Geochemical characteristics of tin-bearing magnetite-skarns

Geological and geochemical characteristics of tin-bearing magnetite-skarns are reviewed in this paper, together with the author’s opinion with respect to the mechanism of transport of tin in this environment. In addition to cassiterite, the most common form of occurrence of tin in nature, three other forms of occurrence are also of interest in tin-bearing magnetite-skarns: (1) tin present in the form of fine exsolution colloidal grains of cassiterite; (2) tin found as independent tin-bearing minerals, such as malayaite, stokesite, nordenskiöldine, Sn-paigeite, Sn-ludwigite and hulsite in a variety of skarns; (3) tin occurring in the lattice of some skarn minerals, such as garnet, pyroxene, spinel, amphibole, epidote, wollastonite and axinite in the manner of ionic replacement. When Mg²⁺ and Fe²⁺ bearing minerals, in some cases even Sulfides or other mineralizer-containing minerals, replace tin-bearing Fe³⁺ and Ti⁴⁺ skarn minerals during the late stage of skarn alteration, tin in the pre-existing silicates maybe extracted and remobilized, thus contributing to the formation of associated tin deposits.