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Mineralogist vs exploration geologist

The differences between mineralogists and exploration 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 an exploration geologist. Additionally, an exploration geologist has an average salary of $112,376, 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 an exploration geologist are geochemical, arcgis, and drill holes.

Mineralogist vs exploration geologist overview

MineralogistExploration Geologist
Yearly salary$61,609$112,376
Hourly rate$29.62$54.03
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs201667
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Mineralogist vs exploration geologist salary

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

MineralogistExploration Geologist
Average salary$61,609$112,376
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $128,000Between $65,000 And $191,000
Highest paying City-Houston, TX
Highest paying state-Texas
Best paying company-Continental Resources
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between mineralogist and exploration geologist education

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

MineralogistExploration Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 77%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mineralogist vs exploration geologist demographics

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

MineralogistExploration Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 68.2% Female, 31.8%Male, 82.2% Female, 17.8%
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, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 82.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between mineralogist and exploration 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.

Exploration geologist example responsibilities.

  • Develop and/or lead short courses and seminars on eolian sedimentology, the characterization of heterogeneous reservoirs and reservoir management.
  • Create and update maps using ESRI ArcGIS software and maintain a GIS database.
  • Mentore numerous junior staff in GIS, data management, spatial analysis, and presenting papers.
  • Conduct in-depth studies of the sedimentology, stratigraphy, and petrography of sandstone reservoirs base on core analysis.
  • Mentore team on geosteering best practices.
  • Used Petra software for cross-sections and mapping.
  • Show more

Mineralogist vs exploration geologist skills

Common mineralogist skills
  • XRD, 35%
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy, 24%
  • XRF, 24%
  • Core Analysis, 17%
Common exploration geologist skills
  • Geochemical, 9%
  • ArcGIS, 9%
  • Drill Holes, 7%
  • GIS, 7%
  • RC, 6%
  • Geotechnical, 4%

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