There are times when science, history and economics go hand in hand. This is exactly what happened in a recent study conducted in Australia. A group of geologists documented the discovery of an iron deposit with unprecedented dimensions.
According to scientists, the value of the minerals found is approximately $5.9 billion. Or around 5.6 billion euros at the exchange rate.
This discovery could change the mining industry as we know itsince Australia is the largest producer of iron in the world. However, most importantly, the discovery could transform the way we understand the creation of these types of elements.
Geologists discover the largest iron deposit: why is it so important?
The discovery took place in the Hamersley province of Western Australia. According to scientists, The amount of iron found is 55 billion tons of metal..
The 5.6 billion euros at which it is valued are important, but scientists preferred to focus on the implications this may have for understanding how minerals are transformed.
There are times when geological studies seem to be solely responsible for predicting future major natural disasters. However, this discovery in Australia shows that they can be a source of good news.
Dr Liam Courtney-Davis, co-author of the study, explained why it is so important to discover how these minerals form: “Discovering a link between these giant iron ore deposits and changes in Supercontinent cycles improve our understanding of ancient geological processes.
“Improves our ability to predict where we should explore in the future. “The energy from this epic geological activity likely triggered the production of billions of tonnes of iron-rich rocks in the Pilbara,” the scientist continued.
The discovery of iron that changes everything we know
To study the iron minerals they discovered, they used very innovative techniques based on uranium and lead isotope analysis.
Thanks to this, they were able to discover that these minerals formed much later than they thought. They are dated 1.4 billion years agowhich excludes the 2.2 billion previously estimated.
Associate Professor Martin Danisík explained why the new technique changes everything: “The exact timeline of the change of these formations from 30% iron as they were originally to over 60% iron as they are today Today was not clear.”
For the scientist, this makes it difficult “to understand the processes that led to the formation of the largest mineral deposits in the world”.
In other words, with the discovery made A series of technological advances were tested this will be essential to understanding how the most important tectonic movements in history occurred.
