Video:What Is the Most Abundant Element?
with Anne Marie HelmenstineLearn about the most abundant elements found on earth. Here, see information on the most abundant element and where it's located.See Transcript
Transcript:What Is the Most Abundant Element?
The most abundant element in the universe is hydrogen, which makes up about three-fourths of all matter!Information About the Most Abundant Elements
Helium makes up most of the remaining 25%. Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe. The chemical composition of the 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 the earth's mass.Other Most Abundant Elements
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. Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit About.comAbout videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the User Agreement.