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Drill Core Information

The Department of Natural Resources currently operates six core storage libraries located at St. John's, Springdale, Buchans, Baie Verte, Pasadena and Goose Bay. These facilities house in excess of 1.2 million metres of core samples from 8,790 drillholes collected from mineral exploration projects in Newfoundland and Labrador. This core sample collection is made available to the exploration industry and other interested parties primarily for further research to promote development of mineral prospects throughout the province.

A searchable digital database of all core samples in storage is available from GeoScience OnLine and contact information, sampling policy and other information of interest to users of the core library system is available on the Department homepage.

The core sample collection in storage is supplemented each year, primarily by deliveries of core samples to the various core libraries by mineral exploration companies active in the province.

For further information on the core storage program contact the project geologist.

Core Storage Libraries

The Mines Branch currently operates six core storage libraries located at St. John's, Springdale, Buchans, Baie Verte, Pasadena and Goose Bay. Currently, these facilities house more than one million metres of core samples collected from mineral exploration projects throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Selected core samples from onshore wells drilled in Western Newfoundland are stored at the Mines Branch Core Storage Library in Pasadena, Newfoundland. For additional information on available materials, and access to this data, please contact the Director of Petroleum Resources Development Division, Energy Branch

Each core library contains a file of all available data, i.e. drillhole logs, cross sections, and assay results for all core samples stored in the particular core library. All six core libraries have core examination areas which contain or share rock cutting equipment, a core splitter and a stereomicroscope with another core library.

The taking of samples is generally permitted where doing so does not destroy any lithological sequence or leave significant gaps in the drillhole record. All core samples, pulps, powders, thin sections, and any other materials generated from the core samples must be returned (along with a copy of the results of any work done on the samples) to the core library within 90 Days from the date the samples were taken. The user is responsible for costs incurred in returning samples to the core library.

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Core Storage Libraries: Guidelines for Use

  • Keys to Department core storage libraries will not be issued to any person for unsupervised visits.
  • Persons wishing to conduct research in either of the core libraries are advised to make an appointment well in advance of their anticipated start date.
  • Office/laboratory space and equipment in the core libraries will not be made available to any private individual or company for the purpose of conducting mineral exploration, diamond drilling or any other private business.
  • Visitors to the core storage libraries must confine their activities to the office and core examination areas of the core libraries and will not be permitted to assist in the core storage area of the building unless they have signed a personal liability wavier.
  • Core samples must be retrieved from the core racks by employees of the Department.
  • All sampling of core from the core sample collection in the core libraries must be conducted by, or under supervision of, Department personnel.
  • A fee of $10.00 per metre of core will be levied for core samples taken from the core collection. A minimum fee of $5.00 will apply to samples shorter than 25 cm.
  • A fee of $5.00 per sample is charged to saw rock samples (hand specimens) on trim saws in the core libraries.
  • The Department reserves the right to refuse any request to sample core in its collection.
  • A fee of $0.25 per page for photocopying will apply to all copies made in the Department core libraries. (At present only Pasadena core library has photocopying equipment).
  • The core storage libraries will observe the same hours of operation as other Provincial Government offices.

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Drill Core Database

A digital database containing all relevant data available for core samples in storage can now be accessed as a map layer. This database is updated on a regular basis and will soon be available in a table format that can be easily downloaded. To access this information use GeoScience OnLine and select online maps of Newfoundland and Labrador. In the upper right legend, select Drill Core and proceed from there.

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