Martin Gasser

Martin Gasser, born 1975 in Switzerland, graduated with a M.Sc. in Earth Sciences from the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2003. His research topic was glacial history in the tropics where he mapped the highest volcano of North America, Citlaltepetl (Pico de Orizaba) in Mexico.

He always loved mountains and was utterly fascinated by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 when he was 5 years old. As a child he got to know Iceland by reading volcano books. From the age of 19, Gasser has been an active research speleologist, which is especially challenging in the huge cave systems of the Swiss Alps.

In 2004 he first came to Iceland, visiting his future wife at her mapping work in East Iceland. In 2008 Gasser worked amongst others as a mountain guide in Iceland and was an ESA astronaut aspirant because he wanted to do geology on the moon. In 2009 he moved to Hveragerði, SW-Iceland, together with his family.

In 2012 he got offered a position as curator at Breiðdalssetur Geology Centre in Breiðdalsvík/East Iceland. His duties were teaching local geology, volcanology and mineralogy. As well he was in charge for the relocation and build-up of the complete Drill core archive of Iceland in Breiðdalsvík.

Collaboration between Breiðdalssetur and The Exploration Museum in Húsavík/North Iceland lead to meeting Michael Chalmer Dunn, founder and CEO of 4th Planet Logistics, at the Explorers Festival 2016 in Húsavík.

Gasser is a member of both the Icelandic and Swiss Speleological societies. As a geologist specialized in volcanology and glacial geology, lava tubes are one of his key interest and expertise. It is due to his connections that 4th Planet Logistics has a test site in West Iceland.

In 2017 he moved back to his home country Switzerland where he is working on putting up the European branch of 4th Planet Logistics. He is the geological consultant and supervisor of field operations at 4th Planet Logistics’ cave test site in West Iceland.