Casserite is the most common naturally occuring mineral containing tin; its name comes from the greek word for tin. There are many varieties of cassiterite with distinct shapes found in different locations. For instance, needle tin forms steep pyramidal crystals. Stream tin is so called because it forms along stream beds where trace amounts of tin flow in the water. Wood tin is a type of fine grained cassiterite found in shallow high-temperature deposits, forming concentrically with a fibrous appearance; broken pieces with brownish color resemble wood. Works of Chinese bronze dating from 1800 BCE used tin, which was probably derived from cassiterite ore. During the reign of Julius Caesar, Romans used cassiterite in the form of wood tin from Cornwall, England, in their bronzes. Very little cassiterite has been mined in the United States, and is mainly found in Malaysia and Bolivia.
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