4 ms·
There are lots of natural processes that will tend to sort atoms by density or chemical type, e.g., heavier things settle downward. That's why the Earth's core
by jessriedel 3y ago
There are lots of natural processes that will tend to sort atoms by density or chemical type, e.g., heavier things settle downward. That's why the Earth's core is a very different composition than its crust.
- pfdietz 3y agoHeavier phases settle. Heavier elements will rise to the surface if they go into lower density phases. This is exactly what happened with uranium, which is concentrated by a factor of 1000 in the Earth's continental crust.
- hutzlibu 3y agoThere are also centrifugal forces at play, meaning heavier elements get also pushed upward.