DANBURY, CONN. — Wesleyan University volcanologist Dr. Johan Varekamp will explore the unique chemistry of volcanic crater lakes from Argentina to Indonesia in a lecture presented on Thursday, Oct. 23, as part of the “Science at Night” series sponsored by Western Connecticut State University.

A specialist in geochemistry, Varekamp’s field research on the highly acidic chemical composition of the crater lakes of active volcanoes has taken him to the rim of the Copahue volcano in the Andean range along the border of Argentina and Chile, as well as Pacific Rim volcanic summits in Japan, Indonesia and Vanuatu. His lecture will provide insights into the relationship between the volatile and often toxic chemical combinations found in the waters of volcanic crater lakes and recent advances in understanding geochemical processes within volcanoes that produce periodic gas and lava eruptions.

Admission will be free to attend the lecture starting at 7 p.m. in Room 125 of the Science Building on WestConn’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The WCSU “Science at Night” lecture series provides a forum for specialists in a wide range of fields to present scientific topics of general interest to the academic community and the public. A reception with light refreshments in the Science Building atrium will be offered following the talk.

Varekamp’s talk, titled “Acid Crater Lakes: Colored Windows into Active Volcanoes,” will provide a rare glimpse into the acidic chemical brew present in crater lakes, created by the capture of volcanic gases and interaction with volcanic rock deep beneath the surface. Some chemists believe that the resulting high mineral concentration found in these lakes, often including toxic levels of mercury and arsenic, may provide a hint of the composition of waters that covered earth, and possibly even Mars, at the early stages of their formation.

Varekamp noted the Copahue summit crater lake, at a temperature of around 130 degrees Fahrenheit and a pH content of 0.35, reaches an acidity level comparable to battery acid. The lake’s changing color mirrors subsurface chemical processes, enabling scientists to forecast probable eruptions, he observed.

Varekamp is the Harold T. Stearns Professor of Earth Sciences and chair of the department of earth and environmental sciences at Wesleyan University in Middletown. Known as a dynamic lecturer and public speaker and a popular mentor for undergraduate research at Wesleyan, Varekamp also has written numerous articles published in professional journals and general interest publications about his research on volcanic chemistry, as well as the distribution and effect of mercury contamination in Connecticut and Long Island Sound. He earned his Ph.D. at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

For more information about the lecture, contact WCSU Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Sciences Dr. Ruth Gyure at (203) 837-8796 or gyurer@wcsu.edu, or the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

 
Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York.
Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.