Why Nazis, and I invested in transmutation With new data, people who study the planet’s past might draw clearer pictures of how continents shifted, how resources formed, and how life adapted along the way.

12-13-2024 Geologists found the world's largest iron ore deposit

ByJordan Joseph

Earth.com staff writer

Scientists say they have identified the largest iron ore deposit ever recorded. They point to an area in Western Australia that contains a staggering amount of metal worth billions. They have tested samples, analyzed isotopes, and drawn conclusions that may reshape the way many see iron on our planet.

A new understanding of iron resources

Geologists have uncovered an iron deposit of a scale that none had previously documented. At an estimated 55 billion metric tons, this discovery represents a massive resource. According to Dr Liam Courtney-Davis at Curtin University, this find suggests that entire chapters of mineral formation and large-scale geological processes may need rewriting.

A fresh look at mineral formation

The scale and value of the Hamersley deposit have geologists and economic experts discussing what it might mean for resource exploration. The region is home to some of the richest iron ore reserves on Earth, and this latest discovery cements its importance.

The research involves studying uranium and lead isotopes to establish that these minerals appeared 1.4 billion years ago, not the 2.2 billion years once assumed.

According to the scientists, this updated timeframe challenges conventional wisdom about how mineral deposits form. It also highlights new connections to the movements and changes of supercontinents. 

One of the study’s co-authors stated, “The discovery of a link between these giant iron ore deposits and changes in supercontinent cycles improves our understanding of ancient geological processes.”

https://www.earth.com/news/geologists-found-the-worlds-largest-iron-ore-deposit/