Iron layers with thickness of 70-200 nm were prepared by electrodeposition on the polycrystalline Cu substrate at different parameters of the electrolysis. The surface morphology of the iron layers and their local magnetic properties were studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and conversion electron Mossbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). STM studies revealed the granular structure of the surface of the electrodeposited iron layers with the roughness depending on the temperature of the bath, pH value and the current density. The influence of these electrodeposition parameters on the thickness of the iron layers became manifest in their magnetic anisotropy, as seen by CEMS. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.