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Science 13 October 2006:
Vol. 314. no. 5797, p. 220
DOI: 10.1126/science.314.5797.220f
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This Week in Science

The origin of many hydrothermal gold deposits (those associated with magmas) has remained enigmatic: Does the gold come from the magma, or was it concentrated from the surrounding rocks, and how fast was it deposited? Simmons and Brown (p. 288; see the Perspective by Heinrich) have now obtained a direct sample of a brine emanating from a magma associated with one of the world's largest hydrothermal gold ores in Papua New Guinea. The sample, obtained via deep drilling, contains 15 parts per billion of dissolved gold. Given the flux of brine from the magma, the magma could produce the entire deposit within 50,000 years.




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