Initially, cores were used to study the ocean floor. However, their value not only for oceanic, but also for other geological history soon became apparent. To date, hundreds of thousands of samples have been collected from the bottom of all the oceans of the planet and over a vast area of land. What is a core and what is its use?
Information value
The value of the core for science is hard to imagine. These samples are the best direct source of data on underground geology. Since they represent the largest underground samples (usually 10 cm in diameter and often hundreds of meters deep), they show rock structures and types. When taken, cores provide data on rock composition, porosity, permeability and resource quality. No other type of geological specimen provides so much data, covering a wide range of social needs and scientific problems.
New analytical methods are being developed, computer modeling capabilities have improved, allowing geologists to betterrepresent subsurface dynamics and develop scientific concepts. Although we cannot know how and when core data is used, it should be preserved. They are essential for economic development, environmental protection, land-use planning and the quality of life of our citizens today and tomorrow.
Coring
A core sample is a cylindrical section of a naturally occurring substance. Most are obtained by drilling with special drills into a substance, such as sediment or rock, using a hollow steel tube called a core drill. The hole made for the core sample is called the core receiver. There are many samplers for different environments under different conditions. During drilling, the sample is more or less pressed into the pipe. Extracted in a lab, it is tested and analyzed by various methods and equipment depending on the type of data required.
Sampling may be taken to test the properties of artificial materials such as concrete, ceramics, some metals and alloys, especially softer ones. There are also cores of living beings, including humans. In medicine, for example, samples of human bones are taken for microscopic examination. It is highly likely that such a core contains something that will help diagnose the disease.
Geological collections
There are many core samples. Some are exhibited publicly, others lie in special core storages. One of the largest is the geological collection inInstitute of Oceanography. Scripps. It is a physical library of priceless samples obtained from the seabed and the oceans. It houses approximately 7,500 deep ocean cores, over 3,500 marine and approximately 40,000 marine microfossil slides, as well as approximately 10,000 rock and fossil specimens in the study collection.
Geological collections at the Institute are among the oldest and largest in the US, and are constantly being replenished. The specimens are available to oceanographers around the world who study a variety of fields including geology, geochemistry, geobiology, paleooceanography, geophysics and more, making collections an integral part of many interdisciplinary projects.
