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Geophysicist vs research geologist

The differences between geophysicists and research geologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a geophysicist and a research geologist. Additionally, a research geologist has an average salary of $116,391, which is higher than the $105,067 average annual salary of a geophysicist.

The top three skills for a geophysicist include data collection, geophysical data and C++. The most important skills for a research geologist are GIS, geological survey, and R.

Geophysicist vs research geologist overview

GeophysicistResearch Geologist
Yearly salary$105,067$116,391
Hourly rate$50.51$55.96
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs28745,501
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Geophysicist vs research geologist salary

Geophysicists and research geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

GeophysicistResearch Geologist
Average salary$105,067$116,391
Salary rangeBetween $78,000 And $141,000Between $81,000 And $166,000
Highest paying CityMidland, TXMidland, TX
Highest paying stateTexasTexas
Best paying companyShellExxon Mobil
Best paying industryEnergy-

Differences between geophysicist and research geologist education

There are a few differences between a geophysicist and a research geologist in terms of educational background:

GeophysicistResearch Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Geophysicist vs research geologist demographics

Here are the differences between geophysicists' and research geologists' demographics:

GeophysicistResearch Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 80.6% Female, 19.4%Male, 77.9% Female, 22.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 82.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 5.6% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between geophysicist and research geologist duties and responsibilities

Geophysicist example responsibilities.

  • Plan, develop, manage and implement geological, geophysical, and geotechnical subsurface investigations.
  • Train and mentore staff to use internally develop methodologies by effective utilization of ProMAX and ProManager software to achieve optimum results.
  • Monitor regulatory compliance (CERCLA, RCRA, RWQCB, MTCA, VCP).
  • Produce field grade and final quality maps utilizing GPS data and integrate geophysical survey data in GIS.
  • Evaluate explosives, nitrates, volatile and semivolatile compounds, and metals contamination at multiple RCRA sites and one CERCLA site.
  • Implement small-scale tests in Matlab.
  • Show more

Research geologist example responsibilities.

  • Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
  • Synthesize and characterize colloidal room-temperature ferromagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.
  • Conduct research by administering quantitative and qualitative surveys to low income fathers and entering and analyzing the data using SPSS

Geophysicist vs research geologist skills

Common geophysicist skills
  • Data Collection, 16%
  • Geophysical Data, 9%
  • C++, 8%
  • MATLAB, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Reservoir Characterization, 5%
Common research geologist skills
  • GIS, 40%
  • Geological Survey, 18%
  • R, 15%
  • Geological Data, 12%
  • Research Projects, 8%
  • Sedimentology, 8%

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