For a lot of geoscience students, the big question hanging over their head as they approach graduation is: "what am I going to do when I get out?". In school there is such a broad range of topics covered that it can be hard to pick which ones interest a person the most. Job opportunities and academic research can exist in the fields of geophysics, climate sciences, mining geology, engineering geology, petroleum geology, environmental geology, GIS, hydrogeology, geochemistry, seismology, volcanology, oceanography, etc. For the students who decide what they want to do after graduating with their bachelors, there are really two main choices. Some choose graduate programs (like me) and others opt to transition into the workforce (like me).
This blog post is centered around explaining what I do for work at Terracon Consultants Inc. (TCI) as a Field Geologist. Most times when I mention what I do for work to my geo-peers and geo-pals, they almost always follow up with "but what do you DO?".
I feel that it would be easier to explain by showing pictures and adding commentary along with the photos.
Pictured: Work Truck, Boring log, Core box with sample inside. (2022)
Unlike most people who work a technical job in consulting, I am only working on one project right now: the behemoth ALAMO NEX I-35 expansion project. This 1.59 billion dollar proposed freeway expansion will take approximately one year total just to collect the samples necessary for testing. miles and miles worth of rock core drilled out and compression tested. For a project of this size, everything has to be meticulous as there is a lot riding on it. Literally. It's a freeway.
Drillers are contracted to go out to specific locations where various parts of the freeway will be built and they drill out rock core samples which are tested to determine how much pressure the rock can withstand before breaking. This testing is crucial to ensure that the foundation of the freeway will not shift the rock it lays on top of, causing damage to the structure. Drillers will also collect soil samples which are tested for corrosive capability to see if the soil would eat away at the rebar in the structure once it is placed in the ground. When the drillers go out to drill, they need a geologist or engineer to go with them and write down (log) what they collect and what depths below the surface they were collected and package those samples for transport to various testing facilities.
The task I was originally hired to do was to log rock core and soil samples.
Pictured above is a view of my desk when I am out in the field. It's a tailgate on a truck. The job of logging rock core and soil samples is a simple one but it requires practice and finesse to do quickly, efficiently and correctly. Soil samples are taken continuously for the first ten feet of depth of a boring. This is hectic your first time as a stranger will continuously pass you raw tubes of dirt two feet at a time that you have to test for tensile strength, cut to size with a kitchen knife, wrap in foil, place in a plastic bag, write the information of the sample on the bag, barcode the bag for sample inventory, then log the depth, strength, and stratigraphic information on a physical form using pen and paper as well as on a tablet.
Its a lot to do at first and that is just the first ten feet of depth.
The "worst" is right at the beginning and then you can enjoy your day. After the first ten feet of depth, the samples do not get pulled out of the ground quite as quickly and there is enough free time in between samples to check emails, call your coworkers, and most importantly, catch up on any samples you haven't already entered in all the info for.
Field logging is an important task and a physical job that requires standing, heavy lifting, and exposure to the elements. These negatives to the upside of getting to work outside and handle rocks made me want to learn a bit more so I would be more than just the field logger.
Diagram from Fossen's Structural Geology Second Edition detailing rock deformation in a laboratory setting.
Drillers preparing to extract rock core sample from ground. (2022)
Back of mobile drilling rig with water bath for rock coring filled and ready to use. (2022)
Rock core sample in PVC pipe ready to be measured, packed, photographed, and barcoded. (2022)
Author suited with bomber jacket, balaclava and PPE in cold weather conditions to protect self and remain comfortable (2022)
Fossiliferous Limestone with blue-green Glauconitic staining present. (2022)
10' of rock core displaying different fracture frequencies and inclusions in rock composition. Core box is ready to be barcoded. (2022)
Barcoded core box with mechanical breakages marked in tape over sections where the field logger had to break the rock to fit it into the core box.
In late February, a staffing shake-up moved an engineer off the project and it took two people to replace the job he was doing because he was doing so much. I was one of the two people who filled in for the jobs that he was doing. This bump up allowed me to learn how to assign samples for geotechnical laboratory testing. Geotechnical lab assignments are relatively easy to do once you know the criteria for assigning, but they are time consuming.
Me learning this skill took a burden off my coworker's backs and allowed me to make my way into sample inventory management as I found myself to be the person in charge of checking soil sample boxes back into our storage facility after they returned from testing in the Austin, TX metropolitan area.
Samples removed from core boxes at various depths and borings for geotechnical lab analysis via unconfined compression testing.
Chalk rock core sample with interesting erosion pattern inside fracture (2022)
I hope the description and photographs have answered the question of "what do you DO?". I feel as though a lot of professions are not as hands on as the one I have chosen. I really enjoy my work for TCI and am excited to continue working with them in the summer on a full time schedule. I have learned a lot about the sample collection process in geotechnical engineering and I hope to learn a lot more. In this line of work, one can see the concepts taught in almost every geology class on a daily basis. Engineering Geology is a great entry level industry for those who love rocks and want to grow as a geologist.
author taking his next steps in his career. (2022)