European Union Science Olympiad

Geology is associated with the study of the Earth and how it works, the materials it is made up of, for example its minerals, rocks, mountains, rivers etc, the configuration and the structure of such materials, the forces working upon them, and the interactions above and below Earth’s surface. It is also concerned with learning the history of our planet, the history of life, and foreseeing future geological events.  It also includes the study of organisms that have inhabited our planet for past centuries and also in the present day.

Every day we use earth materials such as oil, metals, water, and rocks in the form of a bus trip, a toy made of metal, water to bathe, cook and drink, and the rocks used in the landscaping of the garden etc.   The oil we use is extracted from wells, metals come from mines, and water in our pipes is drawn from rivers, streams, underground and now we can also use sea water after desalination. Geologists are involved in each of these processes in a very important way. They conduct studies that locate places with high water tables, areas where oil and natural gas can be tapped, rocks that contain minerals and metals, plan the layout of mines that can procure them and use the best methods to remove the metals from the rocks.

You can find a geologist working in various places such as carbon trading firms, natural resource firms, environmental consulting firms, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and even universities. Being a geologist means doing field work; spending time in laboratories, offices, boardrooms, international forums and even classrooms. All geologists have to be adept at preparing reports, doing calculations and using computers. Therefore you can understand how important the work and life of a geologist is, therefore it is a lucrative field to get into as there is a huge dearth of qualified geologists in the world today. If you start focusing on this field from your school days itself that would mean falling in love with the subject. This will in turn mean your work would no longer be a profession but it will be a labor of love and a calling in life.

There is a saying that ‘Nature has catered for man’s needs but not his greed!’ To understand this saying watching movies such as Waterworld and 2012 will suffice, in painting the probable future scenarios that our children and grandchildren might have to contend with if we humans do not rein in our greed. This is precisely why geologists are the need of the hour. One can see the devastation of global warming in the frequent floods and droughts that ravage different parts of our beautiful planet. Every dark cloud has a silver lining and in today’s world it is carbon trading and methods to reduce our carbon footprint that will save our earth. That is what a student studies to become a geologist and that is why geology as a subject has risen to such prominence in recent times.

So how can geologists be valuable? Imagine being forewarned about an earthquake, tsunami, tornado, storm, flood or drought, it means saving a few million lives. Man is blessed with the most advanced brain and he has used it most beneficially to harness the forces of nature to follow his command. This translates to more forms of electricity, more water for irrigation in desert regions, more comfort and unthinkable things such as desalination of sea water to make it potable, and reclaiming parts of the sea and making it fit for human habitation.

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