Volcanoes occur around the world and erupt more often than we realise. Have you ever wondered why some countries have more volcanoes than others? Why some seem to erupt violently with ash plumes that extend far into the atmosphere, while others spew runny lava that you could easily walk away from? Most volcanoes occur around the edge of the Earth’s tectonic plates. Some are submarine, erupting quietly in the deep ocean, while others are on land and more likely to cause devastation and loss of life.

Kelsie Dadd’s research has focussed on ancient volcanoes; up to 500 million years old. The ancient volcanic rocks and the sedimentary rocks that enclose them give us clues to the environment in which the volcanoes erupted – was it under water or on land, was the water a lake, a river, shallow or deep ocean? What was the plate tectonic setting and how violent was the eruption? Can these past eruptions be used to predict the style of future eruptions. Dadd uses the nature of the sedimentary rocks, the texture of the volcanic particles, and the chemistry of the rocks and volcanic ash to determine the past environment, conditions and eruptive style.

Dadd’s research has taken her to interesting places, largely in Australia but also overseas. While her early research was all on land, the latter part was at sea with about nine months of her life spent on marine research vessels. The crew have dredged rocks, scraped up the mud of the sea floor and drilled holes back into Earth’s history. Dadd has had the privilege to examine, analyse and interpret these rare specimens to shed light on our volcanic past.