Ilias Koufogiannis – ESR. 7

About Me

I am a team member of the Institute of Applied Mineralogy and Economic Geology, based in Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH). The team is led by Professor Thomas Wagner, who is also my supervisor. My geological roots begin in the University of Patras, Greece, where I carried out undergraduate Geology studies followed by a master’s degree, where I focused more on Petrology and Geochemistry. During that time, I had the chance to study high-pressure metamorphic rocks from the Attico-Cycladic Massif of the Hellenides, under the supervision of Professor Ioannis Iliopoulos. Afterwards, I worked for almost 3.5 years at the Hellenic Survey of Geology and Mineral Exploration, in a position related mainly to the Geochemistry of geothermal fluids and the monitoring of Volcanic activity in the Southern Aegean Volcanic Arc, as part of a team led by Georgios Vougioukalakis, chief Volcanologist of the Survey. This fusion of different disciplines I came across sparked my interest in fluid-rock interaction processes.

About the project

During this project, we will blend field and lab work, focusing on the investigation of fluid-rock interaction by means of major and trace element analysis of minerals and fluid inclusions in different geological settings. These include low-grade regional metamorphic metasediments, as well as contact metamorphic and metasomatic rocks. We will also experimentally investigate halogen distribution between aqueous fluids and hydrous mineral phases. Moreover, we aim to contribute to the development of analytical methods for measurement of low contents of Cl, Br and I in hydrous mineral phases using LA-ICP-MS and EPMA.