Wilkinson, JJSimmons, SFStoffell, B2020-04-152020-04-1524/06/20132020-04-07Wilkinson, J., Simmons, S. & Stoffell, B. How metalliferous brines line Mexican epithermal veins with silver. Sci Rep 3, 2057 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep0205710.1038/srep02057http://hdl.handle.net/10141/622696We determined the composition of ~30-m.y.-old solutions extracted from fluid inclusions in one of the world's largest and richest silver ore deposits at Fresnillo, Mexico. Silver concentrations average 14 ppm and have a maximum of 27 ppm. The highest silver, lead and zinc concentrations correlate with salinity, consistent with transport by chloro-complexes and confirming the importance of brines in ore formation. The temporal distribution of these fluids within the veins suggests mineralization occurred episodically when they were injected into a fracture system dominated by low salinity, metal-poor fluids. Mass balance shows that a modest volume of brine, most likely of magmatic origin, is sufficient to supply the metal found in large Mexican silver deposits. The results suggest that ancient epithermal ore-forming events may involve fluid packets not captured in modern geothermal sampling and that giant ore deposits can form rapidly from small volumes of metal-rich fluid.enopenAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/Journal Article2045-2322Scientific Reports31GeochemistryGeologyMineralogyPetrologyMexico