The board shall nominate, and the director shall appoint, the State Geologist, who shall either be registered in compliance with the Geologist and Geophysicist Act (Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 7800) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code) at least one year from the date of appointment, or the Board for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may, upon the review of academic and professional experience, grant registration. The State Geologist shall possess
general knowledge of mineral resources, structural geology, seismology, engineering geology, and related disciplines in science and engineering, and the reclamation of mined lands and waters. The State Geologist shall advise the director regarding technical, scientific, and engineering issues, including the scientific quality of the division's products and activities.