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Geophysicist vs senior geologist

The differences between geophysicists and senior 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 senior geologist. Additionally, a senior geologist has an average salary of $109,166, 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 senior geologist are project management, data collection, and GIS.

Geophysicist vs senior geologist overview

GeophysicistSenior Geologist
Yearly salary$105,067$109,166
Hourly rate$50.51$52.48
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs287811
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

What does a geophysicist do?

A Geophysicist studies the Earth's physical properties. They also examine the effects of the atmosphere on radio and satellite communications.

What does a senior geologist do?

A Senior Geologist manages all geological activities and research, and provides guidance to junior team members. They assist geological supervisors to prepare an annual and long-term plan for geological work.

Geophysicist vs senior geologist salary

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

GeophysicistSenior Geologist
Average salary$105,067$109,166
Salary rangeBetween $78,000 And $141,000Between $63,000 And $186,000
Highest paying CityMidland, TXCorpus Christi, TX
Highest paying stateTexasTexas
Best paying companyShellStatoil
Best paying industryEnergyEnergy

Differences between geophysicist and senior geologist education

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

GeophysicistSenior Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Geophysicist vs senior geologist demographics

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

GeophysicistSenior Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 80.6% Female, 19.4%Male, 84.7% Female, 15.3%
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, 6.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 82.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between geophysicist and senior 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.
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Senior geologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the installation of geophones, tiltmeters, inclinometers, passive vent wells, gas caps, and ORWs.
  • Provide technical GIS support to CRA staff including data acquisition, analysis, and presentation.
  • Supervise excavations of contaminate materials, collect groundwater, potable water, and surface water samples, and perform soil-gas surveys.
  • Lead coordinator and geologist for ComEd geotechnical and environmental sampling project to support infrastructure expansion.
  • Serve as principal-in-charge on geotechnical projects ranging in scope from engineering geologic assessments to foundation engineering studies.
  • Build geological, geophysical and geochemical models for integrate basin modeling, prospect generation, volume estimation and well planning.
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Geophysicist vs senior geologist skills

Common geophysicist skills
  • Data Collection, 16%
  • Geophysical Data, 9%
  • C++, 8%
  • MATLAB, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Reservoir Characterization, 5%
Common senior geologist skills
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Data Collection, 9%
  • GIS, 8%
  • Geotechnical, 7%
  • Autocad, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%

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