What is applied geology?

Applied geology includes and combines engineering geology, hydro-geology, geophysics, hydrology, hydro-chemistry, geo-chemistry, geo-morphology and ecological geology. Applied geology is an area that stresses how to develop and apply technologies for geo-ecological problem solving, such as: research and soil remediation, groundwater pollution, decreasing the dangers from earthquakes or slopes instability, natural resources research (geothermal energy, warm sources, groundwater and fossil fuels), prevention of geological environment deterioration, etc.

The research in the following areas of applied geology are especially significant for solving practical problems:

• engineering geology for the needs of making roads and other infrastructural objects, power stations and dams, caves and tunnel constructing and the instability of slopes and slides.
• hydrogeology for the usage and protection of groundwater resources and drainage in constructing. Hydro-geological research of underground waters, mineral and thermal waters and geothermal energy.
• geophysics with the aim to determine prognostic micro-locations of research drilling, hydro-geological research-exploration works, slopes geometry, cracks and cavern porosity of solid rocks, geometry of mineral raw materials deposits and especially coal deposits.
• ecological geology includes the problems of accumulation and remediation, soil and groundwater pollution, environmental factors and ecological effects studying.

The geologist

Required characteristics

Geologists are mainly explorers of nature and therefore it is good if they are interested in nature and its research. The terrain work is physically hard and demanding and sometimes unpredictable situations occur (e.g. a sudden change of weather conditions, difficult access to a necessary locality, etc.). Therefore, it is preferred that geologists are fit, emotionally stable and clever.

They have to be ready for physical strains, like long walking or mountain climbing under load (equipment, collected samples, etc.). The ability to orientate in space and knowledge from Geography are also important.

The ability to present spatial relations graphically will be useful for them when making geological maps, profiles or models. Having in mind that these geological researches should be shown to their ultimate users, it would be useful to possess skills such as written and oral expression.

Training

In order to have the title of graduate engineer in geology, one must finish geology studies. There is not a Faculty of Mining and Geology in the Republic of Srpska. In Bosnia and Herzegovina one can study geology at the Faculty of Mining and Geology in Tuzla and in Serbia, one can study it in Belgrade. Postgraduate studies in order to acquire a masters or a PhD degree are possible at both the faculties. In order to perform engineering works independently, one is required to have passed a state exam.
A typical developing stage of a geologist who works in research and designing looks like this: firstly, one is an intern, then an independent engineer for a certain field, then a specialist for a certain field, then one expands one knowledge to other fields, then one is a designer-explorer and finally the main designer - responsible explorer.

Employment

Geologists can be employed in Institutes, research bureaus and consulting companies, organisations for research and usage of mineral raw materials, construction organisations (especially those that deal with road constructing, energy plants damss and disposal units for waste and hazardous material), spatial planning agencies and companies for environmental protection, museums, secondary vocational schools and universities.

Related jobs

The jobs which are similar to the job of a geologist are the following ones: mining engineers, oil mining engineers, geological technicians and to a certain extent chemistry engineers, technology engineers and geographers.

The driller

A driller is a team leader during the proces of drilling of wells and exploratory deep boreholes.

A driller is responsible for working on the drilling rig and also for his team. Most of the time, his job is simply to monitor the activities on the drilling rig while performing drilling and while making pauses. A driller is responsible for recognising signs which a borehole or well gives, in relation to gas and fluids at high pressure. In an emergency, he is also responsible for taking all proper counter measures to stop the uncontrolled eruption and control the situation in its forming. A driller will monitor the level of gas at the exit of a borehole, how much of the flushing fluid (drilling fluid) enters and other information. A driller prepares the drilling rig for transportation.

During the drilling process, a driller is responsible for making decisions in this period. According to the hierarchy on a drilling rig, he is responsible for the dynamics of work. He reports and receives orders from those who plan the process of drilling, on a daily and weekly basis. The decision-making chain extends to those who are responsible for managing the project or the entire oil field (in oil exploration), for the time frame of up to several decades.

A driller is a complete performer, a master mechanic, and like a meteorologist, he should accurately predict and announce the changes at the time of the announcement. He is his own boss with grease under his fingernails and a wizard who is extra sensitive to locate all the risks and minerals below the surface of the ground. He is a physician, a specialist in the treatment of chapped skin, small bruises and scratches. Finally, he is a chemist-mixer who combines large amounts of drilling fluids, polymer and resins in order to overcome the laws of gravity.

A driller is a believer and a fatalist. He must keep his faith because of constant challenges which he faces due to all the present possibilities of God's givings, such as heavy rain, deep snow, storms or unstable grounds, which may cause slowdowns in work. You can challenge the ability of a driller, but you can not limit his ambitions.

A driller manages more expensive equipment than most doctors, lawyers and businessmen in a city, and he performs all the mentioned functions in the area of 30 meters from his truck, while wearing a helmet, gloves and steel toe boots.

He loves the sun, the cool breeze, good food, auctions, fairs, his unbuttoned collar, the still sound of engine and above all, a solid platform on which he works.

You will find drillers in fields, on hills, in valleys, along roads, near bridges, and sometimes in hardware stores. They drill, flush, make isplaka, extract the drilled core, use a variety of special chisels, hammers, compressed air, foam, plaster, bućkalice, cranes, grabs and learn to drill until they retire. Farmers like them. They mix them up with geologists. Engineers sometimes underestimate them, merchants wait to keep them, wives love them and tolerate all sorts of things, the kids look like them, time can slow them down, but only God can stop them.

A driller does not like deep trenches, high weeds, boring insects, muddy fields and some house chores.

A driller might be your neighbour or your buyer, your school friend wearing denim or a work suit, wise in work and having a posture of a ruler – there you have it, that is a driller.