5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT IRON

Iron is an essential part of our lives. It’s in our tools, our buildings, our food and it is in our blood. It’s an important part of our ecosystem and part of our history. But, how much do you really know about Iron? This week we are testing your knowledge of iron by sharing unusual facts about iron.

MARS IS RED BECAUSE OF IRON

Mars gets its distinct red colour from iron oxide on its surface. Iron oxide is made from iron and oxygen that is commonly known as rust. The big red planet is really a ball of rust.

WE HAVE BEEN USING IRON FOR AT LEAST 5,000 YEARS

The earliest artefact with iron in it is Egyptian beads dated 3200 B.C. We don’t know the exact period in which iron was first used. Some archaeologists believe it could be even earlier, however, until more is discovered we can only speculate.

WE PROBABLY FIRST EXTRACTED IRON FROM METEORITES

The iron from the Egyptian beads dated 3200 B.C. was actually made from a meteorite. So the first iron used was from space! Is was probably a siderites class of meteorite because they are mostly made from iron.

IRON CHANGED THE WAY WE FARM

The Iron Age marked an era in which the widespread use of iron tools changed the way we lived. Iron made farming tools strong enough to cut through harder soils. The tools meant farming was easier, so people had more free time to create and discover new things.

IRON CAME FROM A WORLD MEANING ‘HOLY METAL’

The word for ‘iron’ came from the Anglo-Saxen word ‘iren.’ Some historians say that the original meaning for ‘iren’ was ‘Holy Metal’ because it was used to make weapons for the Crusades in Europe.

THERE IS A SNAIL THAT USES IRON FOR ITS SHELL.

This ironclad mollusk is called the scaly-foot snail and it lives in deep ocean environments. It absorbs iron in its habitat to create a chain mail like shell made from iron sulphide. The scaly-foot snail is nature’s coolest metal recycler by repurposing iron to make armour.