G7/8 Cycle A - 1: Geology: Iron

Iron is the second most abundant metal in the Earth's crust (after aluminium) and more iron is made than all the other metals put together. The ores, which are mainly the oxides, are reduced to iron with carbon (coke) at high temperatures in a blast furnace. Over 98% of this is converted directly to steel without even being allowed to solidify after leaving the furnace in which it is made. A relatively small amount is used as cast iron and wrought iron.

The chemical element iron is the fourth most common element in Earth’s crust and the second most abundant metal. Iron was used by early peoples. Its chemical symbol, Fe, is taken from the Latin ferrum. The name iron is from the Anglo-Saxon iren or isern. About 5 percent of Earth’s crust is composed of iron.

Steel production has a number of impacts on the environment, including air emissions (CO, SOx, NOx, PM2), wastewater contaminants, hazardous wastes, and solid wastes. The major environmental impacts from integrated steel mills are from coking and iron-making.

But environmentalists argue that S11D could destroy rare savannah ecosystems found in two lakes on top of rich iron ore deposits. Dozens of caves that potentially contained evidence of ancient Amazon habitations have been lost.