Solved cryptogram
Silicon and oxygen together account for nearly three quarters of the Earth's crust by mass.
Earth Science Facts, sourced to Royal Society of Chemistry.
What it means
Almost every rock you have ever picked up is a silicate, which means a framework of silicon and oxygen with a few other atoms tucked into it. Sand, granite, clay, glass and most gemstones are all variations on that theme. The reason is that silicon sits directly below carbon in the periodic table and shares its ability to form four bonds and build extended structures.
The claim comes from Royal Society of Chemistry, and the page it comes from was read on 2026-08-27 to confirm it still says this.
This is not the kind of claim that goes out of date, which is why it was set as a puzzle rather than a fact with a shelf life.
Solve it yourself
This fact is a cryptogram here: 75 letters over 20 different ones, graded medium.
- SourceRoyal Society of Chemistry
- CollectionEarth Science Facts
- Difficultymedium
- Length75 letters, 20 of them different
Nearby in the collection
The facts either side of this one.
- Royal Society of Chemistrymedium, 72 letters
- NASAmedium, 76 letters
- NOAAhard, 73 letters
- NOAAmedium, 74 letters
About as hard as this one
Scored closest to it by the model behind our guide to solving cryptograms.
- U.S. Geological Surveymedium, 79 letters
- U.S. Geological Surveymedium, 74 letters
- NOAAmedium, 67 letters
- U.S. Geological Surveymedium, 76 letters