New geological surveys can find deposits that earlier operators missed. Other Cornish mines closed with ore still underground because deep workings required costly lifting machinery. The price of tin, British wages, and miners' safety agreements affected whether extraction paid. Access to cheaper Siberian tin and nickel had lowered raw-material prices, while higher tin prices renew interest in Cornish workings. Closure therefore need not mean a deposit was exhausted. Tin's relevance to naval warfare provides the reason for considering these mines in a naval-history discussion.
Notable Point · 1:20:58-1:24:05
Why Cornish mines close and reopen
Cornish mine closures can reflect the cost of deep extraction and foreign competition, while new surveys and higher tin prices can make reopening worthwhile.