The National Geological Repository (NGR) is located at the headquarters of the British Geological Survey, a few miles south of Nottingham.
Core Store and records centre at BGS Keyworth. BGS © UKRI.
Taking high-resolution photos of core. BGS © UKRI.
In the records room. BGS © UKRI
By arrangement, BGS’s science facilities are available to NGR users, including:
- confidential core-inspection bays
- rock cutting, polishing, slicing, ‘plugging’ and crushing
- thin section preparation, viewing and microphotography
- core photography in a special studio by professional photographer
- meeting rooms with projection facilities for workshops, etc.
- access to view non-confidential well logs in digital and analogue formats
- core and sample conservation laboratories
- access to scanning electron microscopes, geotechnical and geophysical properties laboratories, and other analytical facilities at the BGS
- scanning and copying bureau
- on-site scanning facilities for analogue records
- a dedicated team of staff to assist with accessing information on NGR data holdings
- free WiFi
- BGS restaurant
The BGS operates the largest core facility in the UK at Keyworth, Nottingham. It has recently been extended and now has space for over 18 000 pallets of drillcore and 80 000 trays of samples, weighing up to 10 000 tons.
Drillcore is usually held as metre-long sticks in boxes. Some of the older cores were broken up into individually registered specimens, frequently exhibiting the fossils used for dating the samples.
The collections contain over a million individual specimens. There are also extensive collections of ‘cuttings’ (rock fragments recovered from drilling).
Pallets of drillcore are retrieved using a forklift, which ensures they remain horizontal at all times.
- More details on how to arrange access to the Core Store in Keyworth
The palaeontology and biostratigraphy collections are split between Keyworth and Edinburgh, with the former holding most of the English and Welsh material, and the latter the majority of the Scottish material. Most of the type, figured and cited material is stored centrally at Keyworth.
Find out more about our palaeontology andbiostratigraphy collections.
The present condition and future conservation needs of each specimen is assessed prior to preventive or remedial conservation practices taking place.
Using digital imaging and record keeping, the conservation history for each specimen is recorded.
We only practice up-to-date and reversible conservation methods to ensure continued accessibility for academic study.
Our work includes:
- casts
- cleaning of specimens
- consolidation and repairs
- efflorescence
- minerals encompassing in resin blocks
- purpose-made packaging
- sub fossil bone
- treatment for pyrite decay
The petrology collections are split between Keyworth and Edinburgh, with Keyworth housing most of the English and Welsh material, and Edinburgh the Scottish material. Several of the collections have been routinely sliced and thin sections prepared.
Find out more about our petrology collections.
The Core Store has a number of fully equipped workshops for all types of cutting, grinding, plugging and polishing. Initial enquiries should be made to the Core Store.
Get in touch
For general NGR enquiries or to arrange a visit, please contact:
enquiries@bgs.ac.uk or 0115 936 3143
Dr Mike Howe, Chief Curator
Telephone: 0115 936 3105
Alison Steven, Senior Records Manager
Telephone: 0131 6500 434
Andrew Morrison, Archivist
Telephone: 0115 936 3247
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National Geological Repository
The National Geological Repository holds our collections of borehole cores, cuttings, samples, specimens, and related subsurface information from the UK landmass and continental shelf.