Geology

Geologist, Geochemist, Geological Technician, Geophysicist, Cartographer, Paleoclimatologist, Paleoceanographer, Hydrogeologists, Geomorphologist, Volcanologist, Seismologist, Economic Geologist, Petrologist, Mineralogist, Geodynamacist, Sedimentologist, Glaciologist, Marine Geologist

The Sector
Geology studies the Earth, its history, environment and minerals and provides the key to finding new resources. Geologists often become one of the following specialists:

• Hydrogeologists, who study the abundance, distribution and quality of ground water
• Environmental geologists, who work to solve problems, such as pollution, waste disposal and urban development, and hazards, such as flooding and erosion
• Geomorphologists, who study the effects of Earth’s processes and investigate the nature, origin and development of present landforms and their relationship to underlying structures
• Paleoclimatologists and Paleoceanographers, who interpret past global changes and predict future changes
• Volcanologists, who investigate volcanoes
• Seismologists, who study earthquakes to interpret the structure of the Earth
• Petroleum geologists, who are involved in exploration and production of oil and natural gas
• Economic geologists, who develop geologic materials that have profitable uses
• Engineering geologists, who investigate geologic factors that affect engineering structures such as bridges, buildings, airports and dams
• Geochemists, who investigate the nature and distribution of chemical elements in rocks and minerals
• Petrologists, who determine the origins of rocks
• Mineralogists, who study the formation, composition and properties of minerals
• Geophysicists, who decipher the Earth's interior and magnetic, electric and gravitational fields
• Geodynamacists, who study plate tectonics
• Geochronologists, who determine the age of certain rocks by calculating the rates of decay of certain radioactive elements
• Planetary geologists, who study the moon and planets to understand the evolution of the solar system
• Structural geologists, who study deformation, fracturing and folding that has occurred in the Earth's crust
• Stratigraphers, who investigate relationships of layered rocks and their fossil and mineral content
• Sedimentologists, who study the processes of sediment formation, transportation and deposition
• Paleontologists, who study fossils to reconstruct past environments
• Marine geologists, who investigate the oceans and continental shelves
• Glaciologists, who study the physical properties and movement of glaciers and ice sheets

Sector Profile
Dwindling energy, mineral and water resources, increasing environmental concerns, global issues such as rising sea levels, and hazard assessment are presenting new challenges to geoscientists. Career opportunities are increasing in geology with the growing need to maintain Earth's natural environments and meet our demands for natural resources. Most geologists are employed by industries related to oil and gas, mining and minerals and water resources and many are employed as consultants.

Issues and Trends
The employment of geoscientists is affected by national interests and security issues, such as the price of oil, metals and strategic minerals, access to global markets, and levels of government funding. Between 1965 and 1983, there was steady growth in the sector due to the expansion that occurred in the petroleum sector. From that 1983 peak, employment levels have declined. However, graduate levels have been relatively stable during the more recent years and enrolment of women in geosciences has steadily increased over the past 20 years. Since the early 1990s, the major thrust of employment opportunities has shifted from oil and gas to environmental consulting firms, which are likely to increase their hiring.

In today's market, those with only a BA or BSc in geoscience will have difficulty in finding work. A postgraduate qualification is a must. However, the workforce is ageing at a rate that retirement levels over the next decade will strain the sector, so it is likely that there will be more geoscience jobs available than there are geoscience students to fill them.  

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