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Career Description

Study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. May use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. May study the Earth's internal composition, atmospheres, and oceans, and its magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces. Includes mineralogists, paleontologists, stratigraphers, geodesists, and seismologists.

What Job Titles Geoscientists Might Have

• Geologist
• Geophysicist
• Geoscientist
• Project Geologist

What Geoscientists Do

• Plan or conduct geological, geochemical, or geophysical field studies or surveys, sample collection, or drilling and testing programs used to collect data for research or application.
• Analyze and interpret geological data, using computer software.
• Investigate the composition, structure, or history of the Earth's crust through the collection, examination, measurement, or classification of soils, minerals, rocks, or fossil remains.
• Analyze and interpret geological, geochemical, or geophysical information from sources, such as survey data, well logs, bore holes, or aerial photos.
• Identify risks for natural disasters, such as mudslides, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions.
• Prepare geological maps, cross-sectional diagrams, charts, or reports concerning mineral extraction, land use, or resource management, using results of fieldwork or laboratory research.
• Communicate geological findings by writing research papers, participating in conferences, or teaching geological science at universities.
• Locate and estimate probable natural gas, oil, or mineral ore deposits or underground water resources, using aerial photographs, charts, or research or survey results.
• Advise construction firms or government agencies on dam or road construction, foundation design, land use, or resource management.
• Measure characteristics of the Earth, such as gravity or magnetic fields, using equipment such as seismographs, gravimeters, torsion balances, or magnetometers.
• Locate and review research articles or environmental, historical, or technical reports.
• Conduct geological or geophysical studies to provide information for use in regional development, site selection, or development of public works projects.
• Review environmental, historical, or technical reports and publications for accuracy.
• Assess ground or surface water movement to provide advice on issues, such as waste management, route and site selection, or the restoration of contaminated sites.
• Inspect construction projects to analyze engineering problems, using test equipment or drilling machinery.
• Provide advice on the safe siting of new nuclear reactor projects or methods of nuclear waste management.
• Design geological mine maps, monitor mine structural integrity, or advise and monitor mining crews.
• Review work plans to determine the effectiveness of activities for mitigating soil or groundwater contamination.
• Test industrial diamonds or abrasives, soil, or rocks to determine their geological characteristics, using optical, x-ray, heat, acid, or precision instruments.
• Study historical climate change indicators found in locations, such as ice sheets or rock formations to develop climate change models.
• Develop strategies for more environmentally friendly resource extraction and reclamation.
• Identify deposits of construction materials suitable for use as concrete aggregates, road fill, or other applications.
• Identify new sources of platinum group elements for industrial applications, such as automotive fuel cells or pollution abatement systems.
• Locate potential sources of geothermal energy.
• Research ways to reduce the ecological footprint of increasingly prevalent megacities.
• Collaborate with medical or health researchers to address health problems related to geological materials or processes.
• Determine ways to mitigate the negative consequences of mineral dust dispersion.
• Identify possible sites for carbon sequestration projects.
• Develop ways to capture or use gases burned off as waste during oil production processes.
• Research geomechanical or geochemical processes to be used in carbon sequestration projects.

What Geoscientists Should Be Good At

• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Geoscientists Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Geoscientists Need to Learn

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.