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Oil, Gas & Mining vocabulary · Exploration & Geology

Core sample

Meaning in oil, gas & mining, with examples

nounCommon term

In oil, gas & mining, core sample means: A long cylinder of rock cut out by a hollow drill bit and brought to the surface so geologists can study and test the rock as it was underground.

In Turkish: karot, karot numunesi, sondaj karotu

How it is used

Usually called 'core'. In mining, diamond drilling produces core that is logged, photographed, split and sent for assay. In oil and gas, small core plugs are tested in the lab for porosity and permeability. Core is kept in core boxes in a core shed.

Example sentences

  1. The core samples from this hole show visible gold in quartz veins.

  2. We took a 30-metre core sample through the main reservoir section.

Common collocations

  • take a core sample
  • diamond core drilling
  • core logging
  • core box
  • core shed
  • assayA laboratory test that measures how much gold, copper or another metal a rock, soil or concentrate sample contains.
  • explorationThe work of searching for new oil, gas or mineral deposits, using geological mapping, geophysical surveys, sampling and test drilling.
  • porosityThe share of a rock's volume made up of empty spaces (pores) that can hold oil, gas or water, usually given as a percentage.
  • permeabilityHow easily fluids can flow through a rock, which depends on how well its pores are connected. It is measured in darcies or millidarcies (mD).
  • gradeThe amount of valuable metal or mineral in a rock, usually given as a percentage (for copper) or in grams per tonne (for gold and silver).

More terms: Exploration & Geology

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