During the 20th century various ores were briefly profitable, and mines were reopened, but today none remain.
Dolcoath mine (Cornish for Old Ground), the 'Queen of Cornish Mines', was 3500 feet (1067 m) deep, and was for many years the deepest mine in the world, not to mention one of the oldest before its closure in 1921.
Indeed, the last working tin mine in Europe was South Crofty, near Camborne, until its closure in March 1998.
After an attempt was made to reopen it, it was abandoned.
There were local media reports in September 2006 that South Crofty was being considered for re-opening as the price of tin had soared, but the site was subject to a compulsory purchase order (October 2006).
On the wall outside the gate is some graffiti dating from 1999:
Cornish lads are fishermen and Cornish lads are miners too. /
But when the fish and tin are gone, what are the Cornish boys to do?

(This is from the chorus of the song 'Cornish Lads' by Cornish singer/songwriter Roger Bryant, written at the time of the closure of Geevor Mine.
 See cd "The Writing's on the Wall" by Roger Bryant.
 Other recordings by Jinks' Stack and Mike Nicholson)
The collapse of the International Tin Council in 1986 was the end for Cornish and Devonian tin mining.
The most recent mine in Devon to produce tin ore was Hemerdon Mine near Plympton in the 1980s.
The last Cornish tin mine in production at South Crofty closed in 1998.
The Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in south-west Devon re-opened as Drakelands Mine in 2015.

In 1992, Geevor mine was acquired by Cornwall County Council as a heritage museum, which is now run by Pendeen Community Heritage.
Both Geevor Tin Mine and Morwellham Quay have been selected as "anchor points" on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.

The extraction of china clay (kaolin) continues to be of considerable importance: the larger works are in the St Austell district.
The amount of waste in proportion to kaolin is so great that huge waste mounds were created whose whiteness in the early years means that they can be seen from afar.
The Eden Project has been developed on the site of a former china clay quarry.
Extraction of slate and roadstone by quarrying still continues on a reduced scale: it was formerly an important industry, and has been carried on in Cornwall ever since the Middle Ages.
Several quarries have been productive enough to need their own mineral railways.
Granite of high quality has been extracted from many Cornish quarries such as De Lank and Porthoustock.
Some granite has been taken very long distances for use in building.
There are also some important quarries in Devon, such as Meldon (a source of railway ballast for the Southern Railway) and granite quarries on Dartmoor such as Merrivale.

In 2017, plans were reported to extract lithium reserves from beneath Cornwall by Cornish Lithium, who had signed agreements to develop potential deposits.

In April 2019, a British based company, MetAmpère Limited, drilled 6 lithium exploration holes in the UK at a site near St Austell.
MetAmpère has successfully extracted lithium from hard rock at a laboratory scale, resulting in plans for a further 20 drill holes.
During the 20th century various ores were briefly profitable, and mines were reopened, but today none remain. Dolcoath mine (Cornish for Old Ground), the 'Queen of Cornish Mines', was 3500 feet (1067 m) deep, and was for many years the deepest mine in the world, not to mention one of the oldest before its closure in 1921. Indeed, the last working tin mine in Europe was South Crofty, near Camborne, until its closure in March 1998. After an attempt was made to reopen it, it was abandoned. There were local media reports in September 2006 that South Crofty was being considered for re-opening as the price of tin had soared, but the site was subject to a compulsory purchase order (October 2006). On the wall outside the gate is some graffiti dating from 1999:
Cornish lads are fishermen and Cornish lads are miners too. / But when the fish and tin are gone, what are the Cornish boys to do?
(This is from the chorus of the song 'Cornish Lads' by Cornish singer/songwriter Roger Bryant, written at the time of the closure of Geevor Mine.  See cd "The Writing's on the Wall" by Roger Bryant.  Other recordings by Jinks' Stack and Mike Nicholson)
The collapse of the International Tin Council in 1986 was the end for Cornish and Devonian tin mining. The most recent mine in Devon to produce tin ore was Hemerdon Mine near Plympton in the 1980s. The last Cornish tin mine in production at South Crofty closed in 1998. The Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in south-west Devon re-opened as Drakelands Mine in 2015.
In 1992, Geevor mine was acquired by Cornwall County Council as a heritage museum, which is now run by Pendeen Community Heritage. Both Geevor Tin Mine and Morwellham Quay have been selected as "anchor points" on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.
The extraction of china clay (kaolin) continues to be of considerable importance: the larger works are in the St Austell district. The amount of waste in proportion to kaolin is so great that huge waste mounds were created whose whiteness in the early years means that they can be seen from afar. The Eden Project has been developed on the site of a former china clay quarry. Extraction of slate and roadstone by quarrying still continues on a reduced scale: it was formerly an important industry, and has been carried on in Cornwall ever since the Middle Ages. Several quarries have been productive enough to need their own mineral railways. Granite of high quality has been extracted from many Cornish quarries such as De Lank and Porthoustock. Some granite has been taken very long distances for use in building. There are also some important quarries in Devon, such as Meldon (a source of railway ballast for the Southern Railway) and granite quarries on Dartmoor such as Merrivale.
In 2017, plans were reported to extract lithium reserves from beneath Cornwall by Cornish Lithium, who had signed agreements to develop potential deposits.
In April 2019, a British based company, MetAmpère Limited, drilled 6 lithium exploration holes in the UK at a site near St Austell. MetAmpère has successfully extracted lithium from hard rock at a laboratory scale, resulting in plans for a further 20 drill holes.
Mining in Cornwall and Devon