By Bisola Adeyemo
Mining is one of the oldest economic activities in Nigeria found in different parts of the country.
Nigeria is among the African countries blessed with various natural resources with vast iron ore deposits which can be found in some states. Itakpe in Kogi State is believed to have the purest deposits of iron ore, and other states where it is deposited include Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Kwara, Plateau, and Nasarawa.
Iron ore is a mineral from which metallic iron can be extracted when heated in the presence of a reducing agent, such as coke. Iron ore deposits are found in sedimentary rocks, which are essential rocks that have been formed over time from the accumulation of different sediments. The two most important minerals extracted from iron ore are iron oxides hematite and magnetite.
The two significant elements of iron ore are rocks and minerals. They have abundance of iron oxides, making extraction of metallic iron economic from these minerals.
These two iron oxides are used to produce just about every iron and steel object you can imagine.
Formation of Iron Ore
According to geology.com, almost all of our planet’s major deposits of iron ore are found in rocks that were formed around two billion years ago. Back then, conspicuous amounts of dissolved iron could be found in the ocean with almost no dissolved oxygen. It wasn’t until the first organisms, capable of photosynthesis came into existence that iron ore began forming deposits. As these organisms released oxygen into the waters, it combines with the dissolved iron, which produced hematite and magnetite. These minerals then accumulated on the sea floor and are now known as the banded iron formations.
What is Iron Ore used for?
The vast majority of iron ore is used to produce iron which is in turn used to produce steel. 98% of the iron ore mined today is used for steel production.
This includes staples, cars, and steel beams used in the construction of buildings and just about anything else where iron and steel are needed.