Basic Facts About Iron Iron is one of the most widespread elements on the Earth. It makes up approximately 5 percent of the Earth's crust. Much of this iron is found in such small concentrations in other rocks, however, that it cannot be used economically for mining. The chemical element iron is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust and the second most abundant metal. Its chemical symbol, Fe, is taken from the Latin …showed first 75 words of 760 total…

…showed last 75 words of 760 total…the ore to make it profitable varies widely with the current price of the metal and also with the amount of other metals present in the ore. Iron ore should contain about 30 percent iron if it is to be mined profitably. And being mined profitably it is, especially in China, producing 213,800,000 short tons of usable Iron in 1 year. With the help of iron usually in the form of steel we can perform harder tasks easier.