Tin Deposits in the United States

This data release provides descriptions of more than 120 mineral regions, mines, and mineral deposits within the United States that are reported to contain enrichments of tin (Sn). This data release only includes sites with publicly available records of past production of tin, or a defined resource of tin, or both. The inclusion of a particular mineral deposit in this database is not meant to imply that it has economic potential; it may be produced only as a byproduct at some sites. Rather, these deposits were included to capture the distribution of characteristics of the known, reported tin deposits in the United States. This logic also applies to the other commodities listed with tin in some occurrences. The primary uses for tin within the United States are for alloys, chemicals, and solder, amongst others. Tin has not been produced in the United States since 1993, and with the United States not having any active tin reserves the commodity has been deemed a critical strategic metal (Kamilli and others, 2017). As of 2017, the United States maintains a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of approximately 75 percent for tin, where 25 percent of the apparent consumption is attributed to the recycling of tin (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018). In the United States, tin most commonly occurs in the mineral cassiterite. The majority of tin occurrences are located in the state of Alaska, but tin is known to occur in many other locations in the contiguous United States. The cassiterite ore originates from various lode deposit types, including greisens, pegmatites, skarns, and veins, as well as from placers sourced from these systems. The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Although an attempt was made to capture as many examples as possible, this dataset is a progress report that is part of an ongoing effort. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset.