Fe deposits were performed on LaAlO3 (001) by molecular beam epitaxy at different substrate temperatures. Chemical and structural characterizations were carried out in-situ, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD), and ex-situ by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy ( HRTEM). This temperature dependence study indicates that the growth of Fe is epitaxial in a tight temperature window around 500 degrees C with a single epitaxial relationship, where the Fe and LaAlO3(001) lattices are brought into coincidence by a 45 rotation around the common [001] axis. This typical configuration via Fe-O bonds formation at the interface allows a minimization of the elastic strain inside Fe islands which follow a Volmer-Weber growth mode. Beyond a given thickness, and in agreement with the strain relaxation, Fe islands exhibit (001) facets, leading to islands coalescence and a possible iron 2D layer formation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved