Periodic table of the elements with the common elements from the Earth's crust highlighted with white.
Click on image for full size
L.Gardiner/Windows to the Universe
Elements in the Earth’s Crust
What’s the Earth made of? Most of the Earth’s outer layer, the crust, is made up of eight types of elements.
Oxygen (O)
Silicon (Si)
Aluminum (Al)
Iron (Fe)
Calcium (Ca)
Sodium (Na)
Potassium (K)
Magnesium (Mg)
The picture on the left shows where these elements are found in the periodic table.
The elements oxygen and silica make up most of the Earth’s crust. These two elements are the ingredients for minerals like quartz and feldspar.
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The
Fall 2010 issue of The Earth Scientist, focuses on rocks and minerals, including articles on minerals and mining, the use of minerals in society, and rare earth minerals, and includes 3 posters!
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