NGR facilities

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.

Visiting the Core Store

Due to the current COVID-19 lockdown situation, the Core Store is closed until further notice.

The majority of borehole cores and samples are available for study and subsampling by bona fide academics and commercial companies. Copies of the regulations and access forms are available from the Core Store.

Commercial companies are charged for access; academics will need to complete an academic waiver form.

Boreholes may be selected using the GeoIndex or the borehole materials database.

The online database also provides information on available sample depths and types.

For all Core Store materials enquiries, including visitor bookings and available dates etc., please contact the Core Store.

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.