Iron Ore | Geoscience Australia
Download. Iron (Fe) is a metallic element that constitutes % by weight of the Earth's crust and is the fourth most abundant element in the crust. Iron ores are rocks from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The principal iron ores contain hematite (Fe 2 O 3) and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ). Hematite is an iron oxide mineral.