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https://www.youtube.com/@valls_geoconsultant?sub_confirmation=1 For more videos about geology, geochemistry, AI, and much more, please visit and subscribe for free here: Golden droplets- https://shorturl.at/fetV1 Geovoices- https://tinyurl.com/m23pp4pb News about geology- https://tinyurl.com/3979urhy Timestamps 0:00 – Intro: why Excel fails for geology ​0:35 – Typical “geology in Excel” mistakes ​1:20 – Problems with treating geological data as simple tables 2:10 – Units, formats, and data validation issues 3:00 – Compositional and geochemical pitfalls in spreadsheets 3:50 – Why lookup formulas and filters break geological datasets 4:40 – Better data model for drillholes and samples 5:30 – Using named ranges, tables, and structured references 6:20 – Essential geologist-friendly functions and formulas 7:10 – Cleaning and standardizing field and lab data 8:00 – Simple QA/QC checks you can build in Excel 9:00 – When to move from Excel to specialized geology software 10:10 – Final recommendations and call to action Discover how to master Excel for geologists by optimizing your borehole log template excel, automating structural geology workflows, and streamlining geochemistry processing using VBA macros for 3D mapping (Blenkinsop, 2012; Sidder, 1994; Zaitsev, 2022). This comprehensive guide for ore prospectors and the geological community reveals modern techniques of exploration through advanced data cleaning, automation, and ML and AI integration to transform your raw field data into powerful geological insights (Luitel, 2023; Quantitative Workflows, 2025; Tillman, 2009). Microsoft Excel remains an indispensable cornerstone of the geologist’s daily toolkit, acting as a flexible "computational sandbox" where complex data can be cleaned, normalized, and prepared for higher-order visualization (Luitel, 2023; Quantitative Workflows, 2025). Many professionals are currently underutilizing this software by neglecting specialized tools like the S2K macro, which bridges the gap between spreadsheet data and 3D visualization in virtual globes, or the Geochemical functions Add-In for automated mineral formula calculations (Blenkinsop, 2012; Zaitsev, 2022). Furthermore, a well-structured borehole log template enhanced with data validation and conditional formatting can significantly improve the accuracy of subsurface records, from soil stability to Rock Quality Designation (DocHub, 2025; Engineering Community, 2019; Quantitative Workflows, 2025). Geoscientists can also leverage Excel for specialized hydrogeological analysis, using tools like HydrogeoSieveXL to calculate hydraulic conductivity from grain-size curves or the USGS suite for managing groundwater level records (Devlin, 2015; Tillman, 2009). The bridge between Academy and Industry! P. Geo. Ricardo A Valls, M. Sc. and Geo Gadfly Valls Geoconsultant ORCID ID- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5421-0914 Scopus Author ID: 7003369619/35335510700 ResearcherID: S-6604-2018 If you like this content, please "buy me a coffee" https://www.buymeacoffee.com/goldendroplets #valls_geoconsultant #ExcelForGeologists #GeologyAutomation #ExplorationTechniques Some references Blenkinsop, T. (2012). Visualizing structural geology: From Excel to Google Earth. Computers & Geosciences, 45, 52–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2012.03.007 Herrstrom, E. (2019, June 17). Exploring spreadsheets with Microsoft Excel. SERC (Carleton College). https://serc.carleton.edu/221163 Landviser. (2012, August 10). KML to Excel | Extracting geographical lat-long data from Google Earth. https://landviser.com/kml-kmz-to-excel/ Luitel, P. (2023, January 18). MS Excel, an undermined tool for geologists. https://prakashluitel.com.np/ms-excel-an-undermined-tool-for-geologists/ Mogk, D. (2009, January 31). Geochemical plotting programs. SERC (Carleton College). https://serc.carleton.edu/29944 Sidder, G. B. (1994). PETRO.CALC.PLOT, Microsoft Excel macros to aid petrologic interpretation. Computers & Geosciences, 20(7-8), 1041-1061. https://doi.org/10.1016/0098-3004(94)90040-X Valls, R. [Ricardo Valls]. (n.d.). Golden Droplets Episode 5- Excel for Geologists! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9S2C-N-fG4 Valls, R. [Ricardo Valls]. (n.d.). Golden Droplets Episode 6- Excel for Geologists Part II [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F07Iid8lS-I Valls, R. [Ricardo Valls]. (n.d.). Golden Droplets Episode 7- Excel for Geologists part Three! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh0_8G9Yf2Y