Israel has several deposits of iron ore, one of which may produce a yield of as much as 15,000,000 tons, according to the latest survey of world iron resources just published here by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
The largest of Israel’s deposits is at Makhtesh, about 25 miles southwest of the southern end of the Dead Sea. This deposit, the survey reports, “has a minimum of five million tons–and possibly as much as 15 million tons–of ore containing 27 to 46 percent iron, with an average of 35 percent.”
Another of Israel’s deposits is in the southern Negev at Wadi Paran, 60 miles north of the new port of Elath. While this deposit was found to be rich in iron–containing ore with 55 or 60 percent iron–it proved too small for development. A third deposit was discovered in the central Negev, in Wade Rimon, and a fourth is under investigation in the hills of Galilee. This deposit, the survey states, has shown “some very promising results.”
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