Welcome to OGSR Wireline spring 2026 edition.

What can Ontario’s rock sample catalogue actually help you find out? Quite a lot! This issue looks at the physical rock catalogue available from the OGSR Library from end to end: sample supplies, available core and cuttings, and the search tools used to find them.

With cuttings from more than 13,000 wells and core from nearly 1,000 wells, the OGSR Library holds a substantial physical record of Ontario’s subsurface. Its catalogue helps users turn that collection into something practical by connecting questions to real samples.

Below, we highlight how compliant sample supplies support submission and storage, what kinds of material are already available, how to use well records, imagery, search tools to find samples worth viewing or studying, and more.

All the best,

Using OGSR Library Standardized Sample Supplies 

May Reduce Operator Submission Fees

by Jordan

Core: From submission

to sampling

by Brian and Clodagh

How to Look Up Samples

at the OGSR Library

by Connor and Melissa

These Videos Rock!

by Matt

Register for EPEX

by OGSR Library

Monthly Drilling Report

by OGSR Library

Using OGSR Library Standardized Sample Supplies 

May Reduce Operator Submission Fees

by Jordan

More than one million vialed samples and tens of thousands of boxes of core are stored at the OGSR Library. Some of these materials date back to the 1890s. Cataloguing, storing, and maintaining this collection so it continues to provide economic, safety, and environmental benefits is one of the Library’s core responsibilities.

To keep a catalogue of this size and age useful to industry, the Library relies on careful standards and protocols. Sample vials and core boxes are standardized so that warehousing, retrieval, and long-term preservation remain practical. Operators who submit vialed samples and cores slabbed to OGSR Library specifications may pay lower processing fees under Provincial Operating Standards.

To help operators meet these requirements, compliant vials, boxes, and related materials are available directly from the OGSR Library, including through its online store. The Library’s website offers guidance on what boxes are compliant and notes on preferred boxing and slabbing, under our sampling guide: https://www.ogsrlibrary.com/sampling

Figure 1. Sample supplies available from the OGSR Library. From left to right, clockwise: two-dram sample vial, core box spacers/label inserts, compliant core boxes, sample vial tray, new core box delivery, and sample bags.

Using the correct sizes of boxes and vials helps minimize fees and is essential to maintaining a catalogue within finite warehouse space. Switching from cardboard sample tray inserts to custom 3D-printed inserts at the Library has increased sample storage density by 12.5%. Using OGSR Library-compliant core boxes can reduce storage space requirements by 25%.

This year, Library technicians are working diligently to repack core from non-compliant boxes and address warehouse crowding issues. The goal is to move from a state of full capacity toward a workable operating horizon measured in decades, and that starts with the right supplies.

To request sample supplies, contact the OGSR Library or visit the online store. 

Core: From submission to sampling 

by Clodagh and Brian

The OGSR Library receives and manages drill cuttings and core submitted from oil, gas, salt, storage, and related well drilling in Ontario. All operators that drill wells licensed under the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act are required to submit core recovered from a well to the Library in accordance with Ontario’s Provincial Operating Standards.

When delivering core, It's important to note that the Library does not have a loading dock or forklift. Delivery trucks must be equipped with a power tailgate to allow drivers to safely unload materials. Once a core has been received at our facility, geological laboratory technicians ensure the core is documented, prepared, and stored to ensure preservation. The goal of resource management at the OGSR Library is to ensure all core, chip samples, and other samples can be accurately identified and kept in good condition so that future researchers are able to pull from a wide range of information and samples. These resources are critical for everyone from students developing thesis work to large corporations. 

Core samples are then processed in a few different ways depending on the condition in which they arrive. If the core is properly slabbed and boxed, it will simply need to be assigned an internal identification index number, and each box will be marked with the required information before being placed in storage. If the core is not slabbed or is in an improper or damaged box, our technicians will process the core and ensure all inadequacies are brought up to the required standards.

Chip samples arrive in a series of bags and will be placed into a series of gray bins until they can be processed. Chip samples will be organized into proper sequence and documented before a portion of each sample is individually poured into a sieve. These sieves are stored on trays in a gridded system to ensure the unmarked samples can be identified using the paperwork in relation to the grid. These sieves will be put through a machine (if appropriate) which will wash and dry the chip samples and then they will be placed back onto their respective trays. These trays will be placed in an open cabinet for further drying. Once dry, these samples will be vialed and given a lid labelled with their depth and index number. These samples are now ready to be filed with previously processed samples for future research. 

How to Look Up Samples at the OGSR Library

by Connor and Melissa

The OGSR Library’s collections provide access to both core and drill cuttings from across Ontario. Cuttings from over 13,000 wells and core from nearly 1,000 wells are available.

Physical media like core and cuttings can be viewed in person at the library in the lab/viewing room. Microscopes are available for closer inspection of cuttings, and some basic materials for core testing are also provided.

If travelling to the library isn’t an option, high-resolution photos of both cores and cuttings are increasingly available online. The best way to explore these is through the PxTools plugin for Google Earth Desktop. Once installed, users can toggle and filter different layers. The relevant layers for imagery are found under “Geological Imaging,” titled “Rock Core Photos” and “Microscope Chip Photos.” Selecting an item allows users to view images directly in Google Earth or follow links to the OGSR website.

If clients are looking for samples from a specific well, they can search for the licence on the OGSR website. The wellcard will list any associated core numbers or tray numbers. Core photos can also be accessed directly from the wellcard via the linked core numbers. Core samples can be requested for in-person viewing by contacting library staff to arrange a time. Samples can also be made from the cores with approval from our lab technicians. Drill cuttings are self-serve, and clients may use tray numbers to locate and retrieve samples.

If a client is interested in viewing physical media but does not have a specific well in mind, there are several ways to find relevant wells. The advanced search tool on the website allows users to filter wells using criteria such as location, well details, dates, resource indicators, and core availability. PxTools can also be used to browse wells spatially to identify available core and cuttings.

In addition to maintaining records, the library also generates supporting information for both cuttings and cores. During processing, lab technicians evaluate sample condition and assign an overall score based on multiple criteria, along with notes and observations. For recently drilled wells, the sample evaluation form can be found in well file and scans tab on the website.

These Videos Rock!

by Matt

Most of our videos relate to geology to some degree, but in these videos the rocks are the star of the show. Here we've gathered videos that feature rocks from our core and chip sample catalogue, which can all be accessed in our lab for your own projects. From general topic videos on core and chips, student theses presentations at EPEX, and full advanced core workshops from industry professionals, there's content for a variety of skill and knowledge levels. 

Rock Core Library - Exploring Subsurface Secrets

In this VR video experience, we focus on rock cores samples, their importance for research and how they can be used in the lab. Examples of different lithologies seen in Ontario are provided with information about what exploration geologists may be looking for. This video features 3D models created  from real core pieces with photogrammetry, which we're then able to animate and alter in ways that would be impossible in the real world, like when we scale a piece up to room size to show particles entering and exiting its pore space. Note that this video can also be watched on other devices such as a phone or TV.

VR Microscope: Exploring like a geologist in 3D

Chip samples take the spotlight in this VR video experience. See examples of different Ontario lithologies under the microscope in eye popping 3D. We also demo an acid test for identifying limestone versus dolostone that looks crazy in VR, and pretty cool on regular screens too.       

Porosity and Permeability in the Silurian Lockport Group A-1 Carbonate

This Master's thesis uses core and thin sections (made from our core) to show porosity and permeability in the A-1 Carbonate of the Silurian Lockport Group.

Subsurface Correlation of the Lower Silurian Medina Group

In this Master's thesis, core close-ups and core box photos are used to outline the formations of the Medina Group of the Silurian Age.

Understanding Ontario's Cambrian, A Core Workshop

This core workshop about the Cambrian section in southern Ontario focuses on how the Cambrian was formed, its formations as previously defined and their characteristics, as well as possible future uses for these rocks.

Middle Ordovician and Cambrian-aged Sediments of Southwestern Ontario

This core workshop presents the ongoing work of updating the Cambrian units of Ontario, last defined over 65 years ago. Three cores are used to show variations in the Cambrian lithofacies and reservoir qualities, with new names and boundaries proposed. 

New Video Alert!

Ontario's Unique Challenges in Identifying the Source of Leaking Gas Wells

Join Stew Hamilton (Senior Geochemist, Hydrologist; Montrose Environmental) for his presentation on natural gas leaks, with details on the challenges of finding leaks, the dangers involved, geology, and some of the advanced equipment used for detection.

The entire collection of presentations from EPEX 2025 is now available, a total of 17 talks and a full core workshop.

See the EPEX 2025 Playlist for the complete list of videos. 

REGISTER FOR EPEX 2026!

The 2026 EPEX conference is approaching fast! Visit www.epex.io for details and registration.

New Licences Issued

New Licences Issued for Existing Wells

New Wells TD'd

Plugged Wells

Download the MDR (.xlsx)