Drillcore submissions
Title holders must preserve any drillcore obtained by exploration or mining that remains after sampling. If a title holder intends to dispose of any drillcore, cuttings or samples during the life of an active title, e.g. when a title or authority is planned to be relinquished, the company must offer all such material to the Geological Survey of NSW for archiving at one of the government's drillcore libraries.
The mineral and coal industry invests millions of dollars in exploration drilling every year making a significant contribution to the state's economy.
Drilling is undertaken during mineral exploration to:
- investigate rocks in a prospective area
- directly sample possible ore-bearing material
- establish stratigraphic sequences in 3D
These samples are an important scientific and economic resource. They would be very expensive and in some cases impossible to re-acquire as the stored drillcore can contain materials that have been subsequently mined out or are otherwise unavailable.
The department stores drillcore from industry to facilitate resource exploration and research.
Drillcore storage facilities are located at:
- W B Clarke Geoscience Centre Londonderry drillcore library,
947-953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry, NSW 2753. - E C Andrews Drillcore Facility
42-56 Pinnacle Place, Broken Hill, NSW 2880. - Gunnedah, Gulgong, Wyee Bay and Yerrinbool. These are coal drillcore libraries.
The National Virtual Core Library located at the W B Clarke Geoscience Centre, uses spectroscopic drillcore scanning technology to acquire information on rock, ore and alteration minerals in exploration drillcore. The technology is also applied to selected cores from petroleum and geosequestration wells to obtain petrological data.
Drillcore acceptance, disposal and access - policy and procedures
- Drillcore acceptance, disposal and access - policy and procedures (including annexes)
- Annex 1 - Core offer sheet
- Annex 2 - Drillcore Evaluation Sheet for multiple drillholes
- Annex 3 - Hazardous materials management plans and procedures
- Annex 4 - Guidelines for acceptable drillcore trays, chip samples and specifications for pallets and stacking
- Annex 5 - Drillcore inspection sheet
- Annex 6 - Drillcore library sampling sheet
- Phone:
- +61 (0)2 4777 7800
- Email:
- corelibrary.admin@geoscience.nsw.gov.au
- Office:
- 947-953 Londonderry Road, Londonderry, NSW 2753 Map
- Phone:
- +61 (0)8 8087 5143
- Postal:
- 42-56 Pinnacles Place, Broken Hill, NSW 2880
- Office:
- 42-56 Pinnacles Place, Broken Hill, NSW 2880 Map
- Phone:
- +61 (0)2 4063 6726
- Email:
- coal.geology@geoscience.nsw.gov.au
- Postal:
- Strategic Resource Assessment and Advice, Geological Survey of NSW, PO Box 344, Hunter Region Mail Centre NSW 2310
- Office:
- 516 High Street Maitland NSW 2320 Map