The boom in tin prices in recent years could potentially lead to a revival of tin mining on a significant scale in North America for the first time since the early 1990s. Three projects in Alaska, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have estimated combined resources of well over 100,000 tonnes contained tin, although they are low grade and/or complex orebodies which are unlikely to come into production for at least 4-5 years.
In the news this week is the Sleitat property in Alaska, in which Brett Resources has just acquired an 80% share. Brett acquired the stake from TSX-listed Solomon Resources, which retains a 20% participating interest in the property. Solomon and Brett are working towards finalising terms of a joint venture agreement to further explore the property. The deposit was explored by Cominco American and Enstar Resources in the early 1980s. In 1989, the United States Bureau of Mines evaluated the tin potential of the property, and reported an inferred resource of 25.9 million tons grading 0.22% – 0.37% tin, 0.04% tungsten, and 17 grams per tonne silver, although this estimate does not comply with current reporting standards. Brett has carried out new drilling from 2006, with promising initial results.
Of the two projects in Canada, Adex Mining’s Mount Pleasant in New Brunswick is furthest advanced. The property has separate zones of tungsten-molybdenum and tin-indium mineralisation and tungsten was mined there in the 1980s. A 1997 feasibility study on mining of the latter zone by Kvaerner Metals identified a resource of 3.65 million tonnes grading 0.8% tin and 107 ppm indium with associated zinc and copper. Adex is currently carrying our new drilling work in both zones and has commissioned mineralogical testing which will allow it to produce a new bankable feasibility study next year.
It is also possible that Canada’s last (and only) major tin mine, at East Kemptville, Nova Scotia, could eventually re-open. The low grade (0.2% tin), large-scale open pit mine was developed by Rio Algom (now part of BHP Billiton) and operated from 1986 – 1991, producing some 4,000 tpy of tin-in-concentrate. Mineral title to the property was acquired by Avalon Ventures in 2005, and Avalon’s CEO Don Bubar told a local newspaper this week that he hoped to develop “something similar in scale to the historic operation”, although this is likely to be a lengthy process. Various rights and environmental obligations still reside with BHP Billiton and the project would need local community support to gain approval.
