Mineralogist vs field geologist

The differences between mineralogists and field 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 field geologist. Additionally, a field geologist has an average salary of $109,947, 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 field geologist are data collection, geotechnical, and well design.

Mineralogist vs field geologist overview

	Mineralogist	Field Geologist
Yearly salary	$61,609	$109,947
Hourly rate	$29.62	$52.86
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	201	45,359
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	12	12

Mineralogist vs field geologist salary

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

	Mineralogist	Field Geologist
Average salary	$61,609	$109,947
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $128,000	Between $65,000 And $185,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between mineralogist and field geologist education

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

	Mineralogist	Field Geologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common major	Geology	Geology
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mineralogist vs field geologist demographics

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

	Mineralogist	Field Geologist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 68.2% Female, 31.8%	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
Race ratio	Black 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, 6.3% Asian, 5.5% White, 82.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between mineralogist and field 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.

Field geologist example responsibilities.

Establish an LLC and learned the fundamentals of running and managing a small business.
Prepare maps by positioning and plotting GPS points from localities find onto current geological maps.
Collect soil and rock samples and classify according to ASTM national guidelines.
Rely upon to handle geological rock samples classification and description with ASTM standards.
Interpret rate of penetration, gas data, and MWD gamma data to call formation tops.
Work in a team with geologists, MWD loggers, drillers, engineers, and practice safety procedures.

Mineralogist vs field geologist skills

Common mineralogist skills

XRD, 35%
Scanning Electron Microscopy, 24%
XRF, 24%
Core Analysis, 17%

Common field geologist skills

Data Collection, 11%
Geotechnical, 9%
Well Design, 7%
Site Assessments, 6%
Water Samples, 6%
Technical Reports, 5%

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Mineralogist vs Field Geologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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