Geoscientist

You would study the structure of the Earth and investigate mineral and energy resources. You’d do research to find ways to protect people who live in places with volcanoes and earthquakes.

You’d research how the planet was formed and shaped over time.

Depending what kind of project you work on, your tasks might include:

• checking if ground is suitable for engineering projects like building dams or tunnels

• advising on suitable sites for landfill or storage of nuclear waste

• searching for energy resources and minerals like oil and gas

• searching for new water supplies

• studying volcanoes and earthquakes to develop early warning systems for nearby communities

You’d use a range of methods for the investigations including:

• drilling

• seismic surveying

• satellite and aerial imagery

• electromagnetic measurement

It's important to have good observation skills. You’d also need to work with a lot of statistical and graphical information.

This is a broad field of work, so you could specialise in:

• geophysics

• environmental geology

• natural hazards

• energy resources

• mining and extraction

Green job 

In this job you'll be doing work to help the environment. Find out more about green jobs. 

• The Geological Society - UK’s professional body for Earth science

• Geology Career Pathways - Careers website from the Geological Society and University Geoscience UK

• Natural Environment Research Council - Skills advice from the UK's largest funder of independent environmental science

• British Geological Survey - About careers in earth sciences from the UK provider of geoscience data, advice and knowledge

• Geologists Association - Membership organisation for anyone interested in geology