about the MGS drill cuttings collection

download MGS drill cuttings data table (excel format) Drill Cuttings Mapper

Maryland Geological Survey Drill Cutting Collection

The Maryland Geological Survey (MGS) Drill Cutting Collection includes rock cuttings of all types as well as unconsolidated Coastal Plain sediment cuttings. It consists of approximately 3,500 boxes (mainly 15.5 x 5.5 x 3.5" in size). Each box typically contains 20-50 envelopes, bags or vials of cuttings from drilling sites throughout Maryland.

As of August 2023, approximately 3,231 boxes of drill containing over 69,700 envelopes have been inventoried. The vast majority of these storage containers have required relabeling and repackaging or reinforcement. More than 2,516 of these boxes containing over 50,000 envelopes of cuttings have been linked to borehole locations. These are included in the interactive map of the MGS Drill Cutting Collection and data table when correlations are confirmed. Many additional boxes have been partially cross referenced to boreholes. Funding received as part of the on-going FY2024 NGGDPP grant (2024-2025) supports the continuation of the above preservation activities.

The Drill Cuttings Collection is now primarily stored in the MGS Core (and Cuttings) Library in the basement of MGS’s Kenneth M. Weaver building. Due to space constraints, some cuttings are stored in the basement of the Weaver Annex building. The majority of the drill cuttings were collected by well drillers and MGS geoscientists. Some sets of cuttings were donated to MGS by other researchers, other government agencies, and geotechnical or environmental consultants. Many of the wells and/or boreholes from which the cuttings originated are referenced in published MGS reports.

As part of the inventory process, a database was created to help capture information about each set of cuttings, including, but not limited to:

• Collection ID
• Borehole ID
• Water Well ID
• Well Permit ID
• Data Type
• Top Depth (feet)
• Bottom Depth (feet)
• Box Label Info (Box_SiteID)
• Box Type
• Box Dimensions
• Box Condition
• Number of Envelopes in Box
• Envelope Type
• Envelope Condition
• Missing Intervals
• Storage Location
• Cuttings Location Coordinates

DRILL CUTTINGS COLLECTION INQUIRIES

For inquiries regarding the MGS Drill Cuttings Collection or to schedule a visit, please contact:
Ms. Heather Quinn – 410-554-5522, [email protected]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The work described above is being funded, in part, by successive grants awarded in 2017 through 2021 and 2024 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP). Please visit our “Data Preservation Efforts” webpage for more information about the NGGDPP grants and the ongoing preservation efforts at MGS: Maryland Geological Survey – Data Preservation Efforts