Mining in Cornwall and Devon

<p>Mining in Cornwall and Devon, in the <a href="/facts/South_West_England/eqmprlh4">southwest</a> of Britain, is thought to have begun in the early-middle <a href="/facts/Bronze_Age/c09qWcTt">Bronze Age</a> with the exploitation of <a href="/facts/Cassiterite/d4hzR7LB">cassiterite</a>. <a href="/facts/Tin/obW9mqc3">Tin</a>, and later <a href="/facts/Copper/I8PEE8oX">copper</a>, were the most commonly extracted metals. Some tin mining continued long after the mining of other metals had become unprofitable, but ended in the late 20th century. In 2021, it was announced that a new mine was extracting <a href="/facts/Lithium-ion_battery/3L22xFhB">battery-grade</a> <a href="/facts/Lithium_carbonate/soupEeC1">lithium carbonate</a>, more than 20 years after the closure of the last <a href="/facts/South_Crofty/6FNQh8uK">South Crofty</a> <a href="/facts/Tin_mine/yhRzI3BH">tin mine</a> in <a href="/facts/Cornwall/9A3TftFP">Cornwall</a> in 1998.
</p><p>Historically, tin and copper as well as a few other metals (e.g. <a href="/facts/Arsenic/k1c4f44D">arsenic</a>, <a href="/facts/Silver/xXe41BGg">silver</a>, and <a href="/facts/Zinc/80b1qgk3">zinc</a>) have been mined in Cornwall and <a href="/facts/Devon/go3z9lDW">Devon</a>. Tin deposits still exist in Cornwall, and there has been talk of reopening the South Crofty tin mine. In addition, work has begun on re-opening the <a href="/facts/Drakelands_Mine/3GtJdN6x">Hemerdon</a> <a href="/facts/Tungsten/WYwbNDYX">tungsten</a> and tin mine in southwest Devon. In view of the economic importance of mines and quarries, geological studies have been conducted; about forty distinct minerals have been identified from <a href="/facts/Type_locality_(geology)/ky6QjASt">type localities</a> in Cornwall (e.g. <a href="/facts/Endellionite/KyJCuMrv">endellionite</a> from <a href="/facts/St_Endellion/CWAXJRnH">St Endellion</a>). Quarrying of <a href="/facts/Igneous_rock/xeMJhUah">igneous</a> and <a href="/facts/Metamorphic_rock/JRp6dsCm">metamorphic rocks</a> has also been a significant industry. In the 20th century, the extraction of <a href="/facts/Kaolin/N7D6K65q">kaolin</a> was important economically.
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Mining in Cornwall and Devon open-in-new

Mining in Cornwall and Devon