Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
Conduct subsurface surveys to identify the characteristics of potential land or mining development sites. May specify the ground support systems, processes, and equipment for safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction or underground construction activities. May inspect areas for unsafe geological conditions, equipment, and working conditions. May design, implement, and coordinate mine safety programs.
6,080 people do this job in the US. $106,220 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 71%
- 1%
- 28%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 1%. Today's estimate: 1%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 18 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devise solutions to problems of land reclamation and water and air pollution, such as methods of storing excavated soil and returning exhausted mine sites to natural states.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Design, develop, and implement computer applications for use in mining operations such as mine design, modeling, or mapping or for monitoring mine conditions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 4.2 work days1.7 work days to 3.3 work weeks | 0%Half by Nov 2028 | |
| Select locations and plan underground or surface mining operations, specifying processes, labor usage, and equipment that will result in safe, economical, and environmentally sound extraction of minerals and ores.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.3 work weeks1.7 work days to 4.2 work weeks | 0%Half by Apr 2029 | |
| Design, implement, and monitor the development of mines, facilities, systems, or equipment.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 work weeks2.1 work days to 1.2 work months | 0%Half by Jun 2029 | |
| Implement and coordinate mine safety programs, including the design and maintenance of protective and rescue equipment and safety devices.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 10% | 2.5 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Conduct or direct mining experiments to test or prove research findings.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 6% | 1 work week1 work day to 3.8 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Select or develop mineral location, extraction, and production methods, based on factors such as safety, cost, and deposit characteristics.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 6% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.4 work weeks | 1%Half by Mar 2028 | |
| Prepare technical reports for use by mining, engineering, and management personnel.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 1 work day3.3 h to 2.8 work days | 6%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Examine maps, deposits, drilling locations, or mines to determine the location, size, accessibility, contents, value, and potential profitability of mineral, oil, and gas deposits.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Prepare schedules, reports, and estimates of the costs involved in developing and operating mines.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 work days5 h to 1.3 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Evaluate data to develop new mining products, equipment, or processes.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 4.2 work days1 work day to 2.1 work weeks | 0%Half by Nov 2028 | |
| Inspect mining areas for unsafe structures, equipment, and working conditions.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).