Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Science and research / 19-2042.00

Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers

Study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth. May use geological, physics, and mathematics knowledge in exploration for oil, gas, minerals, or underground water; or in waste disposal, land reclamation, or other environmental problems. May study the Earth's internal composition, atmospheres, and oceans, and its magnetic, electrical, and gravitational forces. Includes mineralogists, paleontologists, stratigraphers, geodesists, and seismologists.

US jobs
23,470
Median wage
$101,920 a year
Job family
Science and research

Can agents do the work of geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Science and research:

  • Task levelPartialThin evidence. CORE-Bench asks agents to reproduce the results of published papers in computer science, social science, and medicine from the authors' code and data. Princeton's HAL team declared it solved in December 2025: Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 scored 95.5% after manual regrading. No benchmark in our collection tests new experiments or lab work.
  • Project levelNot yetThin evidence. On PaperBench, where agents replicate machine learning papers from scratch, the best official result is 26.0% (o1, April 2025). On a small subset, ML PhDs scored 41.4% against o1's 26.6%. No newer official results exist, and no benchmark tests research projects in other sciences.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in science and research, not always this occupation's tasks.

  • CORE-Benchby Princeton UniversityTask level · CORE-Bench-Hard accuracy (public test set)
    95.5%Claude Code + Claude Opus 4.5 (after manual regrading) · 3 Dec 2025
    Solved
  • PaperBenchby OpenAIProject level · Average replication score
    26%IterativeAgent o1-high (36h limit) · 2 Apr 2025
    Emerging

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Locate and review research articles or environmental, historical, or technical reports.
  • Communicate geological findings by writing research papers, participating in conferences, or teaching geological science at universities.
  • Plan or conduct geological, geochemical, or geophysical field studies or surveys, sample collection, or drilling and testing programs used to collect data for research or application.
  • Prepare geological maps, cross-sectional diagrams, charts, or reports concerning mineral extraction, land use, or resource management, using results of fieldwork or laboratory research.
  • Analyze and interpret geological data, using computer software.
  • Investigate the composition, structure, or history of the Earth's crust through the collection, examination, measurement, or classification of soils, minerals, rocks, or fossil remains.
  • Analyze and interpret geological, geochemical, or geophysical information from sources, such as survey data, well logs, bore holes, or aerial photos.
  • Locate and estimate probable natural gas, oil, or mineral ore deposits or underground water resources, using aerial photographs, charts, or research or survey results.
  • Study historical climate change indicators found in locations, such as ice sheets or rock formations to develop climate change models.
  • Review work plans to determine the effectiveness of activities for mitigating soil or groundwater contamination.
  • Assess ground or surface water movement to provide advice on issues, such as waste management, route and site selection, or the restoration of contaminated sites.
  • Identify risks for natural disasters, such as mudslides, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions.
Other job titles for this occupation (37)

Engineering Geologist · Environmental Protection Geologist · Exploration Geologist · Geologist · Geoscientist · Mine Geologist · Petroleum Geologist · Project Geologist · Project Geophysicist · Research Geologist · Consultant Geologist · Development Geologist · Environmental Geologist · Field Geologist · Geochemist · Geodesist · Geomagnetist · Geomorphologist · Invertebrate Paleontologist · Marine Geologist · Micro Paleontologist · Mineralogist · Mining Production Geologist · Mud Logging Data Analyst · Oceanographer · Oceanologist · Operations Geologist · Paleontologist · Petrographer · Petrologist · Petrophysicist · Sedimentationist · Seismologist · Spectral Geologist · Stratigrapher · Volcanologist · Wellsite Geologist