The geologist’s tool kit

Dr Neale Monks Of course, you can enjoy a fun and productive geological field trip using nothing more than your eyes to spot interesting specimens and your hands to collect them. At localities like Sheppey, where fossils are constantly being weathered out of soft clay, you can find shark teeth, shells, plant remains and all sorts of other fossils in the shingle. Wrap up your findings in newspaper or paper towel and off you go. However, having at least a basic tool kit will make your excursions into the field safer and more productive. In this article, I will look at the essential parts of a geologist’s tool kit and review some of the options available to you. Safety gear Geological fieldwork is educational, entertaining and great exercise, but it has to be done properly to be done safely. Part of that is wearing the right gear. A hard hat is an essential part of any field worker’s kit. To start with, it increases the wearer’s visibility, making it easier to keep a group together in poor light. A hard hat also provides some protection against falling debris. Obviously, no hard hat can stop boulders, which is why you should never work beneath an unstable cliff. However, a hard hat will give useful protection from small bits of stone that fall from relatively stable cliffs, from time to time. Safety goggles protect your eyes from the chips that fly about when rocks are hit with hammers. Modern safety goggles give … Read More