The Visual Drill Core Library: A Tool for Improving Access to Samples from the Natural Science Institute of Iceland

The Drill Core Library (DCL) of the Natural Science Institute of Iceland is Iceland’s national repository for drill cores and cuttings. As such, the DCL is responsible for preserving these geological samples and making them available to the scientific community. The library comprises an estimated 100 km of core and a 470 km equivalent of cuttings from over 4,000 boreholes, as well as a growing database of analytical results. The collection spans Iceland’s range of diverse geological environments and houses core from significant research projects including the SUSTAIN drilling project in Surtsey, sponsored in part by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, and the Iceland Research Drilling Project. The DCL’s drill cores and cuttings are available for study and sampling for research purposes, and DCL staff are available for consultation and assistance in identifying and collecting suitable samples. The DCL’s on-site facilities are maintained in collaboration with the University of Iceland’s Research Centre in Breiðdalsvík, East Iceland.

An emphasis has been placed on developing digital infrastructure to improve access to the collections for the scientific community. To facilitate sample identification, an online map-based interface and WFS service have been created where the collection can be examined and contextualized with geological data. The database of the DCL has also been partly integrated into the European Plate Observing System (EPOS), a collaborative initiative enabling FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and open access to geoscientific data from across Europe.

The latest advance in digital access is the ongoing population of the DCL database with core photographs. These are linked directly to the WFS and map viewer, forming a “visual library” that enables direct examination of the library collections, thereby facilitating identification of sampling targets by researchers around the world. At present, 16% of the drill core collection has already been photographed, with 50% set as a target for the end of 2025. Further development of the interface will be carried out in consultation with users of the DCL collections, and cores of interest to researchers are prioritized for photography.