P39. Fluid inclusion studies and the role they play in the understanding of fluid phases in geological environments

Fluid inclusions are small volumes of paleo-fluids trapped in minerals which provide fundamental information about geological processes, from high temperatures at depth towards low temperatures near the Earth's surface. The study of fluid inclusions reveals important geological information such as temperature, pressure, salinity, density and depth of trapping and therefore provide information about the conditions at which minerals and rocks are formed. Fluid inclusion studies are becoming increasingly frequent in different branches of geology and in some related sciences and this session will highlight the range of the spectrum of methodologies and applications. Important areas of the study include ore deposits, hydrothermal environments, sedimentary environment and diagenetic processes, metamorphic and magmatic environments, petroleum exploration, gemmology, paleoclimatology and paleo-hydrogeology, extra terrestrial environments. Furthermore, innovative analytical techniques have greatly assisted the advancement of fluid inclusion study methodologies and research contributions with this particular focus are also welcome.