What metals/minerals are commonly found alongside iron ore?
There are a lot of different types of iron ore deposits on Earth, each with different associated minerals. That being said, the largest iron deposits on Earth are banded iron formations. These layered deposits of hematite and magnetite are thought to have formed when microorganisms first began producing oxygen. This oxygen oxidized soluble Fe2+ ions in the oceans to insoluble Fe3+, causing large amounts of hematite and other iron minerals to precipitate out and fall to the ocean floor. An example of such a deposit is the Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota. Such a deposit would require your planet to have had an oxygenated atmosphere at some point. These deposits typically have few minerals other than those in the iron ores – hematite, magnetite, limonite, and quartz/chalcedony (silica impurities in the ore – limestone is added during smelting to remove them). Another important type of iron deposit contains magnetite in igneous rock. Such deposits contain more associated minerals. Ilmenite,
