Difference between revisions of "Most abundant elements on Earth"

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(Constituent elements of seawater)
(Constituent elements of air)
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{|
 
{|
 
!width="150px" align = "left" | '''Element'''
 
!width="150px" align = "left" | '''Element'''
!align = "left" |'''%age by volume'''
+
!align = "right" |'''%'''
 
|-
 
|-
|Nitrogen ||78.08
+
|Nitrogen ||align = "right" | 78.08
 
|-
 
|-
|Oxygen ||20.95
+
|Oxygen ||align = "right" | 20.95
 
|-
 
|-
|Argon ||0.93
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|Argon ||align = "right" | 0.93
 
|-
 
|-
|Carbon ||less than 0.01 <!--my working (which may be highly inaccurate!): carbon is a component of carbon dioxide - which is less than 0.036% of the atmosphere. Combined atomic mass of carbon dioxide molecule (CO2) is 44 (12 + (2*16)). So CO2 is 27.3% carbon by mass -- and 27.3% of 0.036 is approx 0.01. I know we are mixing volumes and masses here, but it is only to get an estimate-->
+
|Carbon ||align = "right" | < 0.01 <!--my working (which may be highly inaccurate!): carbon is a component of carbon dioxide - which is less than 0.036% of the atmosphere. Combined atomic mass of carbon dioxide molecule (CO2) is 44 (12 + (2*16)). So CO2 is 27.3% carbon by mass -- and 27.3% of 0.036 is approx 0.01. I know we are mixing volumes and masses here, but it is only to get an estimate-->
 
|-
 
|-
|Others ||trace
+
|Others ||align = "right" | trace
 
|-
 
|-
 
|colspan=2 |<br>'''Not included in above dry atmosphere:'''
 
|colspan=2 |<br>'''Not included in above dry atmosphere:'''
 
|-
 
|-
|Water vapour ||Highly variable but typically 1% <!--need to do similar working on this (as with carbon above) to show as hydrogen-->
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|Water vapour ||align = "right" | ''(% highly variable)'' 1 <!--need to do similar working on this (as with carbon above) to show as hydrogen-->
 
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Revision as of 22:31, 3 December 2005

Most abundant elements in Earth's crust

Canyon

Approximate figures for the twenty most abundant elements in the earth's crust:

Element %age of crust
Oxygen 46.71
Silicon 27.69
Aluminum 8.07
Iron 5.05
Calcium 3.65
Sodium 2.75
Potassium 2.58
Magnesium 2.08
Titanium 0.62
Hydrogen 0.14
Phosphorus 0.13
Carbon 0.09
Manganese 0.09
Sulfur 0.05
Barium 0.05
Chlorine 0.05
Chromium 0.04

Figures from http://www.science.co.il/PTelements.asp?s=Earth (figures by mass or volume?)
Figures rounded to two decimal places
Also need to have a list based on ease of extraction and energy required

Constituent elements of seawater

Seawater

Approximate composition of seawater by mass:

Element %age by mass
Oxygen 85.7
Hydrogen 10.8
Chlorine 1.9
Sodium 1.05
Magnesium 0.14
Sulfur 0.09
Calcium 0.04
Potassium 0.04
Others Trace

figures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seawater
Need to find a definitive source for these figures

Constituent elements of air

Sky

Approximate composition of dry atmosphere by volume:

Element %
Nitrogen 78.08
Oxygen 20.95
Argon 0.93
Carbon < 0.01
Others trace

Not included in above dry atmosphere:
Water vapour (% highly variable) 1

Source: NASA
Carbon dioxide updated (to 1998) by IPCC TAR table 6.1 [1]
Edited text from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere