How Mercury Is Formed?

Mercury formed about 4.5 billion years ago when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust together to form this small planet nearest the Sun. Like its fellow terrestrial planets, Mercury has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.

Where does mercury come from naturally?

Mercury is a naturally-occurring chemical element found in rock in the earth's crust, including in deposits of coal. On the periodic table, it has the symbol "Hg" and its atomic number is 80. It exists in several forms: Elemental (metallic) mercury.

Where is mercury found?

It tends to be found in high concentrations in geographic regions where there are hot springs or volcanos. China and Kyrgyzstan are the modern global leaders in mercury production, but mercury has been known, produced and used since ancient times. Trace amounts of mercury also occur naturally in fish and other seafood.