Borehole core collections
The British Geological Survey houses collections of borehole cores, broken cores and cuttings (rock chips) at Keyworth, Nottingham and Loanhead, Edinburgh.
Keyworth concentrates on onshore cores and Loanhead specialises in offshore hydrocarbon cores. Most of these are shallow shelf sediments and there is nothing from before the 1960s.
BGS map-based index of datasetsDifferent offshore sampling approaches:
Grabs (Shipek Grab) - These are usually sorted by grain size but with half left untouched. They include shells. All are stored in Edinburgh.
- Cores - The tops may be of use.
Non-hydrocarbon offshore material at Loanhead, Edinburgh
- Includes about 12km of core and 15,000 seabed grab samples
- Core positions are available on the EU Sea-Sed website.
Core Store at Loanhead, Edinburgh
- Includes 12km of core and 15,000 seabed grab samples
- Most is post-1979 with limited material between 1966 and 1979
- Includes 32,000 stations with a sample density of 1 sample per 5km
- 95% of collection is databased
- The BGS now takes admiralty samples
Core Store at Keyworth, Nottingham
- Includes 250km of core from 15,000 boreholes
- Material is mostly from BGS surveys on land, hydrocarbon operators, mining companies, water companies and the former NCB, plus some university collections.
- There is very little marine material
- 95% of collection is databased
Contact information
Enquiries
British Geological Survey
Keyworth
Nottingham
NG12 5GG
Tel: 0115 936 3143
Fax: 0115 936 3276
Email
Personnel interviewed from the British Geological Survey:
- Mike Howe - Chief Curator
- Jeremy Giles - Manager, National Geoscience Data Centre
- Linda Ault - Data Management
- Paul Shepherd - Palaeontology Collections Manager
- Ian Wilkinson - Micropalaeontologist