Petroleum Geologists

I. JOB SUMMARY

Main Topic: Physical Geography
Secondary Topic: Environment and Society

Overview: Petroleum geologists are a type of geoscientists that investigate oil and gas deposits. They also identify future sites for drilling. To identify sites, they collect rock and sediment samples to test for the presence of oil and gas. Petroleum geologists use the samples and other geospatial technology to determine the size of the deposits and develop sites to extract these natural resources. These natural resources are currently essential to produce energy. Most petroleum geologist work in the field for private employers from major oil and natural gas companies. Some petroleum geologist work for state and federal agencies or in research for universities. Petroleum geologists is a growing field because energy consumption continues to be an important issue.

Geographers at work: Physical Geographers, Environmental geographers, Remote sensing specialists

Recommended College Courses: Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, Advanced GIS, Remote Sensing, Introduction to Physical Geography, Environmental Management, Introduction in Environmental Geography, Natural Resource Use and Management, Energy Resource Management, Remote Sensing and Earth Observation, Location Analysis

Skills: GIS, Remote Sensing, Lidar, geospatial technology, human resource management, Environmental Mapping and modeling, Field methods, landscape analysis, location analysis

Occupation Group: Life, Physical, and Social Science

Learn more about Petroleum Geologists from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/geoscientists.htm