# Is there more lightning in the Mesabi iron range...?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-more-lightning-in-the-mesabi-iron-range/479879>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 5, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-more-lightning-in-the-mesabi-iron-range/479879 "2009-01-05T01:18:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-more-lightning-in-the-mesabi-iron-range/479879/1 "2009-01-05T01:18:26Z")

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…than, say, in places that don’t have so much iron in the ground? Is iron in mineral form at all an attractor of lightning? I wouldn’t think so, since the characteristics of compounds, almost by definition, are different from the elements from which they’re made. Otherwise, why do we say it’s something different? xo, C.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-more-lightning-in-the-mesabi-iron-range/479879/2 "2009-01-05T23:36:07Z")

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From visiting there, I remember that they had to dig up & process vast amounts of dirt to get a comparatively small amount of iron. They were hauling this in gigantic dump trucks that were taller than the house I lived in!

But based on that, I’d suspect that the amount of iron in the ground is such a small percentage of the ground that it isn’t significantly different from ground elsewhere. Not, at least, different enough to attract lightning. Only enough to attract big mining companies.