Tracing hydrothermal ore-forming processes - Recent developments in the use of sulfide trace-element signatures, and some thoughts for future research

Over the past two decades, the advent of cheap LA-ICP-MS analyses has led to a veritable explosion of mineral trace-element data. However, this has not been accompanied by a commensurate increase in understanding of the geological factors that control mineral compositions. Thus, the great potential of this data to address problems in (economic) geology has remained largely untapped.
In this talk, I will briefly review the state-of-the-art for hydrothermal sulfide minerals. Following on from this, I will discuss a number of research questions that will need to be addressed to fully realize their potential in constraining the physical and chemical conditions of ore-formation.