geologist

/dʒiˈɑlədʒɪst/

/dʒiˈɒlədʒɪst/

Other forms: geologists

If you’re fascinated by rocks and spend hours digging for interesting samples in the backyard, you might be a budding geologist, a scientist who studies all things related to the Earth.

A geologist is an expert in the field of geology, the study of what the Earth is made of and how it was formed. The woman on TV explaining the history of an active volcano that’s ready to erupt? She’s probably a geologist who specializes in volcanoes. Geologists can specialize in many different aspects of the field, ranging from earthquakes to soil erosion. What they all have in common is that they’re trying to figure out how the Earth works.

Definitions of geologist

1. noun

   a specialist in geology
   examples:

   Arthur Holmes

   English geologist and supporter of the theory of continental drift (1890-1965)

   James Hutton

   Scottish geologist who described the processes that have shaped the surface of the earth (1726-1797)

   Gideon Algernon Mantell

   English geologist remembered as the first person to recognize that dinosaurs were reptiles (1790-1852)

   Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

   United States geologist and ethnologist and explorer who discovered the source of the Mississippi River (1793-1864)

   types:

   geophysicist

   a geologist who uses physical principles to study the properties of the earth

   hydrologist

   a geologist skilled in hydrology

   oil geologist, petroleum geologist

   a specialist in petroleum geology

   seismologist

   a geophysicist who studies earthquakes and the mechanical characteristics of the Earth

   type of:

   scientist

   a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences