Iron ores are
rocks and
minerals from which
metallic iron can be economically extracted. The
ores are usually rich in
iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, deep purple, to rusty red. The iron itself is usually found in the form of
magnetite (, 72.4 e),
hematite (, 69.9 e),
goethite (, 62.9 e),
limonite or
siderite (, 48.2 e).