Heinrich, Christoph A., Prof. Dr.

Secretary:
B. Meyer
Telefon: +41 44 632 37 64
Fax: +41 44 632 18 27
E-Mail: meyer@erdw.ethz.ch

Christoph A. Heinrich is Professor of Economic Geology at the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology. Chris Heinrich's Fluids and Mineral Deposits Group trains students in the geology of mineral resources and maintains a research program focused on geological fluid processes leading to the enrichment of technically important elements in economic ore deposits. Since similar fluid processes are responsible for heat transport in the earths crust, the group recently is also taking an active research interest in deep geothermal energy in Switzerland (see CCES-GEOTHERM project).

The basis of most mineral resource projects are geological field investigations, which are commonly obtained by collaboration of graduate students with the international minerals industry. These field data are then complemented with novel analytical techniques developed in the laboratory (fluid and melt inclusions microanalysis, isotope geochronology and other techniques). Numerical process models are designed to integrate these diverse observational data and to eventually apply the basic understanding of natural fluid-rock interaction processes to help in the global exploration for essential earth resources.

Chris Heinrich studied geology and petrology at the ETH Zurich and then worked for a while with an international exploration company. After completing a PhD on alpine high-pressure metamorphism, he moved to Australia where he worked as a research scientist in ore deposit geology for 11 years, first as a postdoc at CSIRO in Sydney, and later at the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (now Geoscience Australia) in association with the Australian National University in Canberra. In 1988 he was awarded the inaugural 'Paul Niggli Medal' and recently obtained the Silver Medal of the Society of Economic Geologists. From 2002 to 2007 he served as Head of Studies responsible for the introduction of the new BSc - MSc curriculum in earth sciences at ETH and the University of Zurich. He lead the planning and fundraising for focusTerra, the new earth science museum and information centre of ETH Zurich to be opened in 2009.

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Publications