geoscientist

American  

[jee-oh-sahy-uhn-tist] / ˌdʒi oʊˈsaɪ ən tɪst /

noun

1. a specialist in earth science.

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Etymology

Origin of geoscientist

First recorded in 1940–45; geo- + scientist

Explanation

A geoscientist is a person whose job is studying any of the various aspects of the earth, including its composition, structure, geologic history, or the physical processes that shape it. The term geoscientist is broad, encompassing all kinds of earth scientists. For example, there are geologists, who primarily study rocks and the earth's crust. Geophysicists and seismologists focus on the inner layers and core of the earth, including how earthquakes happen. Meteorologists study the earth's atmosphere and the weather. Oceanographers study the oceans. Any scientist who studies the earth and its processes is a geoscientist.

Example Sentences

Mack Baysinger is a geoscientist and science writer who most recently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

Mr. Hazen, a geoscientist, was studying how minerals formed in the earliest stars and planets when he saw a possible parallel with biological evolution.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Paul Bierman is a geoscientist and professor of natural resources at the University of Vermont with 40 years of experience studying glaciers and ice sheets.

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2025

Dr Frery, a French-born geoscientist based in Western Australia, is investigating how it might be extracted, stored and used in an economically viable way.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024

"We rather presume that our whiteschist lay at a depth of only 60 to 80 kilometers," says the geoscientist.

From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2023