Which member of the carbon family is the most abundant in the Earth's crust?
Carbon
Silicon
Germanium
Tin
Silicon is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust after oxygen, accounting for approximately 27.7% of the crust by mass. Carbon, on the other hand, is much less abundant in the Earth's crust, making up only 0.02% of its mass. Germanium and tin are even rarer in the Earth's crust, with germanium making up only 1.5 parts per million by mass, and tin making up only 2.3 parts per million by mass.