History · Geology
About Gejiu Mine
Gejiu, sometimes called the "tin capital of the world," is one of the oldest continuously worked mining districts in China. Three thousand years of cassiterite extraction have made the city synonymous with tin, but the deposit also produces fine collector-grade fluorite, calcite, and a long list of supergene minerals.
Mining History
Mining for tin began as early as the Han Dynasty (~2000 BCE). Industrial-scale operations expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries; today Yunnan Tin Group works the area at multiple modern levels. Specimen recovery from the supergene zone produces beryl-fluorite-calcite combinations distinct from Hunan/Sichuan styles.
Signature Specimens
Cassiterite is the industrial heart, but collector-grade output favors purple and green fluorite cubes (often in quartz vugs), salmon-pink calcite scalenohedra, native arsenic, and rare supergene phosphates. Combination matrix specimens are characteristic.
Minerals Produced Here
- Cassiterite (锡石)
- Galena (方铅矿)
- Tetrahedrite (黝铜矿)
