Where is platinum most abundant?
23324#15
Platinum exists in higher abundances on the Moon and in meteorites. Correspondingly, platinum is found in slightly higher abundances at sites of bolide impact on Earth that are associated with resulting post-impact volcanism, and can be mined economically; the Sudbury Basin is one such example.
Platinum
23324#1
Platinum is a member of the platinum group of elements and group 10 of the periodic table of elements. It has six naturally occurring isotopes. It is one of the rarer elements in Earth's crust, with an average abundance of approximately 5 μg/kg. It occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits, mostly in South Africa, which accounts for 80% of the world production. Because of its scarcity in Earth's crust, only a few hundred tonnes are produced annually, and given its important uses, it is highly valuable and is a major precious metal commodity.
Platinum
23324#10
Platinum has six naturally occurring isotopes: Pt, Pt, Pt, Pt, Pt, and Pt. The most abundant of these is Pt, comprising 33.83% of all platinum. It is the only stable isotope with a non-zero spin; with a spin of /, Pt satellite peaks are often observed in H and P NMR spectroscopy (i.e., Pt-phosphine and Pt-alkyl complexes). Pt is the least abundant at only 0.01%. Of the naturally occurring isotopes, only Pt is unstable, though it decays with a half-life of 6.5 years, causing an activity of 15 Bq/kg of natural platinum. Pt can undergo alpha decay, but its decay has never been observed (the half-life is known to be longer than 3.2 years); therefore, it is considered stable. Platinum also has 31 synthetic isotopes ranging in atomic mass from 166 to 204, making the total number of known isotopes 39. The least stable of these is Pt, with a half-life of 300 µs, whereas the most stable is Pt with a half-life of 50 years. Most platinum isotopes decay by some combination of beta decay and alpha decay. Pt, Pt, and Pt decay primarily by electron capture. Pt and Pt are predicted to have energetically favorable double beta decay paths.
Platinum
30044#30
In the Earth's crust, thorium is much more abundant: with an abundance of 8.1 parts per million (ppm), it is one of the most abundant of the heavy elements, almost as abundant as lead (13 ppm) and more abundant than tin (2.1 ppm). This is because thorium is likely to form oxide minerals that do not sink into the core; it is classified as a lithophile. Common thorium compounds are also poorly soluble in water. Thus, even though the Earth contains the same abundances of the elements as the Solar System as a whole, there is more accessible thorium than heavy platinum group metals in the crust.
Thorium
14752#23
Iridium is one of the nine least abundant stable elements in Earth's crust, having an average mass fraction of 0.001 ppm in crustal rock; platinum is 10 times more abundant, gold is 40 times more abundant, and silver and mercury are 80 times more abundant. Tellurium is about as abundant as iridium. In contrast to its low abundance in crustal rock, iridium is relatively common in meteorites, with concentrations of 0.5 ppm or more. The overall concentration of iridium on Earth is thought to be much higher than what is observed in crustal rocks, but because of the density and siderophilic ("iron-loving") character of iridium, it descended below the crust and into Earth's core when the planet was still molten.
Iridium
3154089#27
Platinum is more likely to be affected by social, environmental, political and economic issues where as gold not as much. This is because platinum has large mineral resources already identified and is not expected to be depleted for many decades (potentially up to year 2040). Furthermore, the resource is geographically restricted with the 3 by far most significant resources BIC, The great dyke (Zimbabwe) and Noril'sk-Talnakh in Russia. An important detail to note is palladium has been and is considered as the alternative to platinum. Recently (2017), the supply-demand gap has greatly decreased. Looking at political and social issues, there have been quite a few platinum mining-related strikes since before the 21st century: 1986 Impala strike, 1986 Gencor, 2004 Impala & Anglo Plats strikes, 2007 South Africa miners' strike, 2012 Marikana killings, Lonmin 2013 strike, 2014 South African platinum strike.
Bushveld Igneous Complex
39422232#15
The species is abundant in the United States territorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean extending north into Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank and moving south along the East Coast of the United States and into the Gulf of Mexico along the continental shelf. Although Great northern tilefish are reported to be most abundant between deep at ., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report differs, by stating that the species lives at the bottom of the ocean where they burrow into the sediment, between deep where the temperature ranges from .
Great northern tilefish
12240#86
Although the prices of some platinum group metals can be much higher, gold has long been considered the most desirable of precious metals, and its value has been used as the standard for many currencies. Gold has been used as a symbol for purity, value, royalty, and particularly roles that combine these properties. Gold as a sign of wealth and prestige was ridiculed by Thomas More in his treatise "Utopia". On that imaginary island, gold is so abundant that it is used to make chains for slaves, tableware, and lavatory seats. When ambassadors from other countries arrive, dressed in ostentatious gold jewels and badges, the Utopians mistake them for menial servants, paying homage instead to the most modestly dressed of their party.
Gold
904#27
Aluminium's per-particle abundance in the Solar System is 3.15 ppm (parts per million). It is the twelfth most abundant of all elements and third most abundant among the elements that have odd atomic numbers, after hydrogen and nitrogen. The only stable isotope of aluminium, Al, is the eighteenth most abundant nucleus in the Universe. It is created almost entirely after fusion of carbon in massive stars that will later become Type II supernovae: this fusion creates Mg, which, upon capturing free protons and neutrons becomes aluminium. Some smaller quantities of Al are created in hydrogen burning shells of evolved stars, where Mg can capture free protons. Essentially all aluminium now in existence is Al; Al was present in the early Solar System but is currently extinct. However, the trace quantities of Al that do exist are the most common gamma ray emitter in the interstellar gas.
Aluminium
26376332#10
Carbon appears to be more important than moisture in defining good habitats for nematodes in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. "Scottnema lindsayae", a microbial feeder and the most abundant and widely distributed metazoan invertebrate, often occurs as the sole metazoan species in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. It makes its living eating bacteria and yeast out in the dry, salty soils that dominate the valleys. All other invertebrate species are more abundant in moist or saturated soils where algae and moss are more abundant. Distribution of most nematode species is correlated negatively with elevation (due to temperature and precipitation) and salinity, and positively with soil moisture, soil organic matter, and nutrient availability. "Eudorylaimus" spp. is the second most abundant nematode, followed by "Plectus murrayi" who are the least abundant nematodes. "Plectus antarcticus" eats bacteria and prefers living in ephemeral streams. An average 2-pound bag of dry valley soils contains approximately 700 nematodes, while the more fertile soil found at higher latitudes on the continent may contain approximately 4,000 nematodes.
Antarctic microorganism