Geologist Job Description

The earth's crust is a big mystery in itself! Although, mankind has been successful in studying the earth's crust, there is yet a lot more to be discovered and known about! But still, one can say that we've gained considerable knowledge about earth and the mysterious and interesting facts about it. Do you know the people behind these efforts? You've guessed it right! Those are geologists.

Certainly, people rushing out for careers in medicine and finance is a common sight. However, people going for a career in geology are very rare! This is because becoming a geologist is not that easy! Of course, pursuing a career in anything is not that simple as it requires a lot of commitment and honest hard work! But with geology, I would say that, only people with a special liking towards studying the earth go for it.

Who is a geologist anyway? Through the previous text, you must have got an idea of who is a geologist. However, geologists can be defined as people who study the earth's crust and design perfect information and picture about its history, structure and composition. For construction companies, petroleum companies, diamond companies, etc., geologists are an encyclopedia, who would provide them a detailed insight of everything associated with earth. No wonder, geologists are recruited at large pay packages by all such organizations. Now there are various types of geologists. There are petroleum geologists, wellsite geologists, oceanographers etc. So let us have look at the geologist job description for all these types.

Job Description of a Geologist

Although the core duties of a geologist are to study the earth crust and prepare a proper information and picture of the same, there are some more duties and tasks that a geologist has to perform. Read on to know about the duties and responsibilities of different types of geologists.

Engineering Geologist Job Description
Engineering geologist deals with the technical analysis of the factors related to the earth and also the determination and assessment of various geological hazards. They also determine the integrity of various components of earth, such as rocks, soil and ground water, before the beginning of construction projects. Their other duties are, to study the entire site and provide complete information to the client for the same. Further, they are also involved in planning field investigations by drilling and analyzing the bedrock samples, supervising the investigation work, preparing a detailed document of the study, alerting the client on potential problems relating to the site and also coordinating with the staff for better and effective client service.

Wellsite Geologist Job Description
Wellsite geologists are concerned with the study of rock cuttings obtained from gas and oil wells and to assess the correctness and procedure of drilling of rock formations. Wellsite geologists work on the site itself, therefore their main work is to supervise and take relevant decision pertaining to the drilling procedures. They also have to coordinate with petroleum engineers, drilling engineers and mudloggers during the entire project. Preparing a detailed documentation of the entire project and producing information whenever required, supervising FEMWD, mudlogging activity and wireline services staff, also forms an important part of the wellsite geologist's job description.

Petroleum Geologist Job Description
Oil and petroleum industry is certainly amongst the biggest industries in the world. Petroleum companies often require (or they permanently hire) petroleum geologists. Petroleum geologists are also known as petrologists. They are involved in the study of the earth's crust and finding out traces of oil, petroleum or natural gas in it. They mainly bring about explosions or explosive sounds in the earth's crust. The sonograms thus obtained from such activities help them find out the traces of oil or petrol in the earth's crust. Petroleum geologists work at sea as well as land sites.

Oceanographers
Oceanography is an interesting study of the ocean and is very much a branch of geology! Oceanographers as the name suggests, are responsible to carry out a detailed study of the oceans and look out for vital discoveries, that would benefit their client. Oceanographers are trained in the study of soils, atmospheric physics and paleontology. Till date, it is due to the oceanographers, that many huge historical ships, sunk at the bottom of the ocean have been found out.

Geologist Salary Range and Educational Requirements

Experience and educational qualification are the most important salary deciding factors of a geologist. Entry level or least experienced geologists get paid around USD 35000 - USD 50000, whereas geologists with an experience of 1 - 4 years earn somewhere in the range of USD 40000 - USD 53000. Geologists with an experience of around 5 - 10 years get paid somewhere between USD 46000 - USD 63000. Those with 10 - 20 years of experience earn USD 52000 - USD 70000. The most experienced (more than 20 years) in this business earn anywhere in the range of USD 53000 - USD 92000. With regards to the educational requirements of a geologist, with a bachelor's degree in geology, the work is confined to field study and lab related work. However, for higher consulting positions or planning positions, an advanced degree or a doctoral degree is required.

Geology is a great career and also the career opportunities for the same are excellent. Hopefully, this information on job description of a geologist, proves useful and it also enables you to find various options, when it comes to selecting the right career path in geology. All the Best!!