History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c17.s4.3

v1.c17.s4.3

Some tin ore could have been mined indigenously from Rajasthan, Karnataka and Bihar (Brown and Dey, 1955: 167-68). Cassiterite, SnO₂ is often found in the form of water- concentrated placer deposits, referred to as ‘stream tin’. Tylecote (1962: 63 quoted by Hegde) suggested that the ancient metallurgists might have exploited (and exhausted) placer deposits of ‘stream tin’ rather than vein deposits which are hard to mine. Such surface accumulations in the proximity of the Aravalli and Chota Nagpur Hills might have been amongst the sources of tin in ancient India.