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Senior geologist vs field geologist

The differences between senior geologists 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 senior geologist and a field geologist. Additionally, a field geologist has an average salary of $109,947, which is higher than the $109,166 average annual salary of a senior geologist.

The top three skills for a senior geologist include project management, data collection and GIS. The most important skills for a field geologist are data collection, geotechnical, and well design.

Senior geologist vs field geologist overview

Senior GeologistField Geologist
Yearly salary$109,166$109,947
Hourly rate$52.48$52.86
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs81145,359
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

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.

What does a field geologist do?

A Field Geologist is specialized in a certain field of geology, such as minerology, paleontology, or geotechnology. They study the earth's crust to obtain an accurate picture of its structure, history, and composition.

Senior geologist vs field geologist salary

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

Senior GeologistField Geologist
Average salary$109,166$109,947
Salary rangeBetween $63,000 And $186,000Between $65,000 And $185,000
Highest paying CityCorpus Christi, TX-
Highest paying stateTexas-
Best paying companyStatoil-
Best paying industryEnergy-

Differences between senior geologist and field geologist education

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

Senior GeologistField Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 83%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Senior geologist vs field geologist demographics

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

Senior GeologistField Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 84.7% Female, 15.3%Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage4%4%

Differences between senior geologist and field geologist duties and responsibilities

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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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.
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Senior geologist vs field geologist skills

Common senior geologist skills
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Data Collection, 9%
  • GIS, 8%
  • Geotechnical, 7%
  • Autocad, 5%
  • Business Development, 4%
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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