Dirt is not a chemical element. It is a mixture of many substances, including minerals and organic matter such as humus and dead plants.

The elements that make up dirt are classified by their atomic numbers, which indicate the number of protons in their nuclei. Elements in the same column have similar chemical properties because they have similar numbers of electrons in their outer shells.

Dirt has no particular rank among all the other elements on the periodic table because it contains so many different ones. However, some of its components are important enough to be listed separately as elements themselves. For example, carbon is present in dirt in such abundance that it is considered a major component of living organisms (as well as coal).

Last modified: September 25, 2022