Eli5: in older times how did we get metal ores?

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Like i know you just melt it down and voila metal but like how did they know what rocks? What was the process surely you can’t just melt rocks and get iron, right? How did they know this rock has iron and that one has copper? I understand gold and gold panning did they just pan for copper or whatever metal they wanted that seems to inefficient?

In: Earth Science

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Anonymous 0 Comments

They also search for alternatives cause of the prices or the need for harder/softer metals, more durable or more flexible lighter or heavier and etc. Lots of metals were discovered by accident, and lots of elements tbh..

And as Jeeronian said, lot of it was through trial and error and they could identify them by shape size weight location etc.

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