Abundance of chemical elements in the continental crust: a new table

Abstract

The rare earth pattern in sedimentary rocks is nearly constant and is considered to represent the relative abundances of these elements in the continental crust. This pattern is derived principally from mixing of basic and acidic igneous rock patterns. Preliminary calculations indicate that approximately equal contributions of basic and acid patterns are required to give the observed rare earth abundance pattern in sedimentary rocks.

A table of element abundances in the continental crust, calculated on the basis of a 1:1 mixture of granite and basalt abundances, is presented. Attention is drawn to differences from previous estimates.