Abstract
A plot of the logarithm of crustal abundance of elements versus the logarithm of the number of mineral species in which the elements are essential constituents shows an unexpected positive correlation within a wide band. However, diversity (the number of mineral species per element) does not reach a minimum at the lowest elemental abundances, but at intermediate values. This distribution results from the tendency of some trace elements to reside in a large number of uncommon accessory minerals in which they are essential components, and of other trace elements to occur as nonessential substituents in a few abundant minerals. Widening use of backscattered electron imaging and energy-dispersive spectra is making geologists increasingly aware of these two contrasting styles of trace-element behavior.
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