While the provided reference only mentions a large iron ore deposit in Western Australia, most of the iron on Earth is actually found in the Earth's core.
Here's why:
-
Earth's Structure: The Earth is composed of several layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core (inner and outer).
-
Core Composition: The core is primarily made of iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni). Estimates suggest that iron makes up about 88% of the core's mass.
-
Abundance: While iron ore deposits exist in various locations, like the one in western Australia that formed 1.4 to 1.1 billion years ago during supercontinent breakup (according to the reference from 29-Jul-2024), the sheer volume of the Earth's core dwarfs any surface deposits.
Therefore, although significant iron ore deposits are found in places like Western Australia, the overwhelming majority of Earth's iron resides in its core.
