Manitoba Precambrian Drillcore Libraries

The Government of Manitoba recognizes that archiving of exploration drillcore provides a valuable data source for use by mineral exploration companies and researchers. For this reason, the Manitoba Geological Survey has retrieved and stored Precambrian drillcore since the early 1970s.

Facilities located at The Pas, Thompson, Lynn Lake, Flin Flon (at the former Centennial minesite) and Winnipeg (Brady Road facility) provide storage for drillcore from all of Manitoba’s major mining districts. The Manitoba Geological Survey maintains an expediting base at the Flin Flon facility. The site also provides secure outside storage for drillcore obtained from company exploration programs conducted in the Flin Flon area. All five drillcore storage facilities have lighted, heated inspection rooms with benches, and most have core splitters.

The Precambrian drillcore libraries contain approximately 260 000 m of core. This does not include core stored at the Centennial minesite facility or more recent additions to the Thompson and Lynn Lake facilities.

Access and usage

The core libraries are not always manned; therefore all enquiries and requests for access must be made to the appropriate manager for each facility. Once permission is granted to view nonconfidential core in a specific library, arrangements are made to obtain keys.

Northern libraries only: Users must provide in writing, to the Regional Geologist in Flin Flon, a list of drillcore for examination and/or sampling. Further permission must be obtained to examine additional core during an examination session.

Permission is required to sample core contained in any of the Province’s drillcore storage facilities. Assay results and pulps from these samples must be forwarded if requested. Quartering of previously sampled drillcore is not permitted except in rare circumstances. Removal of drillcore boxes from the storage facilities is not permitted. Users wishing to examine core must be prepared to physically handle the core boxes and return them to their original storage location.

Users are expected to leave the core library facilities in a clean and tidy manner in consideration of the next user.

Donating core

Companies or individuals wishing to donate core for archiving in any of Manitoba’s libraries must first obtain permission from the appropriate facility manager.

Contact information 

The core libraries are not always manned; please direct all enquiries and requests for access to:

Northern facilities (The Pas, Thompson, Lynn Lake, Flin Flon):

Tom Heine, Regional Geologist
Manitoba Geological Survey
Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines
143 Main Street, Suite 201
Flin Flon, Manitoba R8A 1K2
Telephone: (204) 687-1633
E-mail: thomas.heine@gov.mb.ca

Brady Road facility (Winnipeg):

Jim Payne, Assessment Geologist
Mines Branch
Manitoba Innovation, Energy and Mines
1395 Ellice Avenue, Suite 360
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 3P2
Telephone: (204) 945-6535
E-mail: james.payne@gov.mb.ca

Contact facility managers during regular office hours:

Monday to Friday
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For information on Manitoba’s Phanerozoic drillcore, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/stem/petroleum/core/index.html

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