Copper, lead, and silver isotopes solve a major economic conundrum of Tudor and early Stuart Europe

Research Article| February 01, 2013 Copper, lead, and silver isotopes solve a major economic conundrum of Tudor and early Stuart Europe Anne-Marie Desaulty; Anne-Marie Desaulty 1Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université de Lyon 1, and CNRS, 69007 Lyon, France Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Francis Albarede Francis Albarede 1Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université de Lyon 1, and CNRS, 69007 Lyon, France2Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Anne-Marie Desaulty 1Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université de Lyon 1, and CNRS, 69007 Lyon, France Francis Albarede 1Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université de Lyon 1, and CNRS, 69007 Lyon, France2Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77030, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 24 Apr 2012 Revision Received: 26 Jul 2012 Accepted: 02 Aug 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2013 Geological Society of America Geology (2013) 41 (2): 135–138. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33555.1 Article history Received: 24 Apr 2012 Revision Received: 26 Jul 2012 Accepted: 02 Aug 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Anne-Marie Desaulty, Francis Albarede; Copper, lead, and silver isotopes solve a major economic conundrum of Tudor and early Stuart Europe. Geology 2013;; 41 (2): 135–138. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33555.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The unrelenting economic inflation of A.D. 1515–1650 in Europe has been variously explained by the influx of silver from Mexico and the Viceroyalty of Peru (now Bolivia), the growth of the European population, and the decline of the silver market price. Silver, copper, and lead isotope analyses of A.D. 1550–1650 English coinage show a dominance of silver from Europe and Mexico, contrasting with a spectacularly small contribution from the Viceroyalty of Peru. This observation contrasts with the registration of metal production in the mines of the Spanish Americas. Hence the question: Where did Potosí silver go? This novel observation indicates that silver from Mexico was exported eastward, whereas Potosí silver flowed westward. However, aware of the Pacific route of the silver trade, scholars never agreed upon the volumes transported. Our work demonstrates that there was a Potosí-China route, and that it was largely disconnected from the Mexico-Europe routes. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.