Emeritus Professor Richard Arculus

Professor Arculus is an igneous petrologist and geochemist. He has spent much of his academic career studying the products of volcanoes, both subaerial and submarine, particularly in the western Pacific and the global “ring of fire”.

He engages in field studies, laboratory analyses, and modelling to understand the consequences of recycling variably hydrated and carbonated, surficial rocks and sediments, back into the Earth’s interior. These consequences inter alia relate to the explosive and dangerous eruptions of volcanoes along the ring of fire, generation and recycling of the Earth’s continental crust, and secular evolution of the Earth’s mantle.

Professor Arculus has been involved for more than 30 years with the various incarnations of global scientific ocean drilling, leading Australian membership of the relevant international organisations, and a major user of Australia’s marine national facility – currently comprising the RV Investigator – and previously the RVs Franklin and Southern Surveyor.

He has been interviewed at length about his upbringing, interests, and scientific career on radio by Margaret Throsby and Richard Fidler. His insights, particularly into the eruptions of volcanoes such as White Island and Mt Agung, have been sought both for radio and television news and commentaries.