Question

Iron rusts and the earth is pretty old, so how is it that there is still iron left that has not oxidized(/rusted)?

I tried looking it up, and the amount of iron on earth is mind boggling, but is that it? Is there simply enough iron that not all of it has oxidized yet?

Maybe it's just that well insulated inside the crust, or does it occur naturally so more is created all the time?

Answer 1

Iron still exists because not all of it has been exposed to oxygen and water, it's protected within the Earth's crust, and new iron sources can be generated by geological processes. Rusting releases energy slowly and does not form a protective layer.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question regards why there is still iron that has not oxidized or rusted despite the Earth's age. Rusting of iron is a chemical process where iron reacts with oxygen and water to form rust, specifically hydrated iron(III) oxide. While it's true that the amount of iron on Earth is vast, not all of it has rusted due to various factors. These factors include the lack of exposure to both oxygen and water, the presence of iron in the Earth's crust where it's protected, and natural geological processes that can generate new iron sources. Moreover, rusting is a slow process that releases energy very slowly, and unlike other metals like copper and aluminum, rusting iron does not create a protective layer to prevent further corrosion.