geologists
Earth structure experts
Geologists are scientists who study the Earth—its structure, composition, processes, and history.
They examine rocks, minerals, fossils, and landforms to understand how the planet formed and continues to change.
Geologists warned that the fault line was overdue for a major earthquake.
The work ranges from academic research to practical applications in mining, oil exploration, and environmental assessment.
Flat eating dishes
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- riftingGeological spreading apart
- faultsImperfections or shortcomings
- earthquakesSudden ground movement
seismology · continental drift · mantle · crust · lithosphere · orogeny · collision · spreading
Formed from cooled magma
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
- metamorphicUndergoing structural change
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
- basaltFine-grained volcanic stone
sandstone · shale · limestone · marble · slate · schist · gneiss · quartzite
Gradual wearing away
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- valleysLow areas between hills
- canyonsDeep, narrow valleys
- deltasSediment formations at waterways' ends
plateaus · mountains · faults · folds · geomorphology · topography · alluvium · loess
Systematic data collection
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
- drillingHole-making by rotation
- prospectingSearching for mineral wealth
fieldwork · sampling · trenching · borehole · core · hammer · hand lens · outcrop
Erupted liquid stone
- magmaMolten rock underground
- eruptionViolent sudden release
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- pyroclasticHot eruption debris
ash · pumice · andesite · rhyolite · lahar · tephra · scoria · vent
Preserved ancient organism traces
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
carbon-dating · Jurassic · Cretaceous · Permian · amber · paleobiology · ammonites · trace fossils
Crystalline silicon dioxide
- feldsparSilicate mineral group
- micaLayered silicate mineral
- calciteCrystalline calcium carbonate
- gypsumHydrated calcium sulfate
halite · fluorite · apatite · olivine · pyroxene · amphibole · biotite · garnet
Systematic fact-finding effort
- academiaHigher education community
- professorsHighest-ranking university instructors
- PhDHighest academic credential
- journalsPeriodicals or personal logs
conferences · petroleum · mining · environmental · consulting · survey · laboratory · university
plates
Flat eating dishes
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
- riftingGeological spreading apart
- faultsImperfections or shortcomings
earthquakes · seismology · continental drift · mantle · crust · lithosphere · orogeny · collision · spreading · transform
igneous
Formed from cooled magma
- sedimentaryFormed from deposited material
- metamorphicUndergoing structural change
- graniteIgneous rock, quartz-rich
basalt · sandstone · shale · limestone · marble · slate · schist · gneiss · quartzite · gabbro
erosion
Gradual wearing away
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- valleysLow areas between hills
- canyonsDeep, narrow valleys
deltas · plateaus · mountains · faults · folds · geomorphology · topography · alluvium · loess · sediment
survey
Systematic data collection
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
- mappingDiagram of correspondences
- drillingHole-making by rotation
prospecting · fieldwork · sampling · trenching · borehole · core · hammer · hand lens · outcrop · transect
lava
Erupted liquid stone
pyroclastic · ash · pumice · andesite · rhyolite · lahar · tephra · scoria · vent · crater
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- dinosaursExtinct prehistoric reptiles
- trilobitesExtinct marine arthropods
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
stratigraphy · carbon-dating · Jurassic · Cretaceous · Permian · amber · paleobiology · ammonites · trace fossils · petrification
quartz
Crystalline silicon dioxide
gypsum · halite · fluorite · apatite · olivine · pyroxene · amphibole · biotite · garnet · zircon
research
Systematic fact-finding effort
- academiaHigher education community
- professorsHighest-ranking university instructors
- PhDHighest academic credential
journals · conferences · petroleum · mining · environmental · consulting · survey · laboratory · university · industry
- earth scientistsgeophysicists, geochemists, geoscientists, seismologists, volcanologists
- naturalistsCharles Darwin, naturalist, field researcher, botanist, Carl Linnaeus
- rock enthusiastsrockhounds, mineral collectors, fossil hunters, gemologists
- Mars mission jobsmission planners, astrobiologists, orbital mechanics
- mining workersminers, coal miners, gold miners, diamond miners, mine workers
- tradesmenwelders, machinists, carpenters, plumbers, electricians
geologistsbiologists
Scientists studying living things
marine biologists · botanists · zoologists · astronomers · astrophysicists