Composition of the Earth's crust. |
Ores are important for two reasons. First, they feature higher concentrations of certain elements than the rest of the Earth's crust—often, much higher concentrations. Second, their chemical purity make them suitable to industrial processes. Zinc is only the 25th most abundant element in the Earth's crust, but readily bonds with sulphur in an ore called sphalerite. It comprises 79 parts per million (ppm) of the Earth's crust, which is more abundant than silver, gold, or even copper. Gallium, indium, and hafnium are not typically obtained from unique ores, but occur in trace amounts in other metals. They are also substantially rarer at 17 ppm, 49 parts per billion (ppb), and 5 ppm, respectively.
These elements in particular have applications to technologies that will be important during the next century, and will likely experience growing demand in the face of dwindling supply—which would adversely affect their price, and the prices of technologiey.
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