COPAHUE VOLCANO, ARGENTINA: INTRODUCING ‘EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS' ON EARTH TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

The small village of Caviahue is nestled in the shadow of Copahue Volcano on the Chilean border in the Argentinean Andes. Naturally breathtaking Patagonia - as found in Caviahue - is further complemented by the presence of active volcanism, Araucaria trees and naturally acidic fluids (pH 0-3). We recently visited this exciting area and gave presentations on the field work to high school students in Middletown and Stonington, CT. These talks highlight the nature of geological field work while touching on some important basic concepts in earth science. The “ring of fire” and importance of subduction zone volcanism in mountain building was driven home by showing photos of the sharp relief found in the Caviahue region. Volcanic emissions, and their potential geothermal energy power, are introduced, with a discussion about the acidity of the crater lake and volcanic hot spring. A subterranean aqueous reservoir scrubs all the volcanic emissions, leading to a cell of very hot and acid water. The effect of these acid fluids on the local watershed was demonstrated with pictures and discussion of the acidic (pH 2-3) glacial Lake Caviahue. The precipitation of secondary iron sulfate minerals as an effect of volcanic brine dilution is demonstrated with images of the pervasive ochreous orange-red mineral Schwertmannite found in the more dilute section of the local river that drains the volcano. Indigenous knowledge and culture was incorporated through discussion of Mapuchi history and mythology. Caviahue translates into “the meeting place” in Mapuchi and the volcanic waters are considered magical. Mapuchi legend holds that Lake Caviahue was a hole connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Eastern Andes. The importance of Copahue Volcano to the local economy was highlighted by a discussion of the mud bath driven tourist industry and geothermal power production that occur in Caviahue. We plan to continue developing the use of Copahue Volcano as a mechanism for place-based teaching with particular emphasis being put on developing a chemistry-based lesson for high school level chemistry classes as well as a cultural based presentation for Spanish classes.