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Mineralogist vs development geologist

The differences between mineralogists and development 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 mineralogist and a development geologist. Additionally, a development geologist has an average salary of $110,970, which is higher than the $61,609 average annual salary of a mineralogist.

The top three skills for a mineralogist include XRD, scanning electron microscopy and XRF. The most important skills for a development geologist are reservoir characterization, AFE, and production data.

Mineralogist vs development geologist overview

MineralogistDevelopment Geologist
Yearly salary$61,609$110,970
Hourly rate$29.62$53.35
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs20145,844
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Mineralogist vs development geologist salary

Mineralogists and development geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

MineralogistDevelopment Geologist
Average salary$61,609$110,970
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $128,000Between $71,000 And $171,000
Highest paying City-The Woodlands, TX
Highest paying state-Texas
Best paying company-Chevron
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between mineralogist and development geologist education

There are a few differences between a mineralogist and a development geologist in terms of educational background:

MineralogistDevelopment Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mineralogist vs development geologist demographics

Here are the differences between mineralogists' and development geologists' demographics:

MineralogistDevelopment Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 68.2% Female, 31.8%Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 0.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 5.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 86.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 1.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 4.0% White, 83.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between mineralogist and development geologist duties and responsibilities

Mineralogist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and/or lead short courses and seminars on eolian sedimentology, the characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs and reservoir management.
  • Thin section and SEM descriptions of rocks relate to oil and gas exploration.
  • Recommend changes to concentrator operating procedures base on mineral liberation and composition, grind size, and historical MLA database.
  • Develop and/or lead short courses and seminars on eolian sedimentology, the characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs and reservoir management.
  • Receive introductory block modeling course from Vulcan.

Development geologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the field budget, and liability of MWD field equipment.
  • Manage the installation of geophones, tiltmeters, inclinometers, passive vent wells, gas caps, and ORWs.
  • Create mineral rights lease maps utilizing ArcMap (GIS).
  • Correlate well logs using PETRA and other programs, and research production zones for solid and fluid minerals.
  • Prospect generation and development has been expedite by becoming proficient in Petra mapping software.
  • Review farm-out requests, prepare well prognoses, monitor area-drilling activity, and conduct miscellaneous well-site activities in Texas and Oklahoma.
  • Show more

Mineralogist vs development geologist skills

Common mineralogist skills
  • XRD, 35%
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy, 24%
  • XRF, 24%
  • Core Analysis, 17%
Common development geologist skills
  • Reservoir Characterization, 22%
  • AFE, 7%
  • Production Data, 6%
  • Well Log, 6%
  • Petrel, 6%
  • Log Analysis, 6%

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