About 90 per cent world's total reserves of iron ore are located at N. America, France, Russia, Great Britain, Union of S. Africa, India and Brazil. About 83 per cent of world's production comes from U.S.A., Russia, France, Sweden, Canada, Venezuela, India, Great Britain and West Germany.
The total reserves of iron ore available in the world are estimated at 320,000 million tones. These reserved are adequate and will last for 300 to 400 years at the present rate of production. Russia has the largest reserves of iron ore amounting to 150,000 million tones or 47% of world total. Brazil and the United States each have bout 14% of the world total India stands fourth with reserves of 21,000 million tones. Other countries having large reserves are Canada, South Africa, France, Australia and China.
USA: U.S.A occupies second place as a producer of iron ore. She produced 90 million metric tons in 1988. The approximate metal content of U.S.A. ore is 54 per cent. The three states leading in production of iron ore are Minnesota, Michigan and Alabama, producing more than 50 per cent of the entire output. More than 92 per cent of her output is hematite and 5 per cent magnetite. The production occurs in four main districts:
(a) The northeastern district,
(b,) the southeastern district,
(c) Lake Superior,
(d) the western district.
The Northeastern district: The areas are the Adirondacks region of New York and the Cornwall area of Pennsylvania.
The total output of ore in this region has been 4 to 5 million tons annually and the region constitutes the important local sources for the nearby smelting industries. Magnetite is the principal ore of the district.
The Southeastern district: It includes the mining area near Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. The average output is 6 to 8 million gross tons. Hematite is the principal ore here. The Alabama region mines about 10 per cent of U.S. ore. The ore in Birmingham valley near Wood-stock consists of limonite in clay, gravel and sand.
The Lake Superior district: It includes northeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. The area still supplies about 75 to 80 per cent of U.S. output of iron ore. Hematite with an average of 56 per cent iron is the principal ore occurring in large bodies and be mined with little use of explosives. The greater portion of output comes from long, low ranges; the principal ones being the Mesabi, Vermillion and Cuyuna ranges of Minnesota. The Mesabi is responsible for about 65 per cent of total output in U.SA The Mesabi has a tremendous body of ore, usually less than 200 ft. thick, extending over a large area.
The Western district: It includes all the states from Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. The important iron ore producing states are Utah, Wyoming, California and Nevada.
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