Which transition metal is most abundant in Earth’s solid crust?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors. — transition metal Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).

The most abundant transition metal in Earth’s solid crust is iron.1

Among all elements in the crust, iron ranks fourth in abundance, following oxygen, silicon, and aluminum. It is the second most abundant metal in the crust, surpassed only by aluminum. While iron is the most abundant element in Earth as a whole—comprising about 35 percent of the planet's total composition due to its concentration in the core—it makes up approximately 5 percent of the Earth's crust.231