Understanding how these islands formed and are currently evolving is important to the animals and people who live on the islands, as well as people who visit them. In addition, sometimes volcanic processes can lead to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. In order to know how to prepare for such natural hazards, scientists must understand the processes that cause them. One on the favorite aspects of my research is scientific discovery. It is fascinating to discover a new volcano or to reveal new subsurface structure of a previously known volcano.
Discovery provides completely new understanding and feeds the imagination.
Another aspect that I love about my research is using computer simulations to examine the physical processes governing the evolution of volcanic systems. Computer models are powerful tools which allows me to test my hypotheses and to look into the Earth's possible past and future. Scientists first predicted the existence of mantle plumes over 30 years ago in order to explain the formation of volcanic island chains such as Hawaii. Recently, seismologists have revealed the first image of a plume-like structure beneath Iceland, suggesting that mantle plumes actually exist.