ABSTRACT
Geologists study the earth and its history. Geologists change the way we look at the world by observing and crafting a history of the earth. Many people become geologists because they love the natural beauty of the landscape and want to work outdoors. Some geologists work on their own, but most jobs require teamwork in a setting that integrates multiple specialties. A structural geologist might focus their career on fault seal analysis, interpreting dipmeter data, or balancing cross sections. Environmental geologists are concerned with soil and water pollution such as that caused by mine tailings, natural acid drainage, or leaking pipelines. Marine geologists study the geology of the ocean floor and its sediments, including submarine erosion and sediment transport, sedimentation, and mineral deposits. They study reefs and currents, submarine volcanos and spreading centers, deep sea trenches and faulting and tsunamis. Much of the fundamental mapping and research in geology is done by federal and state geological or mineral surveys.
