About the KGS Drill Core Library

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The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) facilities are open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m, except state and federal holidays, year-round.

The KGS Drill Core Library houses more than 71,000 boxes of core representing over 6,500 drill holes, primarily from Kansas, with additional representative materials from surrounding states.

Because core materials are stored offsite, access requires advance appointments so materials can be retrieved for viewing. The KGS requests a minimum of three business days’ notice.

Visitors have access to a core examination layout room and binocular microscope. Core examination and sampling are conducted on-site to support preservation, with sampling determined on a case-by-case basis. Services such as slabbing, sampling, and photography are available, and nominal fees are charged.

Collections are indexed using the Public Land Survey System (Section, Township, and Range), well names and numbers, and API numbers. Each core box has a unique identifier.

Patrons may contact the Core Library by phone 785-864-0486 or email kgs-core-lib@ku.edu to arrange a visit.

Retrieving and Restocking of Core (per box):

  • Internal Rate: $10.00
  • External Academic: $15.00
  • External Market: $20.00
  • $40.00 minimum

Labor:

$40.00 per hour (Labor charges will apply to research of data or materials done by KGS personnel in excess of 60 minutes).

Sampling:

Core Slabbing: $20.00 per linear foot.

Standard Core Plugs (1 inch dia. x 1 inch long): $20.00 per plug, and $20.00 per inch over 1 inch.

Large Core Plugs (1.5 inch dia. x 1 inch long): $40.00 per plug, and $40.00 per inch over 1 inch.

Thin Section Blanks/Billets: $20.00 each.

Bulk Samples (1 inch wide x 2 inches long): $1.00/gram

Digital Core Photography:

$10.00 per sample box.

Shipping:

Packaging for shipment: $1.00 per pound, with a $10.00 minimum.

All shipping charges are paid for by the customer.

No international shipping.

Table Space:

Assigned, based on limited availability.

Effective January 17, 2023.

Payment is through the KGS Publications and Shipping Department. The preferred method of payment is by credit card. Sales tax, shipping, and handling fees will be added as appropriate.

The following policy guidelines apply

  1. The Kansas Geological Survey (KGS) reserves the right to limit core sampling, slabbing, and check-out, and to restrict access to cores and samples that are part of any on-going project.
  2. Requests must be received a minimum 3 days before needed.
  3. Cancellations of scheduled activities with less than 2 workdays notice are billed in full.
  4. No more than 25% of any interval of a core may be removed for destructive testing.
  5. A record of all geologic materials removed must be filed with the KGS before such materials leave the premises. When core materials are removed, a card listing the following information will be inserted in the appropriate position with the core box:
    1. name of individual,
    2. name of organization,
    3. date removed,
    4. depth interval, and
    5. type of analysis must be clearly specified in advance.
  6. All samples checked out:
    1. shall be returned to the KGS within six months of check-out date;
    2. special provisions must be made in advance when a longer period of time is required for sample analysis.
  7. Results of studies must be submitted to the KGS as follows:
    1. Laboratory analyses must be submitted within 12 months of check-out date, and may include:
      1. chemical;
      2. x-ray;
      3. microprobe;
      4. radiometric age date;
      5. petrographic or textural;
      6. biostratigraphic, including lists of all identified taxa;
      7. source or reservoir rock;
      8. core description;
      9. other analyses.
    2. Thin sections, polished sections, and slabs prepared from KGS materials shall be reposited with the KGS within 18 months of check-out date.
    3. A copy of reports or theses based on KGS materials must be submitted to the KGS upon completion, except as provided in section (7)(d).
    4. When later submittal dates of analyses, reports, and theses are required for confidentiality purposes, special provisions may be made, although the expected date of submittal must be clearly specified in advance;
    5. All analyses and reports submitted to the KGS are public domain.
    6. Failure to submit reports/analyses will result to loss in future borrowing privileges of the individual and institution,
  8. Any fossil and special collections recovered from KGS materials and used in stratigraphic or paleontologic studies:
    1. must be housed in a recognized repository after completion of study;
    2. repository facilities at the KGS are preferred, although other university, museum, or industry repositories may be acceptable if agreed by the KGS;
    3. If a repository outside the KGS is utilized, the following provisions hold:
      1. Repository file or catalog numbers for collections will be recorded and submitted to the KGS within one month after being reposited;
      2. collections will be fully accessible to KGS personnel;
      3. KGS may check out collections for periods not to exceed 12 contiguous months or as repository policies allow;
      4. Any collection no longer maintained by another repository shall be returned to the KGS, unless KGS agrees to an alternate arrangement.