Elements in Earth Crust by Weight
The Earth's crust contains many elements, but their distribution by weight is uneven. Understanding the composition helps identify the most abundant element.
The approximate percentage by weight of the most common elements in the Earth's crust is as follows:
| Element | Approximate % by Weight |
| Oxygen (O) | 46.6% |
| Silicon (Si) | 27.7% |
| Aluminum (Al) | 8.1% |
| Iron (Fe) | 5.0% |
| Calcium (Ca) | 3.6% |
| Sodium (Na) | 2.8% |
| Potassium (K) | 2.6% |
| Magnesium (Mg) | 2.1% |
| Others | 1.5% |
Comparing the percentages, Oxygen is clearly the element with the highest contribution to the Earth's crust by weight.
Important Questions from Geology
In the two lists given below, List I provides the list of Soil Horizons, while List II indicates Layers. Match the two lists and choose the correct answer from the code given below :
List - I
(Soil Horizons)
List - II
(Layers)
(a) O (i) Parent Rock (b) A (ii) Organic Matter (c) B (iii) Surface Soil (d) C (iv) Subsoil Which one of the following plateaus is the third largest reservoir of ice in the world?
Zone of rapid change in density in oceans is known as
- What is the conversion process of Igneous rocks into Sedimentary rock ?
- Which of the common mineral is not a silicate ?
