Vanadium cycle

Vanadium is a trace metal that is relatively abundant in the Earth (~100 part per million in the upper crust).

Vanadium can enter the atmosphere through wind erosion and volcanic emissions[1] and will remain there until it is removed by precipitation.

[2] Vanadium is abundant in fossil fuels because it is incorporated in porphyrins during organic matter degradation.

[1] Vanadium is also mined and using for industrial purposes including for steel reinforcement, electronics, and batteries.

[1] Vanadium is removed from the ocean by burial marine sediments and incorporation into iron oxides at hydrothermal vents.

Values are in 10 9 g/yr. [ 1 ] Vanadium is a relatively ample trace metal which enters surfaces through chemical weathering. Vanadium can be released into the atmosphere through volcanic ash, coal and petroleum pollution, or fires. Vanadium enters back into the earth through sedimentation and the cycle begins again. The two largest mechanisms in the vanadium cycle include rock weathering and sedimentation.