What is a trace element in mineralogy ?

Trace element : definition

This term designates a chemical element present accidentally, or systematically but in very small quantities in a mineral. This element does not exceed a content of 0.1 to 0.2% (ie 1000 to 2000 ppm).
 
Because of these low contents, a trace element hardly ever appears in the structural formula of a mineral. The presence or absence of a trace element in a mineral varies greatly according to the age and geological context of the deposits, but also according to the overall geochemistry of the mineralization, mineral associations, etc...
 
Arsenopyrite can for example incorporate in its crystal lattice a few gold atoms in the form of Au3+ to replace iron atoms : the contents only very rarely exceed 1000 ppm (0.1%).

ReCaptcha

This service is used to secure web forms of our website and required if you want to contact us. By accepting it you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a service used on our website that tracks, reports traffic and measures how users interact with our website content in order for us to improve it and provide better services.

Facebook

Our website allows you to like or share its content on Facebook social network. By activating and using it you agree to Facebook's privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy/cookies/

YouTube

Integrated videos provided by YouTube are used on our website. By accepting to watch them you agree to Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Twitter

Integrated tweets and share services of Twitter are used on our website. By accepting and using these you agree to Twitter's privacy policy: https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/twitter-cookies

PInterest

Our website allows you to share its content on PInterest social network. By activating and using it you agree to PInterest's privacy policy: https://policy.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy/