1.

3 The Mineral Composition of the Earth's Crust 29

Table 8. The numbers of minerals for the chemical elements

> 1000 0(2709), H (1921)

300-1000 Si (906), Fe (883), Ca (867), S (761), Al (714), Na (560), Mg (555), Cu (437),
Mn (416), P (398), As (387), Pb (371)
100-300 K (288), C (272), F (221), Cl (220), U (199), Ti (196), Sb (195), Zn (193),
B (179), Y + TR (160), Bi (148), Ba (142), Ni (142), V (133), Ag (126),
Te (117), Nb (104)
30-100 Se (82), Sn (78), Sr (74), Be (71), N (70), Ta (69), Cr (69), Hg (68), Zr (65),
Li (65), Co (56), Pd (47), Pt (37), Th (37), Tl (34), Mo (33)
< 30 W (28), Au (28), Ir (17), Ge (16), I (16), Rh (13), Ru (12), Br (12), Cs (10),
Os (9), Sc (8), In (7), Ga (2), Hf (2), Re (2), Rb (0)

Compiled from M. Fleischer's Glossary (1987, 1989) with additions by V.A. Frank-Kamenet-
sky to the Russian edition (1990).

Table 9. The numbers of the minerals of different chemical classes in the Earth's crust, Moon,
and meteorites

Classes of minerals Earth's crust Moon Meteorites

Simple materials, intermetallides 82 7 13

Sulfides, selenides, tellurides 245 9 21
Sulfosalts 256
Arsenides, antimonides, bismutides 62
Oxides 212 20 26
Hydroxides 180 1 2
Silicates 883 37 73
Carbonates 165 1 7
Sulfates 293 3
Phosphates 352 5 13
Arsenates 198
Vanadates 64
Molibdates, wolframates 25 2
Chromates 6
Borates 128
Nitrates 15
Tellurites, selenites,
tellurates, selenates 57
Iodates 8
Fluorides 42
Chlorides, oxychlorides 82 2
Bromides, iodides 6
Carbides, phosphides, nitrides 17 3 11
Silicides 5 1
Organic compounds 30 1 1
Total number of mineral species 3413 85 175

Based on M. Fleischer's Glossary (1987, 1989) with additions by V.A. Frank-Kamenetsky to

the Russian edition (1990).
30 Chapter 1. The Chemical Nature of Minerals

and water and carbon dioxide activities are typical for the geological conditions
of mineral formation.
A correlation exists between the number of minerals containing an element
and the abundance ofthe 52 elements in the Earth's crust (Fig. 1). However, there
are several exceptions which include (1) the elements which are primarily
dispersed in natural matter (Rb,Ga,Hf,Sc,Cs,Br), and (2) the elements which have
some crystallochemical constraints for their scattered insertion in crystal
structures of the rock-forming minerals and which form their own mineral
phases (H,S,P,B,Se,Te,As,Sb,Bi,Cu,Ag,Au,Pb,Hg,Pt, and Pt-group metals).
The number of minerals containing an element, and the distribution of
minerals and classes of minerals in the Earth's crust, meteorites, and Moon are
shown in Tables 8 and 9.
The mineral composition of the Earth's crust is presented in Table 10 for the
sedimentary, granite-metamorphic, and ocean basaltic shells.
These data are based (1) on the estimations of the relative volumes of the
principal rock types in these shells (Table 11) and (2) the modal compositions of
the rocks, taken from their average mineral compositions (Bogatikov 1983, for
magmatic rocks; F. Clarke, F. Pettijohn, M.S. Shvetsov for sedimentary and
metamorphic rocks).
Other minerals and the less common rocks as well as ores compose in total
no more than 0.1 % of the Earth's crust.
W uile the estimates should not be taken as absolutely accurate, they show a
strong predominance offeldspars, quartz, and groups offemic minerals (olivines,

Table 10. Mineral compositions of the shells of the Earth's crust

Minerals Sedimentary Granite- Basaltic

shell metamorphic shell
shell of the ocean

Feldspars 17.3 52.2 34.3

Olivine 0.5 0.40 7.6
Pyroxenes 4.8 3.40 28.5
Amphiboles 0.02 9.8
Micas 0.03 5.60
Chlorites-serpentines 0.8
Other silicates 2.9
Clay minerals 32.8
Quartz 18.4 22.5
Carbonates 19.2 1.50
Sulfates 0.5
Chlorides 0.5
Fe hydroxides 2.0
Ore minerals
(ilmenite, chromite, sulfides etc.) 0.6 0.7 3.0
Phosphates 0.20 0.2
Other minerals 0.45
Organic material 0.40
Volcanic glass 2.3 26.6
1.3 The Mineral Composition of the Earth's Crust 31

Table 11. Abundances of the main rock types in the Earth's crust.
(Ronov et al. 1990)

Shell and rock type Abundance,

% of shell
volume

Sedimentary shell
Sands and sandstones 21.8
Clays and shales 44.6
Carbonates (limestones, dolomites) 17.8
Evaporites (gypses, halite etc.) 2.0
Volcanics
- Basalts 7.5
- Andesites 4.0
- Dacites 0.6
- Rhiolites 0.6
Granite-metamorphic shell
Granites, granodiorites, granito-gneisses 46.5
Gabbros and related rocks 1.9
Syenites and nepheline syenites < 0.1
Ultramafic rocks < 0.1
Meta-arkoses and metagraywackes 4.0
Paragneisses and schists 39.1
Metacarbonates 1.6
Silica-iron formations 0.4
Amphibolites and related basic rocks 4.1
Metamorphosed silicic volcanics 2.3
Basaltic shell of the ocean
Olivine tho lei tic basalts and related
metamorphosed rocks 99.4
S ubalkalic basalts 0.6

pyroxenes, amphiboles, and mica), as well as clays and carbonates (calcite and
dolomite). The mineral composition of these upper shells ofthe continental crust
is much more diverse than that of deeper geospheres, meteorites, or the Moon.
The mineral composition of the deeper zones of the continental crust (its
granulite-basi tic shell) is considered to be similar to the mafic magmatic rocks
(plagioclase, pyroxenes, olivine, ore minerals, garnets).
The mineral composition of the Earth's mantle (from the Mohorovicic
discontinuity down to 2900 km) has to be considered separately for the upper
mantle (down to 350 km), the middle or transition zone (350-900 km), and the
lower mantle (deeper 900 km).
Estimations of the composition of the upper mantle are based mostly on
geophysical data (velocity of longitudinal seismic waves 8.2 ± 0.2 km/s; density
3.3-3.1 g/cm 3 ) and the mineral composition of xenoliths:
- spinel peridotites (up to 80% of xenoliths), pyroxenites, and other ultramafic
rocks, and small quantities (2-5%) of eclogites, brought by alkali basaltoids
from depths of about 80 km,