The most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen, which makes up about three-quarters of all matter! Helium makes up most of the remaining 25%. Oxygen is the third-most abundant element in the universe. All of the other elements are relatively rare. The chemical composition of Earth is quite a bit different from that of the universe. The most abundant element in the Earth's crust is oxygen, making up 46.6% of Earth's mass. Silicon is the second most abundant element (27.7%), followed by aluminum (8.1%), iron (5.0%), calcium (3.6%), sodium (2.8%), potassium (2.6%). and magnesium (2.1%). These eight elements account for approximately 98.5% of the total mass of the Earth's crust. Of course, the Earth's crust is only the outer portion of the Earth. Future research will tell us about the composition of the mantle and core. The most abundant element in the human body is oxygen, making up about 65% of the weight of each person. Carbon is the second-most abundant element, making up 18% of the body. Although you have more hydrogen atoms than any other type of element, the mass of a hydrogen atom is so much less than that of the other elements that its abundance comes in third at 10% by mass. "Element Distribution in the Earth's Crust"
Updated February 16, 2020 By Kevin Beck Reviewed by: Lana Bandoim, B.S.
If asked to list the chemical elements that make up most of the Earth, you might be surprised by how hard it is to guess the right elements without knowing more than the average person does about all of that dirt, rock and metal underfoot. (You would also want to know if your quizzer was inquiring about the composition of the atmosphere above the Earth, also a common geoscience topic.)
Elements are different kinds of atoms, and as of 2020, 118 of them had been identified, 92 of which occur in significant amounts in nature. While it's impossible to know for certain the precise composition of the deeper layers of Earth, four elements alone make up almost 90 percent of the Earth's uppermost portion, or crust; four more account for nine-tenths of the remainder.
The more-or-less-spherical Earth, about 8,000 miles (just under 13,000 kilometers, or km) through the middle, is divided into three geologic layers:
Earth's crust is made up almost entirely of eight elements, four of them alone claiming almost nine-tenths of this layer's total weight: oxygen comes in at 46.6 percent by mass, followed by silicon at 27.7 percent, aluminum at 8.1 percent and iron at 5 percent.
Nearly 100 percent of the mass of Earth's core is composed of the two elements iron and nickel. Scientists have concluded this from the knowledge that the core must be 13 times as dense as water, leaving only some combination of molten iron and nickel as plausible candidates.
Oxygen: This familiar element, is number 6 on the periodic table of elements, makes up about 47 percent of the mass of the crust, and is also abundant (fortunately) in the atmosphere. It is also the main component, by mass, of water. Since oxygen atoms are light compared to the other predominant elements in Earth's crust, the fact that their total mass accounts for almost half of the crust means that the fraction of its atoms that consists of oxygen is even higher than the mass fraction.
Silicon: This element, number 14 on the periodic table, exists as a crystal solid. It reacts poorly with most other elements, but eluded isolation by chemists for a long time owing to its affinity for oxygen and thus its tendency to remain "disguised" as silicon oxide.
Aluminum: This metal is number 13 on the periodic table, one atomic number and thus one proton shy of silicon. It is non-magnetic and highly reactive, so much so that pure aluminum is rarely found. Instead, it is usually found embedded within rocks and combined with other compounds
Iron: Iron, atomic number 26, is a famous element, vital in both construction and engineering (iron accounts for almost all of the mass of most kinds of steel, for instance) and human physiology (iron is a required component of the oxygen-binding red blood cells, or erythrocytes, in your bloodstream). Is is found in all three of Earth's layers in significant amounts.
Updated March 04, 2020 By Rosann Kozlowski Reviewed by: Lana Bandoim, B.S.
The outermost surface of the Earth is called the lithosphere, or crust. This rigid layer contains both the oceans and landmasses. Most elements are found in only trace amounts within the earth’s crust, but several are abundant.
There are 92 naturally occurring elements, from hydrogen to uranium, and the earth’s crust contains nearly all of them.
Recall that an element is a substance unable to be broken further by chemical means. The atoms of a particular element have the same number of protons in the nucleus. On the periodic table, elements are listed by a symbol, such as O for oxygen.
When two or more elements combine, a compound is formed. An example is silicon tetraoxide, SiO4, a compound of oxygen and silicon.
Oxygen, O2, is by far the most abundant element in earth's crust at 46.6 percent, nearly half of the mass of the crust.
Oxygen is a highly reactive element capable of combining with many other elements to form compounds. It readily combines with silicon (Si) to form silicate minerals or with iron (Fe) to form various iron ore compounds.
Silicon, Si, is a metalloid, the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust and accounts for 28 percent of the crust’s mass.
Combined with oxygen, it forms silicate materials, such as silicon dioxide, SiO2. Sand consists mostly of silicon dioxide, and quartz and other crystalline rocks are formed from other silicate materials. Silicon is also an essential material in the manufacture of electronics and computer chips.
Aluminum, Al, is the third most common element in the Earth's crust with 8.1 percent of the crust’s mass.
All the earth's aluminum is combined with other elements to form compounds, and it is never found as a lone element. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3), aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) and potassium aluminum sulfate (KAl(SO4)2) are common aluminum compounds. Aluminum and aluminum alloys have a variety of uses from kitchen foil to rocket manufacturing.
Iron, Fe, is the fourth most common element in the Earth’s crust, accounting for over 5 percent of the crust’s mass.
Iron is mostly obtained from the minerals hematite and magnetite. Of all the metal refined currently, 90 percent is iron, mostly to make steel, an alloy of carbon and iron. Iron is also an important nutrient in the human body.
Calcium, Ca, is the most abundant alkaline earth element in the Earth's crust and makes up approximately 3.6 percent of the earth’s crust.
This fifth most abundant element in the earth’s crust is a reactive element that readily forms compounds with oxygen and water and is not found free in nature. Manufacturers use calcium compounds in many applications including gypsum board (drywall), chalk and toothpaste.
Sodium, Na, is the most abundant alkali metal in earth’s crust and composes 2.8 percent of the earth’s crust.
The sixth most abundant element is best known as part of the compound that makes table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl). Sodium is highly reactive and not found as a lone element. It is an ingredient in many useful compounds such as baking soda, caustic soda and borax. Sodium lamps produce a bright yellow-orange light and are widely used to light roads and parking lots.
Potassium, K, makes up about 2.6 percent of the Earth's crust and is the seventh most common element.
This extremely reactive element is never found free in nature and forms numerous compounds. Some of potassium’s compounds are used in the manufacture of fertilizer, soaps, detergents and some types of glass.
Magnesium, the eighth most abundant element in the earth’s crust, comprises approximately 2.1 percent of the crust’s mass.
In nature, magnesium is only found in compounds and not as a lone element. Magnesium has many applications: In the home, it may be used as an antacid and laxative, and it is the essential ingredient of Epsom salts. In industry, magnesium-aluminum alloy is used in the construction of aircraft and other applications where strong, light metals are required. |
Which two elements make up the greatest percentage by mass in Earths crust
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