The content of A progressively increases from 0 to 100% approaching the top apex, following the red arrow. Let’s consider, for example, A, the top apex of the diagram: the percentage of A is 100% at the apex and 0% on the opposite side, at the bottom of the diagram. In between, the percentage of that component increases – in this case by 10% – on each line parallel to the side, approaching the vertex. The percentage of this component is 0% on the side, opposite to the apex. Each apex corresponds to 100% of the component written on the vertex. In this example, let’s say you have a rock which is composed of a mixture of the minerals A, B, and C. Each apex represent a specific component. Ternary plots are graphical representations mixtures of any three components, typically expresses as % and whose sum must be 100%.
