Isabella Carter
The Earth's crust is predominantly made up of four elements: oxygen, silicon, aluminium, and iron. Together, these elements constitute over 88% of the Earth's crust, with oxygen being the most abundant element, making up 46% of the Earth's crust. Silicon is the second most abundant element, followed by aluminium and iron, which is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust. These elements are essential for the formation of rocks and minerals and have been utilised by humans for various purposes throughout history.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Most abundant elements in the Earth's crust | Oxygen, silicon, iron, and aluminum |
| Percentage of Earth's crust constituted by the four most abundant elements | 88.1% |
| Percentage of Earth's crust constituted by oxygen | 46% |
| Position of iron among the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust | 4th |
| Percentage of Earth's crust constituted by iron | 5% |
| Percentage of Earth's crust constituted by silicon | Not found |
| Percentage of Earth's crust constituted by aluminum | Not found |
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What You'll Learn
Oxygen is the most abundant element, making up 46% of the Earth's crust
Oxygen is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up 46% of its mass. This high prevalence is due to oxygen's role in supporting life. In fact, roughly two-thirds of the human body is made up of oxygen.
Oxygen is a highly reactive element that readily combines with other elements to form oxides. Common oxides include granite and quartz (oxides of silicon), rust (oxides of iron), and limestone (oxide of calcium and carbon).
Oxygen is a major component of silicate, which is formed from silicon and oxygen. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, constituting approximately 28% of its composition by weight. More than 90% of the Earth’s crust is composed of silicate minerals, which are essential for the formation of rocks and minerals.
Oxygen also combines with iron to create iron ore and various iron compounds that make up a significant portion of the Earth's crust. Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, accounting for over 5% of its mass. Iron is a crucial element that has been used by humans for thousands of years, playing a key role in the Iron Age.
The Earth's crust, which constitutes 1% of the planet's volume, is composed of solid rocks and minerals that cooled and solidified when the Earth was young. It is a thin outer layer, approximately 25 miles or 40 km deep, encasing the inner parts of the planet, including the mantle, outer core, and inner core.
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Silicon is the second most abundant element
The Earth's crust is predominantly composed of oxygen and silicon, which together make up about 74.3% of its composition by weight. Oxygen, the most abundant element, constitutes roughly 46% of the Earth's crust and plays a vital role in supporting life. On the other hand, silicon's abundance is essential for its technological and construction applications.
Silicon is a key constituent of feldspar, which is one of the six most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust. Feldspar, which includes plagioclase and alkali feldspar, accounts for approximately half of the Earth's crust. It is commonly used in ceramics and glassmaking. Silicon is also found in other minerals such as quartz, pyroxenes, amphiboles, mica, and olivine.
The Earth's crust, the outermost layer of the planet, only makes up 1% of its volume. Despite its relatively small proportion, the crust is crucial as it contains the landmasses and oceans. The crust is composed of solid rocks and minerals that cooled and solidified during the early stages of the Earth's formation.
While oxygen, silicon, aluminium, and iron make up 88.1% of the mass of the Earth's crust, it is important to note that over 90 other elements constitute the remaining 11.9%. These include less abundant elements such as calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The presence and abundance of these elements contribute to the unique characteristics and composition of the Earth's crust.
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Iron is the fourth most common element, accounting for over 5%
Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, accounting for over 5% of its mass. It is chiefly obtained from the minerals hematite and magnetite. Iron is a highly important element on Earth and has been used by humans for thousands of years, even lending its name to the Iron Age.
Iron is the most mined metal, accounting for over 90% of all metal mining. It is primarily used to make steel, an alloy of carbon and iron. Steel is one of the most commonly used metals, found everywhere from small household items to large-scale construction. Iron is also an essential nutrient for the human body and a key component of blood.
Iron is a major element in olivine, a common mineral found in basaltic rocks. It is also a component of chlorophyll in plants. Iron combines with other elements to form various compounds, such as iron ore, which make up a significant portion of the Earth's crust.
The abundance of iron in the Earth's crust is linked to its presence in the Earth's core, of which it constitutes a majority. Iron is also found in the upper continental crust, though its abundance can vary by locality.
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Aluminium is one of the eight most common elements
Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust, after oxygen and silicon. It accounts for about 8.1% of the mass of the Earth's crust and is the most abundant metal in the crust. It is usually found in the form of rocks and minerals such as bauxite and cryolite, which are aluminium silicates. Aluminium is rarely found in its pure metallic form in nature due to its high reactivity with oxygen, forming a protective layer of oxide.
The discovery of aluminium was announced in 1825 by Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted. However, it was French chemist Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville who initiated the first industrial production of aluminium in 1856. Aluminium became more accessible to the public through the Hall-Héroult process developed in 1886, leading to its extensive use in various industries.
Aluminium is used in a wide range of products due to its unique properties. It is commonly used in cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, beer kegs, and aeroplane parts. Aluminium alloys with copper, manganese, magnesium, and silicon are strong and lightweight, making them ideal for aircraft construction and other forms of transport. Additionally, aluminium is highly recyclable, making it an attractive material for the circular economy.
The abundance of aluminium in the Earth's crust is not limited to our planet. In the universe, aluminium is the 12th most abundant element, with its stable isotope, 27Al, being the 18th most abundant nucleus. This isotope is created in massive stars that eventually become Type II supernovas.
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Calcium makes up about 4.2% of the Earth's crust
Calcium is a soft, silvery-white alkaline earth metal. It constitutes about 4.2% of the Earth's crust by weight. Calcium is never found in its isolated state in nature but exists in compounds. These compounds can be found in a variety of minerals, including limestone (calcium carbonate), gypsum (calcium sulphate), and fluorite (calcium fluoride).
Calcium compounds are widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries for supplementation. They are also used as bleaches in the paper industry, as components in cement and electrical insulators, and in manufacturing soaps.
The Earth's crust makes up just 1% of the planet's volume. While calcium is one of the most abundant elements in the Earth's crust, oxygen, silicon, iron, and aluminium make up 88.1% of the mass of the Earth's crust. Oxygen is the most abundant element, constituting 46% of the mass of the Earth's crust.
Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, accounting for over 5% of its mass. Iron is chiefly obtained from the minerals hematite and magnetite. More than 90% of the metal we mine is iron, which is primarily used to make steel, an alloy of carbon and iron. Iron is also an essential nutrient in the human body.
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Frequently asked questions
Oxygen, silicon, aluminium, and iron.
Oxygen is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, constituting approximately 46% of its mass.
Silicon is the second most abundant element, making up about 28% of the Earth's crust.
Oxygen is highly reactive and easily combines with other elements. It is essential for the formation of rocks and minerals and supports life on Earth.
Iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust, accounting for over 5% of its mass. It is important for life on Earth and has been used by humans for thousands of years. Iron is also a major component of the Earth's core.
