Stable isotope and chemical analyses of fluid inclusions provide important geochemical constraints on the formation conditions of minerals in a variety of geological environments. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope measurements have been made of inclusions in optically transparent hydrothermal ore and gangue minerals like quartz, adularia, fluorite, and sphalerite. No one, however, has reported stable isotope analyses of fluid inclusions in native metals. There are a few published papers and abstracts (all in Russian) that address inclusions in native metals. In one abstract Petrovskaya et al. (1974) report that 0.1-1.5 mm inclusions, containing CO2 as a major constituent, are common in some native gold. Beyond such simple but important observations, however, the literature is to all intents and purposes devoid of information on the subject. Native metals, while not of widespread occurrence, should be among the best mineral repositories for environmental fluids. Stable isotope analyses of inclusions trapped in gold will provide valuable insights into (1) the environmental conditions of native gold formation and related processes of ore deposition, (2) possible geochemical differences between inclusion fluids trapped in different cogenetic hosts, (3) past continental climates, and (4) variation of the oxygen isotope composition of ocean water through geologic time.
