Lesson 40 Elaborate

Elements of the Earth

The majority of Earth materials are made up of just a handful

of elements from the periodic table of elements. Periodic Table
This includes Earth’s atmosphere,
Earth’s oceans, Earth’s crust and all of the living
creatures on Earth. While there are over 100
elements on the periodic table, the majority of
Earth materials are composed of less than 10 of
these elements.

The crust, which is the outermost layer of the Earth is primarily composed of just four
elements. Oxygen makes up 46% of the crust and silicon makes up 28% of the crust.
Silicon and oxygen are found in the igneous rock granite which make up most of the
continental crust. Aluminum makes up 8% of the crust and iron 6%. The remaining 12%
is composed of a variety of other elements.

Earth’s oceans cover about 70% of the planet’s surface with an average depth of 4
kilometers (2.5 miles). Ocean water is salty and therefore is made up primarily of salt
and water. Water (H2O) is composed of the elements hydrogen and oxygen while salt
(NaCl) is composed of the elements sodium and chlorine. This accounts for oxygen
making up 86% of oceans, hydrogen 11%, chlorine 2% and sodium 1%.

Earth’s atmosphere is very important to life because it offers us protection from the sun
and contains oxygen which we need to survive. While you might expect oxygen to be
the most common element found in Earth’s atmosphere, it is actually the second most
abundant element. Nitrogen makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere and oxygen 21%.
The remaining 1% is made of a variety of other elements in very small amounts.

Earth is different from all the other known planets because it has an abundance of liquid
water. Other planets have atmospheres and even ice but only Earth has the right
combination of liquid water, the right atmosphere and a temperature that allows life as
we know it to exist. Just like the crust, oceans and atmosphere, the human body is
made of just a few elements. Oxygen makes up 65% of the human body, with carbon
comprising 18%. Hydrogen makes up 10% followed by nitrogen at 2%. The remaining
5% of the human body is made of a variety of other elements.

While there are many elements on the periodic table, just a very small number compose
the majority of Earth’s crust, oceans, atmosphere and living creatures.

SCIE_0006_LES40ElementsoftheEarth_MAN_2021 2020 CFISD