Since its discovery in 1987, the Early Bronze Kestel Mine has been a topic of archaeological and geological controversy. The initial interpretation of the extensive marble-hosted galleries as the oldest known tin mine was challenged due to the low tin grade in remaining hematite-quartz veins, and it was suggested that Kestel was more likely mined for gold. Mineralogical analysis of the remaining mineralization was compared to a heavy mineral concentrate extracted from the soil preserved within the mine. The compositionally complex, arsenate-rich mineral assemblage from the mine sediment, contrasts with that of the remaining surface mineralization. Thus, the outcropping veins do not represent the nature of the extracted ore. Only one grain of gold was found in the heavy mineral concentrate, whereas cassiterite composed 1.5% of the sample. Cassiterite occurs in complex assemblages with arsenates, clays, hematite, quartz, and dolomite, bearing resemblance to hematite-arsenate tin mineralization that occurs near Kayseri, 60 km to the northeast. These findings indicate that although gold was a trace component of the Kestel ore, cassiterite was the mineral of interest to the Early Bronze Age miners, and that Kestel represents the earliest evidence thus far for an emerging pattern of local tin exploitation.

中文翻译：

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Kestel矿的矿物学分析：土耳其金牛座山脉锡矿的早期青铜时代来源

自1987年被发现以来，早期的青铜Kestel矿一直是考古和地质争议的话题。由于残留的赤铁矿-石英脉中的锡品位较低，最初将广泛的大理石托管的画廊解释为已知的最古老的锡矿受到了挑战，这表明凯斯特尔更有可能开采黄金。将剩余矿化的矿物学分析与从矿井中保存的土壤中提取的重矿物精矿进行了比较。来自矿物质沉积物的成分复杂，富含砷酸盐的矿物集合与其余地表矿化形成对比。因此，露头矿脉不代表提取矿石的性质。重矿物精矿中仅发现一粒金，而锡石占样品的1.5％。锡石以与砷酸盐，粘土，赤铁矿，石英和白云石的复杂组合形式发生，与发生在东北60公里的开塞利附近的赤铁矿-砷酸盐锡矿化相似。这些发现表明，尽管金是Kestel矿石中的微量元素，但锡石是早期青铜时代矿工所感兴趣的矿物，并且Kestel代表了迄今为止出现的本地锡开采模式的最早证据。