Draft version 1.3 beta — Revised July 15, 2026

A Geoethics Primer for Geoscientists

Part 1. Introduction

1.1 Geoscience and You

Becoming a geoscientist involves significant personal effort and dedication, whether you are a geologist, geophysicist, geochemist, engineering geologist, hydrogeologist, or in a related field. These disciplines require advanced education and hands-on experience to develop expert knowledge and skills.

We who earn the title of geoscientist can be justly proud of our achievement. While we earned the title through our own hard work, we should not forget that it was also made possible through the work and investments of many others. To paraphrase Isaac Newton,¹ you become a geoscientist by standing on the shoulders of giants — your teachers and mentors, pioneers in your field, the institutions dedicated to research and education, the groups and governments that support these institutions, and professional and scientific organizations. All made an investment in the future, and you have made appropriate use of that investment.

Why did all of these individuals and groups of people make this investment? Put simply, we need the expertise of geoscientists. We need mineral and energy resources, engineered works safely built on the landscape, secure and well-managed water resources, and enhanced safety through recognizing, mitigating, and avoiding the risks of natural hazards. So, whether you're working independently on geoscience research or applying geoscience to a practical problem for a client or employer, you're also serving the interests of many people and groups throughout society. You are working in their interest.

1.2 Being a Professional Doesn't Just Mean You Have a Job

Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger wrote the widely used textbook, Ethics in Engineering, which includes a working definition of professionalism that applies to professional geoscience as well as to engineers. They wrote, "...professions are those forms of work involving advanced expertise, self-regulation, and concerted service to the public good." ² The hallmarks of a professional in geoscience, as in the law, medicine, and engineering, are:

• advanced expertise involving sophisticated skills and theoretical knowledge,
• self-regulation by professional societies or government licensure boards, and
• the profession serves a public good.

Every candidate for licensure as a Professional Geologist in the US is required to pass competency exams administered by the National Association of State Boards of Geology (ASBOG)³. Most states require each licensure candidate to have earned a Bachelor's degree in geoscience, along with having gained relevant experience working under the supervision of a licensed professional geoscientist. Standards for the ethical practice of geoscience are published by most professional or scientific societies of geoscientists, as discussed in Part 4 of this Geoethics Primer. Certification as a Professional Geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG)⁴ requires earning a Bachelor's or graduate degree in geological science, completing at least 5-8 years of relevant experience, and committing to abide by AIPG's Code of Ethics.

You might describe the goal of your geoscience career as pursuing a profession that allows you to focus on aspects of nature that fascinate you, such as minerals, glaciers, earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes, plate tectonics, or (of course) dinosaurs. Perhaps the goal is simply to earn a living — providing the essentials for your family and yourself — while doing something useful. Or you might be focused on gaining wealth, prestige, or power through work as a geoscientist. No matter how you frame your reason for being a geoscientist, you also have an inherent responsibility toward the people who rely on the quality of your work.

1.3 About This Primer

This brief geoethics primer is a work in progress, subject to further refinement.  As a primer, its scope is necessarily limited. The primer is meant to augment whatever ethical training you receive in your university education or training from an employer or geoscience society.⁵ It is designed to provide a bit of structure and content to help you develop your understanding of the ethical norms, standards, and constraints that are essential to the practice of geoscience.

This primer has several parts.

1. This introduction.
2. An introduction to common morality, drawing heavily on the work of philosopher Bernard Gert.
3. Content focusing on the basics of science ethics, including ideas about research misconduct.
4. An overview of ethical codes of conduct established by professional and scientific organizations, academic departments, employers, and governments through their licensing regulations.
   Geoscientists play a crucial role in the extractive industries (oil, gas, coal, uranium, rare earths and other economic minerals, building materials, surface and ground water) and in infrastructure development (for example, helping engineers build dams, drainage systems, roads, tunnels, coastal facilities, and foundations). The high value of these projects and products increases the risk of business pressures that could distort the related geoscience processes. Understanding the ethical norms, standards, and obligations of the geoscience profession, as outlined in published codes of science ethics and geoethics, strengthens our ability to work ethically in commercial or industrial geoscience.
5. A description of three paramount obligations of a professional geoscientist that arise from our common morality, scientific integrity, and particular obligations under the ethical codes we have agreed to abide by.
6. A few practical considerations, including important concepts that relate to ethical practice, such as: incompetence; negligence; and standards of care and practice. (This part is incomplete and subject to expansion and revision.
7. References cited in this web document and a selected bibliography of other published resources that can be useful to you as you develop your ethical knowledge and skills.
8. A glossary comprised of written documents and animated video resources to help you understand the meaning of key concepts and terms.

Studying this Primer and returning to its resources as you progress through your career should be helpful to you in doing your job well as a professional geoscientist. The focus of this resource is on you. Your focus should be on developing your potential to be a good, competent, and reliable geoscientist. I make this point because it is common for people to learn a few things about ethics and then use that knowledge to judge others harshly. Being practical and focusing on self-improvement is more productive than spending time unproductively judging others.

Judgmentalism tends to alienate you from your professional colleagues and clients. Ethical behavior strengthens those professional and interpersonal bonds, allowing you to be more effective in your work.

1.4 Note on the Use of AI Assistance

I used AI assistance from Claude (Anthropic), ChatGPT (OpenAI), and Grammarly as tools, but not as authoritative sources, in developing this Primer. Claude and ChatGPT assisted in developing the HTML and CSS codes of the Primer web documents. Claude and ChatGPT were also used to help locate relevant sources and check definitions. I followed any useful suggestions of source material by working from the primary documents. The model did not independently generate or verify factual claims. I created the structure of this web resource, wrote the draft text, and revised the text to its current state. Claude, ChatGPT and Grammarly helped me explore alternative phrasings of the draft text. All decisions about organization, interpretation, and final wording are my own. I take full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the material presented here.

1.5 Notes and References