Tin ores
Tin is used for the production of a wide variety of useful alloys, being most commonly alloyed with copper. Tin is also used for a coating steel and other metals to prevent a corrosion. Tin-plated steel cans and containers are widely used for the food preservation but that application decreases due to the growing replacement of tin with other materials.
Tin is mainly extracted from its basic compound, usually the cassiterite (SnO2), occurring in the form of primary or secondary accumulations.
In Poland, tin ores occur in two deposits, Gierczyn and Krobica, in the Stara Kamienica Lower Paleozoic Schist Belt in the Sudety Mts. Tin resources of these deposits were classified as anticipated sub-economic and were estimated at 5.5 million tonnes of ore with the average Sn content of about 0.5% (Table 1). The prospective resources of tin ore in the whole area of the Stara Kamienica Schist Belt are estimated at about 20 million tonnes, with the content of metallic tin of about 100 thousand tonnes*.
Table 1 shows the current state of the exploration and development of the arsenic and tin deposits.
Prepared by: Stanisław Z. Mikulski
* Mikulski S.Z., Małek R., 2020 - Rudy cyny (tin ores). In: Bilans perspektywicznych zasobów kopalin Polski wg stanu na 31.12.2018 r. (eds. Szamałek K., Szuflicki M., Mizerski W.): 162-167. PIG-PIB, Warszawa [in Polish].