Cores
The Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education at Western Michigan University archives more than 530,000 feet of cores. Most of these were drilled during oil, gas and mineral exploration. Some of these cores were also drilled for surficial mapping, engineering projects and road construction. A listing of these cores can be downloaded which shows their surface location, API number, permit number, well name, original driller’s name and core depths. An excel spreadsheet with links to photographs of core boxes can be found here.
As part of the Michigan Geological Survey, we are mandated by legislation to collect and preserve these cores as well as other geological samples and data. We have been amassing these collections for more than 30 years. Due to industry downsizing and mergers, many of these samples were at risk of deterioration or destruction. We use these extensive collections to train geoscience students here at WMU, to conduct applied research, and to reach out to the K-12 community.
Cores provide the best direct source of data about subsurface geology. Because they are the largest subsurface samples taken (usually 4” in diameter and often hundreds of feet in depth), they show structures and rock types. When sampled, cores yield data about rock composition, porosity, permeability and resource quality. No other type of geologic sample yields so much data. That data can address a wide range of societal needs and scientific problems. Recent and on-going work at MGS/MGRRE illustrates how data have more than one life in research. Because new analytical techniques are developed, computer modeling capabilities have improved to help geoscientists better envision subsurface dynamics, and scientific concepts evolve. Although we cannot know how and when data from these cores will be used, we do know that we must preserve them because they are essential to economic development, environmental protection, land-use planning, and to insuring the quality of life for our citizens today and tomorrow.