Petroleum Geologist?

Question

Hi iam 15 years old and iam a Sophmore in High school and im so fasinated by science and Nasa etc.. and im iintrested on being a Petroleim Geologist i know you need math skills, calculus etc, can someone give me more update on Petroleim Geologism plz.. so i can highlight on the coarses to take and rely pay attention and get going plz.. thank you

Answer 1

To be a geologist (jack of all trades in the science world) you have to be versed in all the sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Biology.  You also need at least calculus and statistics as far as math.   As for specializing in petroleum geology, that you do in your junior and senior years of college or in graduate school. Most petroleum want at least a Masters degree.  It helps to choose a school that caters to petroleum studies too like those in Texas, Louisiana, etc...

I majored in geology myself and specialized in Environmental Hydrogeology.

Answer 2

In high school, take the strongest math, physics, and chemistry you can take. In college, you will need to take the usual courses to become a regular geologist. To become a Petroleum Geologist, there are Petroleum Geology courses, but you will also need to concentrate on structural geology, mineralology, petrography, sedimentation and stratification. Seismology and geophysics are an absolute must as are GIS and 3-D modeling. Hydrogeology is also a good course to have.

Basically you want to concentrate on sub-surface geology courses. You want to know how formations formed, why they formed that way and are they capable of or are they good source rocks to form hydrocarbons. You can have a good sub-surface trap and reservoir rock, but without a good source depositional environment below or close by, there won’t be anything there but salt water.

I commend your ambition. Geology is a fascinating science. Try to get geology internships when you are in college. If the petroleum geology does not work out, there are a whole host of other geology specialties to go into.

I started out on petroleum geology 30 years age, moved to coal resource exploration for a while and now I do geologic modeling on a computer.

A Master's will increase your pay by about 25%. The AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists) does an annual salary survey. Check their website:  www.aapg.org