EDITOR’S CORNER
The Measure of A Geologist
Jean M. Patota, CPG-11438
I recently submitted my application for licensure as a Professional Geologist in New York State. Holding a PG license in other states is nice but it’s especially rewarding to obtain the privilege in your home state of practice.
The application process got me thinking about the questions that other NY professions asked geologists. New York added geology to its combined Professional Board for Engineering and Land Surveying. Those related pro- fessions understand what it takes to be qualified as a professional in their field. For engineering, their standard is whether one has successfully designed and built a project. For surveyors, the test is to research, field-measure, and produce a survey map. So the engi- neers and surveyors asked the geologists “What is it that defines or measures a professional geologist?” and “What is the geologist’s [end] product?”
After some thought, we replied that geologists apply geologic and scientific concepts to solve problems, especially where there is no clear or provable solu- tion. The engineers and surveyors liked that measure, that professional geolo- gists apply their knowledge to devise or discern the best (or least worst) solution.
We provided example problems that geologists routinely address when we lobbied to justify geology as a profes- sion that impacts human health and the environment. Will mine dewatering impact local water wells? What is the earthquake risk to the power plant? How long before the chemical spill reaches a water supply? Is the rock slope sus- ceptible to landslides? How can we dis- tinguish human-induced contamination from natural sources?
In the end geologists provide unique solutions to far-ranging and variable conditions that are interconnected both above and below ground, usually while balancing the need for definitive data with the constraints of time and money. Geology is the understanding of those
interrelationships that shape the earth’s landscape and its resources, from the 20,000-foot view of mountain ranges to the atomic level of geochemistry.
Responding to how a geologist is “mea- sured” made me realize a very positive aspect about geology - that the ultimate geologic solutions are what equalize all geologists at the most basic level regardless of sub-discipline. The field of geology is among the careers where your value depends on what you know, your skills, and your ability to apply concepts. Having survived the days of lifting bags of sand and manually yanking submers- ible pumps, it’s a bit different these days with OSHA and technology minimizing much of the need for geologists to rou- tinely apply brute force. Geology does not care what adversities you may have overcome, it continuously presents you with new challenges.
To earn geologic “Street Cred” it doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from – it matters what you can apply, communicate, and accomplish. There is no barrier to learning the lan- guage of geology! We are free to practice and research in both classical and evolv- ing fields of geoscience. And geology is portable; the fundamental concepts apply universally so your knowledge base grows with travel, providing a benefit that some other professions like accounting cannot claim.
But wait you might say -- what about the incessant legal demand for unequivocal answers, politically moti- vated clients, policies and bureaucracies, the myriad of changing regulations and inconsistent enforcement, and the mis- informed public and distrust of science in general? Yes, those factors have been with us all along and will continue to plague every discipline including geol- ogy. It certainly appears to be more prevalent and pronounced these days due to the sheer volume of information, social media, and growing number of self-appointed experts.
Turning back to the questions posed to geologists, the “measure” of a profes- sional includes how well the geologic end products function to solve a problem and communicate information. What does a geologist produce? Products such as various reports, maps, logs, outputs and graphics; equally as important, geologic products include ideas and plans such as strategies to design, extract, dewa- ter, remediate, develop, stabilize, and protect for examples.
To paraphrase Rick Smith (CPG- 09794) in a recent AZ Section news- letter, it’s nearly impossible to think of any product or service that doesn’t involve geology or affect the environ- ment, including our food supply. Despite geology being all around us, geologic science can be similar to practicing art because much of the time we cannot directly view the geologic conditions. The earth’s unknowns often do not become known until we drill, pump, or sample, and then we observe only a fraction that we hope is representative.
So we compile geologic clues, supple- ment data gaps, and support (or argue) interpretations to derive the best solu- tion. And we use technology to our advantage, not to dictate or fashion the results but as tools - the computer did not walk the outcrop or observe the drilling! As useful as type curves and programs are, producing effective geologic prod- ucts is dependent on the obvious – the application of competent professional judgment. Geologic products present and communicate findings, processes, and concepts that increasingly are applied in public and legal arenas.
We’ve all heard “the geologist who sees the most rocks wins” but we know that it is the geologist who understands the most rocks who really wins. So measure, plot, and interpret all the geo- logic data you can collect. Society and the world at large benefit from using good geologic products every day. Here’s encouraging us to go forth and practice “good geology” by any measure.
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