Copahue crater lake with glacier in the back and HCl fumes evading from the lake surface
Copahue Crater Lake
Translates as "Sulfur Lake" in native Mapuche tongue
Copahue crater lake with glacier in the back and HCl
fumes evading from the lake surface
LOCATION: Volcan
Copahue
Andes Mountains,
Neuquen Province, Argentina
VOLCANIC FORM:
Quaternary Stratovolcano
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A Cascade of 'Battery Acid':A Convecting Cauldron:What is thought to be molten sulfur rises to the surface of Lake Copahue, forming yellow- and grey-colored slicks that grow, shrink, and swirl among turquoise waters.
Volcan Copahue is a 3 km high quaternary volcano situated in a 20 km diameter caldera at the eastern side of the Andes (about 37 oS). The volcano is built of breccias and lava flows, but only a few fresh lavas are found. The volcano is rounded by past glacier actions, with a small modern glacier and a row of cinder cones from the yougest eruptions at the summit. The summit crater lake of about 200 m diameter is bordered by the glacier and phreatic debris layers. The water temperature varies between 25 and at 55 oC and has a pH value of 0.35.
The Rio Agrio, with a pH ~ 0.5, on Volcan Copahue. Many yellowish efflourescent minerals (e.g., halotrichite, copiatite) grow on the rocks as a result of splash evaporation.
Fluids discharging from springs in the summit region feed the Rio Agrio, which acidifies the large glacial "two-finger" lake Caviahue in the caldera plain. The lake explodes at irregular intervals, most recently in 1995-1996. The water column is then instantaneously turned into steam, creating a huge vapor plume lumbering over the landscape. Small nodules of chilled sulfur and lake bed sediments are ejected as well, creating a dark fall-out lobe on the bright white snow cover.At present, Wesleyan University is conducting a geochemical study of Copahue hydrothermal system. This study aims to determine (1) the element fluxes, (2) rates and extent of acid water-rock interactions, and (3) a time series of the lake composition. This information will be combined into a model for monitoring and predicting volcanic activity at Copahue (See more detailed chemistry of Copahue system- linked page soon to be added).
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1. Title: The hydrothermal system of Copahue Volcano, Argentina.
Authors: Herman, S; Varekamp, J.C; Bermudez, A; Delpino,
D.
Book Title: AGU 1997 fall meeting.
Source: Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union,
Pages 807. 1997.
Volume: 78, no. 46, suppl.
Year: 1997
Publisher: American Geophysical Union. Washington, DC,
United States.
2. Title: Alteracion acido-sulfatica en el campo geotermico
Copahue, Provincia de Neuquen
Translated Title: Acid sulfate alteration in the Copahue
geothermal field, Neuquen Province, Argentina.
Authors: Mas, Graciela R; Mas, Luis C; Bengochea, Leandro
Source: Revista de la Asociacion Geologica Argentina.
51; 1, Pages 78-86.
Year: 1996
Publisher: Asociacion Geologica Argentina. Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
3. Title: Feasibility study of Copahue Geothermal
Development Project, Argentina.
Authors: Fujita, Taketoshi; Abe, Makoto; Yamada, Mamoru;
Nakanishi, Shigetaka; Todaka, Norifumi.
Source: Chinetsu = Journal of the Japan Geothermal Energy
Association. 33; 1, Pages 39-55.
Year: 1996
Publisher: Nihon Chinetsu Chosakai. Tokyo, Japan.
4. Title: Las cloritas del campo geotermico
Copahue, Neuquen
Translated Title: Chlorites from the Copahue geothermal
field, Neuquen.
Authors: Mas, Graciela R; Mas, Luis Carlos; Bengochea, Leandro.
Source: Revista de la Asociacion Geologica Argentina.
51; 2, Pages 177-184.
Year: 1996
Publisher: Asociacion Geologica Argentina. Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
5. Title: Eruptions of pyroclastic sulphur at Crater Lake
of Copahue Volcano, Argentina.
Authors: Delpino, D.H; Bermudes, A.M.
Book Title: International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics;
XXI general assembly; abstracts.
Source: International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics,
General Assembly. 21, Week B; Pages 410.
Year: 1995
6. Title: Evolucion vulcano-tectonica del complejo efusivo
Copahue-Caviahue y su modelo geotermico preliminar
Translated Title: Volcano-tectonic evolution of the Copahue-Caviahue
extrusive complex and its preliminary geothermal model.
Authors: Pesce, A.H.
Book Title: In: Actas del Decimo congreso geologico argentino.
Book Authors: Acenolaza, Florencio G (chairperson)
Source: Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino. 10, Vol.
4; Pages 246-248.
Year: 1987
Publisher: Asociacion Geologica Argentina. Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
7. Title: Isotopic and geothermal study of the vapor dominated
geothermal system of Copahue, Neuquen, Argentine Republic.
Authors: Panarello, Hector Osvaldo; Levin, Manuel; Albero,
Miguel Clemente; Sierra, Jose Luis; Gingins, Mario Omar
Book Title: In: Edicao especial com os trabalhos do encontro
internacional de Geotermia e energia geotermica
Translated Title: Special issue and papers of the international
meeting on Geothermics and geothermal energy.
Book Authors: Hamza,V. M. (editor); Frangipani, A (editor);
Beck, A. E. (editor); Ribeiro, F.B. (editor)
Source: Revista Brasileira de Geofisica. 5; 2, Pages 275-282.
Year: 1987
Publisher: Sociedade Brasileira de Geofisica. Sao Paulo,
Brazil.
8. Title: La energia geotermica y posibilidades de su aprovechamiento
en Copahue
Translated Title: Geothermal energy; possibility of utilization
in Copahue.
Authors: Moreno, G.E.
Source: Boletin Geografico. 9; Pages 7-28. .
Year: 1981
Publisher: Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Facultad
de Humanidades, Departamento de Geografia. [Neuquen], Argentina.
9. Title: La laguna del crater del volcan Copahue (provincia
de Neuquen); dinamica de su mineralizacion y relaciones con otras manifestaciones
geotermicas locales
Translated Title: The crater lake of Copahue Volcano (Neuquen
Province); dynamics of its mineralization and relationship with other local
geothermal manifestations.
Authors: Mange, Juan
Book Authors: Rolleri, E.O. (president)
Source: Actas del Congreso Geologico Argentino. 7, Tomo
II, Pages 161-175.
Year: 1979
Publisher: Asociacion Geologica Argentina. Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
10. Title: Some reflections on the fumarolic manifestations
of the Los Copahues crater.
Authors: Casertano, Lorenzo
Source: Bulletin of Volcanology. 27; Pages 197-215.
(IAVCEI). Heidelberg, International.
Year: 1964
Publisher: Springer International [for the] International
Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior