Vanadium, Cr, Si, and the Mg/Si Ratio of the Earth

Experiments investigating the partitioning of V, Cr, and Si between metal and silicate at various pressures, temperatures, redox state, and composition demonstrate that V and Cr are always more siderophile than Si. The relatively high abundances of V and Cr in the Earth's upper mantle indicate that the high Mg/Si ratio of the Earth's upper mantle cannot be attributed to extraction of Si into the core and must be an intrinsic bulk property of the silicate Earth.