Metallic iron is virtually unknown on the surface of the 

Earth except as iron-
nickel alloys from meteorites and very rare forms of deep mantle xenoliths. Some iron meteorites are
thought to have originated from accreted bodies 1,000 km in diameter or larger[4] The origin of iron
can be ultimately traced to the formation through nuclear fusion in stars, and most of the iron is
thought to have originated in dying stars that are large enough to collapse or explode
as supernovae.[5] Although iron is the fourth-most abundant element in the Earth's crust, composing
about 5%, the vast majority is bound in silicate or, more rarely, carbonate minerals (for more
information, see iron cycle). The thermodynamic barriers to separating pure iron from these minerals
are formidable and energy-intensive; therefore, all sources of iron used by human industry exploit
comparatively rarer iron oxide minerals, primarily hematite.