Earth Science essentials
There has been an interesting trend over the past decade or two of universities across the country making first year subjects common across most Science disciplines. That is, they give you a good dose of a spread of science subjects from Chemistry to Physics, Maths to Biology. In first year, you might undertake a couple of Earth Science subjects here and there, but they are typically introductory courses only, with little or no fieldwork involved. It’s in the second year and beyond that you really need to start to thinking about investing in the right gear.
Many second year students will take on subjects as diverse as basic sedimentolology and stratigraphy, mineralogy, palaeobiology, and basic field geological methods. There are a few critical geology tools and bits of kit that all Earth students need to invest in:
- Rock hammer
- Hand lens
- Field notebook (and appropriate pen/pencils)
- Safety glasses
- Magnet
Earth Sciences advanced
More advanced study programs will take students into courses such as structural geology and field mapping. This is where items specific to these kind of courses come in really handy; they are not common across all subjects, nor are they even particularly technical bits of gear, but they will be indispensable to some of you depending on your enrollment:
- Colour pencils (critical for field mapping programs)
- Mechanical pencil
- Protractor (needed for structural geology)
Earth Science accessories
There are heaps of items that we would consider to be optional accessories for students of the Earth Sciences. You don’t necessarily need to invest in them straight up, but that can be helpful and assist you massively in your studies:
- Holster for your rock hammer
- Compass with inclinometer (many universities will allow students to borrow these from their own field supplies, but there is nothing quite like having your own gear)
- All-weather pens
- Photo scale bars
- Rock chisel