Mining in Cornwall and Devon tin was found as alluvial deposits of cassiterite in the gravels of stream beds. Eventually tin was mined underground; underground mines sprang up as early as the 16th century. Tin lodes were also found in outcroppings of cliffs. Tin is one of the earliest metals to have been exploited in Britain. Chalcolithic metal workers discovered that by putting a small proportion of tin (5 – 20%) in molten copper, the alloy bronze was produced. The alloy is harder than copper. The oldest production of tin-bronze is in Turkey about 3500 BC, but exploitation of the tin resources in Britain is
Sundown Tin and Copper Mine 28 July 2000 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The Sundown Mine is of historical importance because of its combination of tin, copper and arsenic production, the primary product at any given time varying with the prevailing market condition. Thus at one site is a microcosm of the forces influencing the pattern of most mining in this region of southern Queensland. The Sundown Mine together with the Beecroft Mine and the Jibbenbar State Arsenic Works, is associated with the prickly pear eradication program. The place demonstrates rare, uncommon