Tin

Tin is a valuable metal. It cannot be found in its natural state but its main ore has almost an eighty percent of tin and it can be panned or sluiced because of the weight it has. The United States does not have any commercial deposits however it has been mined in the past on a small scale. Tin has been located in placer and in lode in nearly every western state and in many states in the east. Another area that has a few commercial deposits is Alaska. The main ore of tine is cassiterite and it ranges in color from yellow to black and every once in awhile it can also be found in a red or brown color. It has a crystalline structure and this is the way it is found in lode. When found in placer it looks like round pebbles. It has a greasy luster to it, a hardness of 6 to 7 and a specific gravity of 6.8 to 7.1.