Bring the signed white card to the Registrar's Office, Old Main 230. Some of our classes are restricted to majors so it is important to become a geology major when eligible. Nature of the Work Geology is very interdisciplinary in that it involves many disciplines of science and mathematics to solve problems related to the Earth. Increasingly, geologists, geophysicists, geochemists and other Earth scientists are becoming known as geological scientists or geoscientists, terms which better describe their role in studying all aspects of the Earth. Geoscientists identify and examine rocks, construct maps, investigate glaciers and climate change, study information collected by remote sensing instruments in satellites, conduct geophysical surveys to measure the Earth's gravity, magnetic, seismic, and electrical properties and examine the chemical properties of rocks and fluids.
Many geologists search for oil, natural gas, minerals, and underground water.
Geoscientists also apply geological knowledge to engineering problems in constructing large buildings, dams, tunnels, and highways. Geoscientists play an increasingly important part in studying, preserving, and cleaning up the environment and characterizing natural hazards. Many design and monitor waste disposal sites, preserve water supplies, and reclaim contaminated land and water to comply with stricter Federal environmental rules. They also help locate safe sites for hazardous waste facilities and landfills and experiment with the flow of water and oil through rocks. Some geoscientists use two or three dimensional computer modeling to simulate the flow of water or other fluids through rock cracks and porous materials.