Native Elements

Since the dawn of mankind, we have been fascinated by rare and beautiful elements found in nature. The sparkle of a diamond or the glint of gold has always grabbed our attention. These minerals belong to a group called the native elements. Like the air we breathe these minerals can be found in nature in the elemental form or associated and combined with other elements. In fact, there are only about 20 elements that can be found in a native state. These elements can be divided into three sub-groups, metals, semimetals, and nonmetals.

The metal group is the more common and is also divided into three groups. These metals were some of the first to be found and worked by man as they can occur as nuggets or small masses that are easily worked. Foremost among the metals is the gold group. The gold group consists of gold, silver, and copper. All three share similar properties. They are soft, malleable, ductile, and sectile. Each is an excellent conductor of electricity.

Gold (Au) has been responsible for much suffering, strife, and excitement on our planet. Gold fever has struck dozens of times as gold deposits have been found and prospectors traveled to make their fortunes. One of the rare minerals in our planet (gold only occurs in an average of 0.004 parts per million) it has held power over lots of people throughout history.

Silver (Ag) is widely distributed and the largest deposits result from deposition from hydrothermal solutions. Most of the world's supply of silver now comes from other minerals that have silver as part of the minerals composition.

Copper (Cu) is second only to iron in its importance in its use as an ore. Most copper is now mined from copper sulfides, though some native copper has been associated with basaltic lavas. Many other metals people commonly think of are actually alloys of copper with other elements. Bronze is copper combined with tin and zinc and brass is copper combined with zinc.

The second group of metals is the platinum group. Of the group, only platinum (Pt) is of importance. It was not discovered until 1735 in Columbia, South America. One of platinum's best uses is as a catalyst to control automobile emissions. Its high melting point (1733 degrees Celsius), resistance and hardness also make it a useful mineral in other industries.

The last metal group is the iron group and consists of iron and two types of nickel-iron. Iron (Fe) is actually quite rare in a pure form on the earth's surface since it is quickly attacked by weathering (See my article on Chemical Weathering) and oxidized. Iron is quite common in many meteorites, along with nickel-iron, and from this evidence we can estimate the composition of the earth's core.

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