Do Naturally Occurring Elements Form?

Nonmetals including carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen occur in native form. Elements that occur naturally, yet not in native form, include the alkali metals, alkaline earth, and rare earth elements. These elements are found bound in chemical compounds, not in pure form.

Are naturally occurring elements created?

Elements 1 through 92 (except for elements 43 and 61) occur naturally on Earth, although some are only present in extremely small quantities. The elements following uranium on the periodic table are only produced artificially, and are known as the transuranium or transuranic elements.

Where are the elements naturally formed?

As the cloud of cosmic dust and gases from the Big Bang cooled, stars formed, and these then grouped together to form galaxies. The other 86 elements found in nature were created in nuclear reactions in these stars and in huge stellar explosions known as supernovae.