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A video that tells what geology is about.

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In this article, you will find out about the variety of jobs associated with geology and what type of studying and work they do.

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As we mentioned, there are many varieties of geology. There is so much to know about our home planet that most geologists become specialists in one area. These specialties are known as branches of geology, and have specific titles. For example, a mineralogist studies minerals while a seismologist monitors earthquakes to help protect people and property from harm (figure 1).

Volcanologists brave molten lava to study volcanoes. Scientists who compare the geology of other planets to Earth are planetary geologists. Some geologists study the Moon. Others look for petroleum. Still others specialize in studying soil. Some geologists can tell how old rocks are and determine how different rock layers formed (figure 2). There is probably an expert in almost anything you can think of related to Earth!

Geologists might study rivers and lakes, the underground water found between soil and rock particles, or even water that is frozen in glaciers. Earth scientists also need geographers who explore the features of Earth's surface and work with cartographers, who make maps. Studying the layers of rock beneath the surface helps us to understand the history of planet Earth.

Some Branches of Geology

As you've seen, different branches of geology study one particular part of earth. Since all of the branches are connected, specialists work together to answer complicated questions. Let's look at some other important branches of geology.

Geochemistry

Geochemistry is the study of the chemical processes which form and shape the Earth. It includes the study of the cycles of matter and energy which transport the Earth's chemical components and the interaction of these cycles with the hydrosphere and the atmosphere.

It is a subfield of inorganic chemistry, which is concerned with the properties of all the elements in the periodic table and their compounds. Inorganic chemistry investigates the characteristics of substances that are not organic, such as nonliving matter and minerals found in the Earth's crust.

Oceanography

Oceanography is the study of the composition and motion of the water column and the processes which are responsible for that motion. The principal oceanographic processes influencing continental shelf waters include waves and tides as well as wind-driven and other oceanic currents. Understanding the oceanography of shelf waters and the influence this has on seabed dynamics, contributes to a wide range of activities such as the following:

assessment of offshore petroleum production infrastructure

seabed mapping and characterisation for environmental management

marine biodiversity surrogacy research

assessment of renewable energy potential

Paleontology

Paleontologists are interested in fossils and how ancient organisms lived. Paleontology is the study of fossils and what they reveal about the history of our planet. In marine environments, microfossils collected within in layers of sediment cores provide a rich source of information about the environmental history of an area.

Sedimentology

Sedimentology is the study of sediment grains in marine and other deposits, with a focus on physical properties and the processes which form a deposit. Deposition is a geological process where geological material is added to a landform. Key physical properties of interest include:

the size and shape of sediment grains

the degree of sorting of a deposit

the composition of grains within a deposit

sedimentary structures.

These properties together provide a record of the mechanisms active during sediment transportation and deposition which allows the interpretation of the environmental conditions that produced a sediment deposit, either in modern settings or in the geological record.

Additional Branches

Benthic Ecology. Benthic ecology is the study of living things on the seafloor and how they interact with their environment.

Biostratigraphy. Biostratigraphy is the branch of stratigraphy that uses fossils to establish relative ages of rock and correlate successions of sedimentary rocks within and between depositional basins.

Geochronology. Geochronology is a discipline of geoscience which measures the age of earth materials and provides the temporal framework in which other geoscience data can be interpreted in the context of Earth history.

Geophysics. Information relating to various techniques including: airborne electromagnetics, gravity, magnetics, magnetotellurics, radiometrics, rock properties and seismic.

Marine Geochemistry. Marine geochemistry is the science used to help develop an understanding of the composition of coastal and marine water and sediments.

Marine Geophysics. Marine geophysics is a scientific discipline which uses the quantitative observation of physical properties to understand the seafloor and sub-seafloor geology.

Marine Surveying. The survey environment varies from oceanographic studies in the water column to investigating sediment and geochemical processes on the seafloor and imaging the sub-seafloor rocks. Surveys are carried over Australia's entire marine jurisdiction, from coastal estuaries and bays, across the continental shelf and slope, to the deep abyssal plains.

Spectral Geology. Spectral geology is the measurement and analysis of portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to identify spectrally distinct and physically significant features of different rock types and surface materials, their mineralogy and their alteration signatures.

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As we mentioned, there are many varieties of geology. There is so much to know about our home planet that most geologists become specialists in one area. These specialties are known as branches of geology, and have specific titles. For example, a mineralogist studies minerals while a seismologist monitors earthquakes to help protect people and property from harm (figure 1).

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In this video, you will learn how to choose a specific job in geology.

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What type of Geology should I do? How & why I picked my GEOLOGY specialty.

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This video has professional geologists tell how to get a job as a geologist.

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We Asked Professionals About Landing Your First Job in Geology - Rock Talks

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This article has information on places where geologist are hired. It tells about the varying organizations and why they hire geologists.

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You might think of a geologist as someone who identifies different types of rocks and minerals, just as you may have done when you poured rocks into your rock tumbler, as a budding geologist. Identifying rocks and other natural materials is an important part of a geologist's work, but it's only one part. A geologist's extensive knowledge of what makes up the earth's surfaces, plus the soil and layers of soil in different geographic regions is a valuable skill that's needed in many types of geology careers.

Geologists have skills that enable them to provide analysis and guidance whenever and wherever a person or entity is considering building any type of structure. Since building anything requires digging into the ground and finding stable surfaces, it's important to know what the builders are likely to encounter.

Through their knowledge of different regions, studying topographical and geological maps and aerial and satellite photos, geologists may perform field tests such as take soil samples and conduct experiments on them back at the lab; interpret studies; design or interpret geological monitoring programs; plan or evaluate remediation programs and much more. They take notes and log their data throughout the process and write reports about their findings, conclusions and recommendations.

And yes, geologists study rocks, rock suites and rock formations; minerals, landforms, wetlands and sediments to determine their formation, their age, how they may have changed and over what time period.

One of the exciting aspects of a geology careers is that they can take you just about anywhere in the world you might want to go. You could work for large or small companies, in big cities or tiny towns or on a site with nothing else to see for miles around. For example, geologists work in:

Local and State Government - on the government staff, on contract for a developer or as a consultant. When a city or a state transportation department wants to build new infrastructures such as roads or bridges, they call on geologists to tell them what they're likely to encounter when they dig. Rock? Sandy soil? Water? The geologist will evaluate the site, analyze maps of the area, investigate and confer with engineers and city officials to design a plan for the project and, when it's underway, make sure the plans are followed correctly.

Private Industry - Large engineering firms, real estate companies and developers are some of the companies that hire geologists before they develop a site if maps or surveys show questionable geography, or to investigate where natural resources are. Geologists know the environmental regulations in their area and may work with ecologists to advise what needs to be done to develop a site without incurring penalties, or how to stay within the laws by offering remediation areas for disturbed wildlife or other resources.

Military Branches - Geologists visit military installations to inspect areas under development or being considered for development, investigating and testing the soil and rock for safety, adherence to environmental concerns and regulations, and assessing the potential effect development might have on military personnel on the installation.

Nonprofit Organizations - Particularly groups that are concerned with the environment and preserving natural resources might hire geologists to inspect and analyze areas of concern so that disruption to sensitive areas is minimal.

Colleges and Universities - Many institutions of higher learning have geology departments or science departments that prepare students for geology careers. These need qualified professionals on the faculty to teach geology courses. Departments go by various names, including Geoscience and Earth Science.

Self-Employed Consultants - After gaining experience working in any of these environments, geologists may work on their own as independent contractors hired on a consulting basis. It's important to have many years of experience on a variety of types of jobs before going out on your own, not only for the acquired skills, but also to fully understand the budgets required for different aspects of each job so you can operate profitably.

To work as a geologist, you need at least a bachelor's degree in geology, geoscience, earth science or a similar field. To teach at the college level, you need at least a master's degree and preferably a Ph.D. Your coursework should include many geology and other science classes, numerous math classes for all the calculations and analysis you'll need to do on the job, and communications classes that will help you to write clear, understandable reports and speak confidently with many different people.

Upon graduation, check to see if the state you plan on working in is one of the 31 that requires geologists to become licensed by passing a knowledge exam offered by the National Association of State Boards of Geology.

Salaries for geology careers range from $62,000 to $92,000, depending on experience, location and the type of employer. The median salary for geologists in May 2017 was $89,850. A median salary is the midpoint in a list of salaries for one occupation, where half earned more and half earned less. The need for all types of geoscientists is expected to grow by 14 percent from 2016 to 2026, which is faster than the average for all occupations.

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Places Where Geologists Work. While geologists immerse themselves in rocks, minerals and other materials of the earth, their research and studies are not mere academic exercises. The knowledge gleaned from these geoscientists serves commercial, environmental and public safety interests. A career in geology can take ...

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The following video shows what field work is like for a geologist.

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This image shows some of the tools geologist use during field work. The most important tool is the rock pick hammer used for excavating.

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This video explains what a mineral is and how they are tested.

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This is a image of one way geologist test minerals, known as streak.