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 furnace were in working order. 30 tons of arsenic and 5.4 tons of copper were produced in 1922, and 200 tons of arsenic in 1923. In 1924 the furnace and part of the mill was leased by Arsenic Limited to O.C Roberts Limited, who remodelled the furnace to treat high-grade ore, as a result of the Prickly Pear Land Commission letting a 12-month contract for the supply of Roberts Improved Pear Poison, which was manufactured at Wallangarra. The ore was to come form the nearby Beecroft Mine. The arsenic works ceased operation in 1925, and tin does not seem to