Iron ore
OverviewSourcesMine tailingsExtractionProduction and consumptionAbundance by countrySmeltingSee also
Metallic iron is virtually unknown on the surface of the Earth except as iron nickel alloys from meteorites and very rare forms of deep mantle xenoliths. Some iron meteorites are thought to have originated from accreted bodies 1,000 km in diameter or larger. The origin of iron can be ultimately traced to formation through nuclear fusion in stars and most of the iron is thought to have originated in dying stars that are large enough to collapse or explode as supernovae. Although iron is the fourth most abundant element i
