Deposit types/Tin, Tungsten, Beryllium

Tin greisen and tin vein

Tin oxide in altered granite near its roof, in veins, stockworks and pipes.

What it is

Tin oxide in altered granite near its roof, in veins, stockworks and pipes.1

How it forms

Late, fluid-rich melts from specialised granites alter the granite itself into greisen (quartz, mica, topaz, fluorite), leaving cassiterite. Veins reach into the rock above.1

Host rocks

Biotite or muscovite leucogranite; pelitic sediments around.1

Where it forms

Fold belts and accreted margins with late to post-orogenic granites.1

How old

Any age; Paleozoic and Mesozoic most common for veins1

How geologists look for it

Topaz, fluorite, tourmaline and beryl in the granite; reddened granite near greisen veins.1

Mines of this type

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Story cards

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Mines

An example ofHemerdonSee Hemerdon, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofSouth Crofty mineSee South Crofty mine, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofGeevor Tin MineSee Geevor Tin Mine, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofDolcoath MineSee Dolcoath Mine, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofWheal JaneSee Wheal Jane, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofPanasqueiraSee Panasqueira, an example of this deposit type.1

Sources

  1. Mineral Deposit Models (Bulletin 1693, Cox and Singer, eds., 1986) US Geological Survey

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Pictures: Dolcoath tin mine, Camborne, Cornwall: miners in a mine shaft, standing on wooden platforms connected by ladders. Photograph by J. C. Burrow, 1890/1910., Burrow, J. C., 1852-1914 (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Pangkalpinang. Mijn 3b. Een reeks koelies bezig met het transporteeren van grond, Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0); Timna in de Negevwoestijn; rotspartij "de zuilen van Salomo", Poll, Willem van de / Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0).