Natural History (Pliny) developed for counterfeit coins and proved very popular with the victims, mostly ordinary people. He deals with the liquid metal mercury, also found in silver mines. He records that it is toxic, and amalgamates with gold, so is used for refining and extracting that metal. He says mercury is used for gilding copper, while antimony is found in silver mines and is used as an eyebrow cosmetic. The main ore of mercury is cinnabar, long used as a pigment by painters. He says that the colour is similar to "scolecium", probably the kermes insect. The dust is very toxic, so
Ore genesis classified hydrothermal deposits as "hypothermal", "mesothermal", "epithermal", and "telethermal". Epithermal deposits are hydrothermal ore deposits formed at low temperatures (50-200 °C) near the Earth´s surface (<1500 m), that fill veins, breccias, and stockworks. The age of formation of epithermal deposits in México is currently being investigated. "As they require the conjunction of specific environmental conditions to form, particular mineral deposit types tend to occupy specific geodynamic niches," therefore, this page has been organised by metal commodity. It is also possible to organise theories the other way, namely according to geological criteria of formation. Often ores of the same metal can