Mercury is not a common metal. It is rarely found on Earth’s crust. In fact, it forms only 0.00005 per cent of the crust. However, there are more than 20 minerals that contain mercury. It is found in cinnabar, cordierite, livingstonite and some other minerals, with cinnabar being the most common ore.
Mercury ores usually occur at hot springs or other volcanic regions. Globally, mercury is most commonly produced in Spain; the Almaden mine there is known for its high quality mercury. It is also obtained from the United States and Italy.
Mercury is named after the planet Mercury, which in turn, is named after the Roman God Mercurius, the God of trade, profit and commerce. Mercury is sometimes called quicksilver because of its silver colour. In fact, its chemical symbol ‘Hg’ comes from the Greek word ‘hydrargyrum’ which means ‘water silver’.
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