Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• monitoring and analysing data from seismic sensors around the world
• mapping seismic regions and fault lines in the Earth's surface
• developing early warning systems for earthquake zones
• investigating target sites for new seismic stations
• searching for oil and gas deposits under land and sea
• producing survey reports for mining and energy companies
• attending conferences and publishing research findings
• taking students on field trips to study earthquake and volcano hot spots
• teaching

You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.

You could work at a research facility, at a university or in a laboratory.

Your working environment may be physically active and you may spend nights away from home.

You could become a project co-ordinator or manager with a seismic research organisation, university or energy company.

In a university post, once you've got experience and published original research, you could become a senior research fellow or professor.