oxygensiliconaluminumironcalciummagnesiumsodiumpotassium

46%27%8%6%

5%3%2%2%

EARTH’S CRUSTCHEMICAL ABUNDANCES

ELEMENTS < 1%

ELEMENTS = 0% OR UNKNOWN

berkeliumcaliforniumeinsteiniumfermiummendeleviumnobeliumlawrenciumrutherfordiumdubniumseaborgiumbohrium

IMAGE CREDITNASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring

DATA CREDITS© Wolfram Alpha, www.wolframalpha.com | World Gold Council

hassiummeitneriumdarmstadtiumroentgeniumcoperniciumununtriumfleroviumununpentiumlivermoriumununseptium ununoctium

100% 75% 50% 25% 0% ELEMENTS > 1% PERCENTAGE OF ABUNDANCE LOCATION ON THE PERIODIC TABLE

technetiumpromethiumpoloniumastatineradonfranciumactiniumneptuniumplutoniumamericiumcurium

titaniumcarbonhydrogenmanganese

phosphorusfluorinesulfurstrontiumbariumvanadiumchlorinechromiumzirconium

nickelzinccopperrubidiumceriumlanthanumneodymiumcobaltyttriumscandiumnitrogengalliumniobiumlithium

leadpraseodymiumborondysprosiumthoriumsamariumgadoliniumhafniumerbiumbromineytterbiumtinarseniccesiumberylliumuraniumeuropiumtantalumargongermaniumholmiumtungstenmolybdenum

terbiumlutetiumthalliumiodinethuliumantimonyindiumcadmium

silvermercuryseleniumplatinumbismuth

palladiumheliumgoldneonrheniumosmium

telluriumrutheniumrhodiumiridiumkrypton

xenon

radiumprotactinium

0.660.180.150.11

0.0990.0540.0420.0360.0340.0190.0170.0140.013

0.00890.00780.00680.0060.0060.00340.00330.0030.00290.00260.0020.00190.00170.0017

9.9×10-4

8.6×10-4

8.6×10-4

6.2×10-4 6×10-4

6×10-4

5.2×10-4

3.3×10-4

3×10-4

3×10-4

2.8×10-4

2.2×10-4

2.1×10-4

1.9×10-4

1.9×10-4

1.8×10-4

1.8×10-4

1.7×10-4

1.5×10-4

1.4×10-4

1.2×10-4

1.1×10-4

1.1×10-4

9.3×10-5

5.6×10-5

5.3×10-5

4.9×10-5

4.5×10-5

2×10-5

1.6×10-5

1.5×10-5

7.9×10-6

6.7×10-6

5×10-6

3.7×10-6

2.5×10-6

6.3×10-7

5.5×10-7

3.1×10-7

3×10-7

2.6×10-7

1.8×10-7

9.9×10-8

9.9×10-8

7×10-8

4×10-8

1.5×10-8

2×10-9

9.9×10-12

9.9×10-13

Extremely high mass stars can form heavier elements like gold as they age and when they die in supernovae.

Gold is one of the most coveted of elements and has been prized for centuries. As of 2012, roughly 165,000 metric tons of gold has been mined from the Earth’s crust. That’s about 5,304,873 troy ounces. It would all fit in a 20-meter cube (about the size of a medium-sized building or 60 semitrailers) and is worth close to $10 trillion.

x 60

x 33,000

$10,000,000,000,000

ALL THE MINED GOLD FITS IN:

WEIGHS AS MUCH AS:

AND IS WORTH ABOUT:

Augold

79

196.966569

79118

GOLD PROFILE