Natural resources are generally defined as the materials and energy sources that occur in nature and are useful to humans. The question of whether these resources can be found everywhere on Earth is complex and depends heavily on what is meant by “resource.” While the basic elements that compose all resources are universally present across the planet, the specific, concentrated, and usable forms that hold economic value are not. The difference lies in the process: raw materials are everywhere, but only geological and ecological processes can transform them into accessible natural resources.
Defining Ubiquitous Resources
A small number of resources are considered truly ubiquitous because they are available in nearly every location on Earth. These resources are typically renewable and are fundamental to life itself, existing as a constant presence regardless of local geology. Solar energy is the premier example, as the sun’s radiation reaches every part of the planet, making it universally available for conversion into heat or electricity.
Atmospheric gases, primarily the air we breathe, also qualify as a resource found everywhere. Wind is another universal energy resource, with the underlying force existing everywhere. Even water, though its form and quantity differ vastly, is present globally in the atmosphere, on the surface, or underground.
Geological Processes Driving Resource Concentration
The majority of non-renewable resources, such as metals, minerals, and fossil fuels, are not ubiquitous but are instead concentrated in specific, isolated locations. This uneven distribution is the direct result of Earth’s intense, slow-moving geological processes occurring over millions of years. Plate tectonics, for example, is the fundamental mechanism that creates the heat and pressure necessary to form rich ore deposits, such as those containing copper and gold, often found along the “Ring of Fire” or in ancient mountain ranges.
Magmatic processes play a significant role as magma cools and crystallizes, causing heavier, metal-rich minerals to settle and concentrate in a process called magmatic segregation. Hydrothermal fluids—hot, mineral-rich water driven into surrounding rocks—dissolve and then precipitate valuable elements like gold, silver, and lead into veins and deposits. The formation of fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas requires the deep burial and heating of organic matter within ancient sedimentary basins, a process limited to specific geological histories and structures. These powerful mechanisms act as natural sorting systems, transforming trace elements into economically viable concentrations.
Climate and Ecological Factors in Resource Distribution
Beyond the deep geological processes, surface-level and renewable resources are localized by factors related to climate, latitude, and biological activity. Climate provides the meteorological conditions that enable the existence of other resources. Regions with abundant rainfall, temperate climates, and favorable temperatures naturally support resources such as vast timber reserves, fertile agricultural land, and accessible freshwater systems.
The contrast between resource-rich and resource-poor biomes demonstrates this dependency clearly. Tropical forests and fertile river deltas are highly productive due to optimal conditions for biomass growth and soil development. Conversely, areas like deserts and polar ice caps are resource-poor primarily because extreme temperatures and lack of precipitation limit the development of arable land and surface water. The distribution of biological and hydrologic resources is systematically governed by predictable global climate patterns.
How Economic Viability Determines a Resource
The final factor determining a resource is not merely its physical presence but its economic viability, which shifts the perspective from a substance existing to it being useful to human society. A substance only qualifies as a resource when it is technologically accessible and can be extracted and processed at a profit. For example, low-grade ore, which contains a metal like copper in very small concentrations, exists in nearly all rock.
This low-grade material is not considered a resource until market prices rise high enough, or technology advances sufficiently, to make the energy and cost of extraction profitable. The classification of a resource is dynamic, changing with technological innovation and market demand. Deep-sea drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) transformed previously inaccessible hydrocarbons into viable resources by providing the technical means to extract them. A resource must be a concentrated, usable deposit that can be leveraged within the current economic and technological framework.