Ayrton Hamilton is a PhD student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His Research has been focused analysing the link between adularia-sericite epithermal mineralisation and surface manifestations of geothermal systems, particularly focused on siliceous sinter deposits.

Mark Simpson is a Geothermal / Minerals geologist with GNS Science based at Wairakei, Taupo working on both research and commercial projects for the past 6.5 years. Prior joining GNS, he worked as a reasearch associate (0.8 FTE) at The Univeristy of Auckland investigating epithermal Au-Ag deposits. At that same time, he ran his own consultancy company providing mineralogic solutions to numerous mining and geothermal companies.

Richard is a geoscientist with 25 years of experience in exploration geophysics. He is a registered geoscientist in Canada, and a member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. He has experience in mineral exploration, petroleum exploration, and the environmental industry. For 20 years he was based in Canada where he worked on a wide range of minerals related projects including geophysical research on nickel, PGE, and massive sulphide deposits in Ontario, Quebec, and Nunavut, and kimberlites in Alberta. On returning to New Zealand in 2012, he worked at New Zealand Energy Corp. before joining the Marine Geoscience department at GNS.

Tony Christie is a Senior Minerals Geologist with GNS Science, Lower Hutt. Between 1980 and 1985, Tony worked for the minerals group of BP Oil (NZ) Ltd, exploring for Au, Mo and W deposits in New Zealand. In 1985, Tony joined New Zealand Geological Survey, later restructured as GNS Science, where his research has included projects on epithermal and orogenic Au, ironsand and clay deposits, 1:50,000 scale regional geological mapping, geochemical mapping, and mineral resource assessments.

Dr. Jillian Aira S. Gabo-Ratio is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman. She obtained her Doctor of Engineering degree from the Department of Earth Resources Engineering in Kyushu University, Japan and her MS and BS Geology degrees from the University of the Philippines. Her research interests include epithermal gold and porphyry copper mineralization in the Philippines as well as the petrological characterization of the deposits’ host lithologies.