads and buildings, to protect them from the shifting soils. Very pure limestone is procesed into lime, wich is then used in a wide variety of agricultural, industrial, and construction activities. Other rocks crushed for building materials include basalt, used for railroad track beds, and marble, used for fancy terrazzo floors.
Texas is also a major producerof sand, gravel, and our infamous clay.
Gypsum, an evaporite that accumulated when shallow inland seas got cut off from the oceans and evaporated out, is found in large quantities in Central and North Central parts of the state. Calcined gypsum, which has been heated in a kiln, is made into sheetrock and pllaster. Regular gypsum is used in Portland cement and as a fuel additive, amoung other things.
When we see Texas, we remember today mainly for its BBQ, Football and Black Gold, Texas tea. However, there is much more than just the usual itineraries that we find in most other states as well. Molly Ivins in her essay “Is Texas America” categorically states that, “Here's the deal on Texas. It's big. So big there's about five distinct and different places here, separated from one another geologically, topographically, botanically, ethnically, culturally and climatically” (Ivins). This is a true belief from Molly Ivins of how huge Texas was and how the demographics changed in each geographical location in Texas. The population of Texas and the demographics are two essential factors that include many important parameters in deciding the history of any state. The presence of many ethnic groups further adds to the diversification of
When standing on top of the butte, the rock that makes up a majority of the area is quartzite. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that forms when existing rock is exposed to extreme amounts of heat and pressure (4). The quartzite that is found on Kamiak Butte was formed sometime around 1.47 to 1.4 billion years ago during the Paleozoic period of the Precambrian era. Many of the metamorphic rocks have been fractured and decayed due to physical and chemical weathering, but because quartzite consists of one of the strongest minerals quartz...
“Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and get to work.” - H.L Hunt. Spindletop was the first big oil strike in 1901, it gave a new shape to the state’s future. In fact, during World War II,Texas produced twice as much oil than Nazi Germany and Japan did combined. Oil didn’t change Texas overnight. You trusted me to find out What story should be told? After reading the documents that you gave me I decided I would do school funds,minorities in West Texas , and divorce rates.
Texas is the second largest state in the country and there are four different geographical regions: the Gulf coastal plain, the interior lowlands, Great Plains, and the basin and range province, Each region has contributed to the economic development of the state. The Texas
For almost fifty years, from 1827 to 1876, seven constitutions were adopted and implemented for Taxes and each one has its set of laws and contained specific ways, aimed at correcting the deficiencies and drawbacks of the previously adopted order. The Constitution of 1876 is the sixth one, which set the rules and laws for Texas government since the state has achieved its independence from Mexico in 1836. The constitution established the principles of Texas Democratic Government and specified the laws, which were applied to the three branches of government: legislative, juridical and executive.
Shown in the picture above is volcanic extrusive igneous rock known as andesite. They were imported here to Laguna Beach to help minimize erosion (Merton Hill, p. 10-11). Extrusive Igneous rocks are formed on Earths surface due to lava quickly cooling or mixing with different materials such as ash or cinders from an eruption. There are two different types of extrusive igneous rocks; Plutonic and Volcanic. Andesite is known for being gray in color and being made up of very coarse grainy textures, which make it much harder to break down than sedimentary rocks. Unlike loose gravel and other sediments igneous rocks are known for being able to slow down seismic waves from earthquakes which cause less damage to surface structures.
Texas is a unique place with a colorful history of legendary cowboys and tall tales. The state stretches over the middle section of the southern United States. Texas has experienced shifts in governmental control within the United States. French, Spanish, Mexican, and Confederacy, and all having once been in charge, not to mention the time Texas spent as an independent republic. Texas has had many battles and wars within its borders, resulting in seven different constitutions within a span of fifty years between each document.
When looking at the vast lands of Texas after the Civil War, many different people came to the lands in search for new opportunities and new wealth. Many were lured by the large area that Texas occupied for they wanted to become ranchers and cattle herders, of which there was great need for due to the large population of cows and horses. In this essay there are three different people with three different goals in the adventures on the frontier lands of Texas in its earliest days. Here we have a woman's story as she travels from Austin to Fort Davis as we see the first impressions of West Texas. Secondly, there is a very young African American who is trying his hand at being a horse rancher, which he learned from his father. Lastly we have a Mexican cowboy who tries to fight his way at being a ranch hand of a large ranching outfit.
The Texas government is an unusually complex institution that is composed of many different levels. Everyone asks, with a constitution like the one Texas has, can people really trust the government? The main reasons why people might not be trusting of the government are that they might believe that the officials take advantage of their power, or want to try to control them. The Texas legislature is also subject to checks and balances in the three branch system. For example, the governor 's power to veto bills, which is rarely overridden, and to call special sessions; while the court has the power of judicial review. In Texas, the Constitution divides the powers
Oil has always been a coveted natural resource. Oil was discovered in the United States in 1859; since it was a young industry, it was without any structure. That is where John Davison Rockefeller stepped in. John Rockefeller was at one point one of the richest men in the world, monopolizing the oil industry which played a major role in shaping the economy.
Thesis: The nine years of Texas’s independence were long and seemed to be dragged out. Were those nine years unnecessary and could it have been done in a shorter period of time?
The government of the state of Texas is a difficult and complicated institution that is composed of many different levels. The question comes in to everyone's mind at one time or another whether or not to trust the government. It could be that people believe that the officials will take advantage of their power, or simply people don't like the idea of being controlled by someone who is not a family member or friend. To avoid this centralized power, the government is divided into stages and this is a reasonable ground for trusting the government. Government runs this state and it does deserve to be trusted.
The start of this whole period of time began as the territory of Texas came a float. This area of land rose above sea level calm and flat. “A handful of minor volcanoes spread lava across the landscape, but for the most part the emergence involved little more than a gentle titling of the sea floor, with the northwest rising slightly more than the southwest” (Brands 3). Texas was filled with small rivers unlike most states. Texas started with immigrants mostly from Tennessee.
Comes out of volcanoes when its eruption Regolith solid and molten material (lava) and gases.
Texas was never a big empty space. The Spaniards and later the French who came here discovered cultures that were centuries old. But history, and the museum itself, begins with European colonization. The history of Texas, one of the signs says, was shaped by the way the different groups of people who came to Texas responded to the land and to each other. So land, and interaction between different groups of people, would be used a lot in the telling of this story of Texas, I assumed.