Quantitative methods are widely used for characterization of hydrothermal mineral systems and in mineral prospectivity analysis. These methods generally involve 2D or 3D modelling of geological data using sophisticated computational tools such as numerical simulation, geophysical inversion, image processing and visualization, GIS and spatial analyses, data mining and knowledge discovery, etc. These computer-based techniques allow integrated interpretations of a wide variety of exploration data, e.g., lithological, tectonostratigraphic, structural, geochemical, geothermal, geophysical, multispectral/hyperspectral/thermal remote sensing, and digital elevation data, and thus lead to significantly improved understanding of mineral systems. An important utilitarian outcome of these techniques is mineral prospectivity mapping.

Because hydrothermal mineral systems may share many characteristics with present-day geothermal systems, the quantitative techniques developed for mineralization systems studies are being increasingly and successfully applied to geothermal system studies.

This session provides a platform for the latest research in quantitative methods as applied to hydrothermal ore deposits and geothermal energy systems. Contributions are invited from prospective authors with interest in one or more of the following research themes in relation to hydrothermal and geothermal system studies:

• Numerical models of rock deformation, heat transfer, fluid flow, and reactive transport processes
• Multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal and radar remote sensing applied to targeting hydrothermal and geothermal systems
• GIS-based or GIS-assisted prospectivity mapping of mineral deposits and geothermal energy fields
• Visualisation, modelling and spatial analysis of geological data such as lithological, tectonostratigraphic, structural, geochemical, geothermal, geophysical and multispectral/hyperspectral data;
• Geophysical inversion

Invited speaker is Carsten Laukamp (CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering, Perth): "Application of Hyperspectral Methods in Hydrothermal Mineral System Studies"