Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences - Earth and Planetary Sciences
What is a Geophysicist ?
Geophysics, as the name suggests, is at the crossroads of geoscience and physics. Geophysicists use physical techniques to study the internal structure and dynamic behaviour of the Earth and its environment.
Geophysicists are concerned with everything from the Earth's core and Earth's magnetic field, to its solid mantle, from moving underground magmas, to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, ocean circulation, atmospheric dynamics, the ionosphere and magnetosphere, to ore deposits, petroleum fields and environmental problems. It is a truly multidisciplinary field, and employs techniques from physics, mathematics, computer science, geology, chemistry and oceanography to study problems related to the Earth.
The physical properties of Earth materials (rocks/water/air) such as density, elasticity, magnetisation, and electrical conductivity, allow geophysicists to make measurements of the corresponding physical fields - gravity, seismic waves, magnetic fields, and various kinds of electrical fields, to peer into the internal workings of the Earth and its surface.
There are traditionally two main divisions of geophysics:
Exploration Geophysics, and Global Geophysics. Exploration geophysics use applied physics to explore for resources such as mineral deposits, oil, gas, coal, water and stone. Exploration geophysicists also play an important part in groundwater management, environmental assessment and remediation, archaeological studies (pinpointing buried ruins etc.), geothermal heat flow, and the construction industry.
Global Geophysics is concerned with the response of the Earth as a planet, sometimes over very long timescales. Global geophysics deals with problems from earthquakes, motion of the tectonic plates, the Earth's global magnetic field, gravity field, rotation, atmosphere (including meteorology), ocean circulation, and thermal state.
Geophysics encapsulates a number of disciplines including petroleum geophysics, environmental geophysics, engineering geophysics and mining geophysics, oceanography, atmospheric physics, climatology.
Jobs in Geophysics
Geophysicists use measurements of the physical properties of the Earth to aid in the exploration, construction and environmental industries.
The distinct physical (electrical, magnetic or gravity) properties of many ore deposits makes geophysics essential to finding and mapping buried deposits.
Likewise, the distinct geological structures that host large gas and oil deposits underground are primarily found using geophysical imaging techniques. The mining and petroleum industries are major employers of graduate geophysicists in Australia.
Marine geophysicists are employed in high-resolution off-shore seafloor surveys.
Geophysicists are also employed in the environmental field, to identify environmental hazards, or for site remediation (eg. using the electrical properties of water to track a contaminated aquifer).
Geophysics is also used to identify hazards (such as fractured rock) at construction sites or potential dam areas, and to identify and assess groundwater resources.
Geophysicists are often employed in environmental and geoscience consulting companies.
Geophysicists receive, on average, the highest starting salary of any science graduate, and have one of the highest rates of employment of all science graduates.
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