Accessioning Cores/Samples

The facility accepts both new and previously-collected cores for permanent curation in the repository, including cores of hard rock, soft sediment, samples and their residuals, botanical samples, and reference collections. Basic metadata are required for all materials.

New Cores

The CSD Facility recommends accessioning cores immediately following collection, prior to subsampling. Investigators planning to conduct initial core description and/or accession cores should contact the curator for details regarding facility procedures, preferably before the research proposal is submitted.

Legacy Collections

The CSD Facility offers archiving and curation for cores collected long ago. Each candidate core must meet the fundamental criterion that its physical condition and metadata records allow it to be useful for further study. The specific requirements for accessioning are listed below.

Minimum metadata
  • Location information (latitude/longitude)
  • Date of collection
  • Depth scale
Desirable metadata
  • Coring method
  • Field notes
  • Core photographs
  • Lithologic descriptions
  • Sampling history (old cores)
  • Analytical data (old cores)
  • Associated publications and other references (old cores)
  • Site survey data

Certain qualities may justify assigning a higher priority to the acquisition of cores or sample material from some sites. These include:

  • Sites that no longer exist (e.g., mined, infilled, developed, or dredged sites)
  • Sites that have become inaccessible for political reasons or protected status
  • Remote sites, or those that present major logistical challenges
  • Sites that generated particularly important results
  • Sites with substantial financial investment in generating analytical data

For further details, contact the Curator