U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-341
Version 1.0
Online Only
2001
Magnesium, Its Alloys and Compounds
By Deborah A. Kramer
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Introduction
Magnesium is the eighth most abundant element and constitutes about 2 percent of the Earth’s crust. It is the third most plentiful
element dissolved in seawater, with a concentration averaging 0.13 percent. Although magnesium is found in over 60 minerals, only
dolomite, magnesite, brucite, carnallite, and olivine are of commercial importance. Magnesium and magnesium compounds are
produced from seawater, well and lake brines and bitterns, as well as from the minerals noted above.
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