Friday, January 18, 2013

I look for and find small to large areas on and under the ground...

I look for and find small to large areas on and under the ground: lands and rocks that have something we want, something that we will mine if we can make enough money.

First, we drive or fly into an area of great promise, so we can put small and large rocks into bags. These rocks in bags are sent away so we can find out what they are made of, so we can see what the numbers will tell us. If we like what the numbers say, then we walk around the area of interest making notes and drawing lines in our field books and on large pieces of paper, and searching, always searching for the right signs. After that, if the signs are good and the numbers from the rocks are even better, we push long, round, empty spaces into the ground and pull out rocks to place in bags or boxes, all so we can continue to find out what the rocks are made of.

After looking at several areas, we eventually find exactly what we are trying to find--rocks that can make us some money (the numbers, some computers, and men and women that study numbers and work with computers tell us how it all came out; they *never* let us just go with our best guess). Then we put in a mine by using picks and other, larger and louder things, to go as deep under the ground as needed. After that, we take the money we made--while finding the good rocks or while working at the mine--to a bar, where we drink out of large glasses or bottles filled with something we like (fill in the ____ ). :-)

Then we go back out into new areas to look for more rocks that can make us some money (or rocks that we at least like, because we all like rocks, except maybe for the men and women who really like numbers and computers).

Permalink for this description of what I do as a mineral exploration geologist at The Up-Goer Five Text Editor.

Meme directive from Ann and Chris at Highly Allochthonous: Go to the Up Goer 5 text editor and explain your research or discipline in the 10 hundred most common words.

Ten Hundred Words of Science: a compilation of many of these descriptions.

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2 comments:

Utemike said...

I am a pusher of the long round empty spaces into the ground. The money I make allows me to buy several bottles of good beer.

As long as there are optimistic geologists, or even pessimistic geologists with an exploration budget, I will have good beer.

Thank you geologists, for my beer.

Silver Fox said...

In Up-Goer Five words, you said something like this:

"I push the long round empty spaces into the ground. The money I make allows me to buy several bottles of good drink.

As long as there are those of good out-look who like rocks, or even those of bad out-look, I will have good 'beer' (a 'technical_term').

Thank you rock people, for my wet stuff with tiny round air spaces, a light to dark color, that comes in glasses or bottles."