2005 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Cheng Xu

Being a Marine Geologist

Sitting in a small submarine, sinking deeper and deeper into the dark ocean depths, a scientist peers out of the window. Outside is a foreign place, different and mysterious. Colorful fish swim by and the plants wave to the ocean rhythm. This is part of being a marine geologist. Choosing a type of geologist to become is difficult. Do I want to go with my childhood hobby of stargazing and become a planetary geologist? Or should I go with a more creative aspect with an engineering geologist in mind? While all of them sound appealing, I’d have to go with marine geologist. I chose this for a number of reasons. First of all, the ocean is a completely different place from anything I’ve ever known. Going down and exploring underwater would be the greatest experience ever.

Although marine geology is still a fairly new field, scientists have been speculating on the origins of the oceans for many, many years. The earliest records were made by explorers from Spain and Britain. From then on, many other scientists and schools have continued to research what brave sailors started.

Marine geologists use a wide variety of equipment. From huge submarines to high tech sonograms, every tool is useful to learning more about the ocean. The early explorers sampled the sea bottom, made hydrographic charts, charted the coastline, and did many other things that we still do today.

A marine geologist has many tasks, they research the seafloor’s history, features, and processes in the lab. They also study and create mappings of the seabed. Not the entire job is inside a stuffy building however, the other half is going out and actually getting your hands wet. Fieldwork includes taking pictures, videos, and collecting samples. Samples help monitor the sea floor to see if any abnormalities are going on. It also provides lots of useful information about that particular place.

Marine geologist is a wonderful occupation to have for a number of reasons. First, marine geology is still a new field. I would love to be one of the first to do something. Marine geology is like venturing to somewhere exciting and unknown. Ever since I have been very young, I have always had a love of the ocean. It fascinated me how below the water surface was a whole new world filled with infinite possibilities. There is still so much we don’t know about the oceans. It would be so exciting to make a new discovery or prove a legend or myth.

If I were any type of geoscientist, I would be a marine geologist. It seems like such an exciting occupation. You can do something you love while helping expand our knowledge of the oceans. Since we do not know much about underwater, there are so many possibilities and opportunities out there. Being a marine geologist would be such a good experience and a great way to gain some knowledge!