The relevance of fluid inclusions to mineral systems and ore deposit exploration

Fluid inclusions provide the only direct samples of palaeofluids that may be related to mineralisation processes. In order to apply fluid inclusion data to study fluid flow on a larger scale, we have used a mineral systems approach, which regards a mineral deposit as part of a much larger system and considers all the processes that are involved in mobilising ore components from a source, transporting and accumulating them in a more concentrated form and then preserving them throughout the subsequent geological history. This not only enables a better understanding of fluid flow processes but also enables fluid inclusions to provide an exploration target that is much larger than the ore deposit itself.