Revised August 28, 2026

Learning about Geoethics — A Core Competency for Geoscientists

About the author

Vince Cronin's not-brief-enough biography is accessible here (croninprojects.org/Biography/).

He can be reached via email at Vince_Cronin(at)CroninProjects.org

Presentation File and Draft Script

• Presentation slides, CC BY-SA 2026 by Vince Cronin:  Keynote (158 MB);  PowerPoint (149 MB);  PDF (102 MB)
• Draft script (also CC BY-SA ):  Script (pdf)
• YouTube video of this presentation content (supposed to be available immediately after the live presentation): https://youtu.be/MHgtxaj4mYg

Recommended Videos

1. Ethics, Morality, & the Law from The Ethics Centre via YouTube
2. Systematic Moral Analysis from Ethics Defined , UT-Austin McCombs Business School

References

(Many more references and links are included in the current version of the draft Geoethics Primer )

Web and Print Publications and Reports

• American Geological Institute, 1999, AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct: accessed 20251023 via www.americangeosciences.org/static/files/agi/community/AGIGuidelinesforEthicalProfessionalConduct_1999.pdf
• American Geosciences Institute, 2015, AGI Guidelines for Ethical Professional Conduct: accessed 20251023 via www.americangeosciences.org/community/ethical-professional-conduct/
• American Institute of Professional Geologists, Code of Ethics, accessed 20260712 via aipg.org/page/Ethics
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 2017, Code of Ethics, accessed 20260712 via www.asce.org/-/media/asce-images-and-files/career-and-growth/ethics/documents/asce-code-ethics-july-2017.pdf
• Beauchamp, T., 2019, The Principle of Beneficence in Applied Ethics, in Zalta, E.N., Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: accessed 20260712 via plato.stanford.edu/entries/principle-beneficence/
• Bird, S.J., 2014, Social Responsibility and Research Ethics: Not Either/Or but Both, Professional Ethics Report, v. 27(2), http://www.aaas.org/news/social-responsibility-and- research-ethics-not-eitheror-both
• Carter, S.L., 1996, Integrity : New York, Harper Perennial, 277 pages, ISBN 978-0-06-092807-0
• Cronin, V.S., 1991, Engineering geology must be dominated by a public-safety-based ethic: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 23, no. 7, p. A41; accessible via CroninProjects.org/Pubs/Cronin[abs]1991GSA.pdf
• Cronin, V.S., 1992, On the seismic activity of the Malibu Coast Fault Zone, and other ethical problems in engineering geoscience: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs, v. 24, no. 7, p. A284; accessible via CroninProjects.org/Pubs/Cronin-MCFZ-Geoethics[abs]1992.pdf
• Cronin, V.S., and Sverdrup, K.A., 1998, Preliminary assessment of the seismicity of the Malibu Coast Fault Zone, southern California, and related issues of philosophy and practice, in Welby, C.W., and Gowan, M.E. [editors], A Paradox of Power—Voices of Warning and Reason in the Geosciences: Geological Society of America, Reviews in Engineering Geology, p. 123-155.
• Einstein, A., 1951, The laws of science and the laws of ethics, in Philipp Frank, 1951, Relativity–A richer truth : London, Jonathan Cape, p. 10.
• Einstein, A., 1954, Answers to questions on academic freedom: Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ.; accessed 20251024 on page 6 of the PDF accessible via albert.ias.edu/20.500.12111/2852
• Gert, B., 2004, Common Morality – Deciding What To Do : Oxford, U.K., Oxford University Press, 179 p., ISBN 978-0-19-531421-2
• Gert, B., 2005, Morality – Its Nature and Justification [revised edition]: Oxford, U.K., Oxford University Press, 438 p., ISBN-13: 978-0-19-517689-6, 978-0-19-517690-2 (pbk.)
• Martin, M.W., and Schinzinger, R., 2005, Ethics in Engineering [4th Edition]: New York, McGraw Hill, 339 p., ISBN 0-07-283115-4, p. 21-22.
• Mogk, D., and Bruckner, M., 2025, Teaching GeoEthics Across the Geoscience Curriculum: Teach the Earth Portal, Science Education Resource Center (SERC), Carleton College, accessed November 2, 2025, via serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/index.html
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), 2017, Fostering Integrity in Research : Washington, D.C., The National Academy Press, 310 p., https://doi.org/10.17226/21896, ISBN 978-0-309-39125-2, accessible via nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21896/fostering-integrity-in-research
• National Science and Technology Council, Executive Office of the President, 2023, A Framework for Federal Scientific Integrity Policy and Practice: 66 p., accessed 20251018 via edit.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-01/01-2023-framework-federal-scientific-integrity-policy-and-practice.pdf
• Shuirman, G., and Slosson, J.E., 1992, Forensic Engineering —Environmental Case Histories for Civil Engineers and Geologists : San Diego, CA, Academic Press, ISBN 0-12-640740-1, 295 p.
• Slosson, J.E., Williams, J.W., and Cronin, V.S., 1991, Current and future difficulties in the practice of engineering geology: Engineering Geology, v. 30, p. 3-12.
• Snow, C.P., 1934 (revised 1958), The Search [revised edition]: New York, Charles Scribner's Sons, 343 p.
• Stephenson, D., 1997, Report on Conference on "Ethics in the Geosciences": available via croninprojects.org/Geoethics/Primer/GSA_Ethics_in_the_Geosciences.pdf
• Stephenson, D., Grauch, R, Holzer, T., Price, J., and Rose, P., 1997, Ethics in the Geosciences – A Conference Report: Geotimes, November 1997, p. 29-32; available via croninprojects.org/Geoethics/Primer/Ethics_in_the_Geosciences_Summary.pdf
• Tepel, R.E., 1995, Professional licensure for geologists — An exploration of issues: Association of Engineering Geologists, Special Publication No. 7, 149 p., accessed 20251016 at https://www.aegweb.org/assets/docs/Publications/SP7_Professional Licensure for Geologists.pdf
• UK Committee on Research Integrity, 2025, The Concordat to Support Research Integrity: accessed 20260711 via ukcori.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Concordat-to-Support-Research-Integrity-2025.pdf
• Warner, J.L. 2015, Task analysis survey 2015: A study of the practice of geology in the United States and Canada: National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG), accessible via asbog.org/documents/ASBOG TAS 2015 - Summary Report (July 2021).pdf
• Williams, J., 2018, The National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG): Involvement in Geoscience Professional Ethics, in Gunderson, L.C., [editor], Scientific Integrity and Ethics in the Geosciences : Washington, D.C., American Geophysical Union, ISBN 978-1-119-06778-8, p. 77–99.

A Geoethics Primer for Geoscientists

The Geoethics Primer made accessible below is licensed under Creative Commons 4.0 as CC BY-SA 2026 Cronin. It is an incomplete draft that is subject to revision.

Accessible at no cost online via CroninProjects.org/Geoethics/Primer/

1. Introduction
2. Common Morality
3. Science Ethics
4. Ethics Codes in Geoscience and Engineering : Ethical standards, norms, and obligations of geoscientists as reflected in published codes and regulations.
5. Paramount Obligations
6. A Few Practical Considerations
7. References and selected bibliography for your continued development.
8. Glossary