Magnetite having very little porosity, high density and hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 on Mho's scale is one of the major ore minerals of iron. Only 5–6% of world's total iron production comes from magnetite since its smelting reduction is difficult due to its low porosity. The nickel-chromium-cobalt bearing multimetallic magnetite deposit of Nagaland is a rare type of occurrence associated with ophiolite. The thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the smelting reduction of multimetallic magnetite ore have been discussed in the paper as these are of vital significance to comprehend its smelting reduction behaviour.
Magnetite, multimetallic magnetite ore, smelting reduction, Indian ore