Why is the Earth made up of so much silicon?

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The discussion centers on the high silicon content in Earth's composition, which is influenced by the debris cloud from which the solar system formed, consisting of materials from stellar processes, including supernovae. Silicon constitutes about 15.1% of Earth's mass, while iron makes up approximately 32.1%. In the Earth's crust, silicon is around 16% by weight, compared to iron's 1.5%. The presence of lighter elements like silicon oxides contributes to the formation of the crust, as they tend to float above denser materials. The conversation also touches on the elemental abundance in the universe, noting that while silicon is less abundant than hydrogen and helium, its significant presence on Earth is linked to geological processes and the planet's formation history. The discussion raises questions about whether other rocky planets share a similar silicon composition.
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Why is the Earth made up of so much silicon?
 
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The chemical composition of the Earth is determined by the composition of the debris cloud from which the solar system formed. These debris are "cinders" of stellar furnaces and perhaps a super nova or 2. Iron is the true cinders of stellar fires as there is no release of energy on either fusion or fission of an iron nuclei.
 


But why is the Earth made of such a high proportion of silicon? Would all other rock planets have a similar composition of silicon?
 


Are you talking about the abundance of silicon in Earth's crust? I believe it is roughly 16% by weight in the crust and about 9-10% in the whole earth. Iron is about 1.5% in the crust and about 46% in the whole earth. Earth is mostly iron. Lighter elements like the various oxides of silicon tend to float on top and have hardened into crust.
 


I am talking about the composition of the Earth, not taking into account atmospheric composition. From wikipedia...The mass of the Earth is approximately 5.98×1024 kg. It is composed mostly of iron (32.1%), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%), sulphur (2.9%), nickel (1.8%), calcium (1.5%), and aluminium (1.4%); with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements...

looking at the table below which I found, I am curious as to why there is so much silicon on Earth?

most common elements in the universe

Element (Parts per million – mg per kg)
1 Hydrogen 750,000
2 Helium 230,000
3 Oxygen 10,000
4 Carbon 5,000
5 Neon 1,300
6 Iron 1,100
7 Nitrogen 1,000
8 Silicon 700
9 Magnesium 600
10 Sulphur 500

SOURCE: The Top 10 of Everything 2006 by Russell Ash, page 10
 
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