In this episode I am joined by Doctor Natalia Gauer Pasqualon, a volcanologist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The focus of this episode is volcanology, which is the study of volcanoes and geochemical phenomena.We first discuss how Natalia decided to study geology for her undergraduate degree and how Natalia ended up finishing two PhDs in volcanology. Then we get into volcanology. Natalia defines what a Volcano is, the difference between lava and magma, hotspots, the different types of volcanoes, volcanic eruptions, underwater volcanoes, super volcanoes, the terabytes of data she has to work with and much more. I hope you enjoy!

PAPERS:

Natalia’s PhD Thesis: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/101a9715-d88a-4983-a2b6-e03d505cd503

Kīlauea lava fuels phytoplankton bloom in the North Pacific Ocean: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aax4767

Growth and degradation of Hawaiian volcanoes: https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/pp18013

ARTICLES:

Oceanic Hotspots: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/plate-tectonics-oceanic-hotspots.htm

Volcanic Eruptions: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/volcanoes/volcanic-eruptions.htm

Update on the July 23 Biscuit Basin hydrothermal explosion: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/news/240723.htm

Marine life's latest hotspot could be an underwater volcano primed to erupt off Oregon: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/15/nx-s1-5398591/underwater-volcano-eruption-oregon

What is a supervolcano? What is a supereruption?: https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-supervolcano-what-a-supereruption

Man dies after rescue from restricted area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/man-dies-hawaii-volcanoes-national-park-rcna262100

BOOKS:

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

MUSIC INTRO/OUTRO:

Music: massobeats - warmth (https://youtu.be/slnUKMhcQUs)

CONNECT:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-dolinay-frm-96a289106/

GitHub: https://github.com/ad17171717 X: https://twitter.com/DolinayG

Odysee: https://odysee.com/@adriandolinay:0

Medium: https://medium.com/@adriandolinay

PODCAST:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-aspiring-stem-geek/id1765996824

Audible: https://www.audible.com/podcast/The-Aspiring-STEM-Geek/B0DC73S9SN

iHeart Radio: https://iheart.com/podcast/202676097/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/60dPNJbDPaPw7ru8g5btxV

|-Video Chapters-|

0:00 – Intro

1:17 – Why Natália decided to study geology for her undergraduate

4:51 – Natália earning two PhDs

8:56 – Defining what a Volcano is

10:38 – Defining Volcanology

10:57 – The geochemistry of Volcanoes

13:36 – Lava vs Magma

15:05 – Hotspots

17:38 – Modeling lava flow

18:59 – The types of Volcanoes

21:26 – The most common Volcano type in Hawaii

22:19 – The types of Volcanic eruptions

24:46 – Which Volcano type is most dangerous?

28:21 – How well can we forecast Volcanic eruptions?

33:32 – Accessing Volcanoes as a researcher

34:50 – Collecting data during Volcanic activity

39:09 – Super Volcanoes

41:47 – Yellowstone

43:19 – Submarine Volcanoes

48:42 – The lifecycle of a Volcano in Hawaii

54:37 – Natália’s research for her PhD thesis

1:03:51 – The dangers of Volcanoes

1:06:17 – Volcanic soil for growing agriculture

1:07:48 – Housing near Volcano hazard zones

1:08:37 – Wildlife near Volcanoes

1:10:03 – How to get started in Volcanology

1:11:59 – Coolest Volcanoes Natália has seen

1:14:06 – Places to check out if you visit Brazil

1:17:12 – Brazilian cinematography and music

1:19:21 – Book recommendation