Identification

Title

Nirex Rock Cores And Core Samples From Deep Boreholes.

Abstract

During the period from 1989 to 1997, Nirex undertook extensive geological investigations at sites near Sellafield, in Cumbria, and Dounreay, in Caithness, to examine whether or not they were suitable locations for a deep repository for radioactive waste. At Sellafield, thirty deep boreholes, and a further thirty-five shallow boreholes, were drilled. The majority of the deep boreholes were drilled to obtain continuous core and some 18.7km of rock core arose from the investigations. Two deep boreholes were drilled at Dounreay, totalling 2,286 metres of drilling. Again, much of the drilling was to obtain continuous core. In most of the boreholes a suite of data acquisition techniques were used, including: continuous coring, geophysical wireline logging, hydraulic testing, sampling and analysis of groundwaters. Mineralogical data were acquired by detailed core observation, petrographic analysis, fluid inclusion analysis and stable and radiogenic isotope studies. Testing on samples from the rock cores was undertaken to determine petrological, mineralogical, hydrogeological, geophysical and geotechnical parameters. The ownership of NIREX (Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive) was transferred from the nuclear industry to the UK Government departments DEFRA and DTI in April 2005, and then to the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in November 2006.

Resource type

dataset

Resource locator

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/reference/nirexarchive/home.html

name: Nirex Geological Archive Homepage

description: This page provides details of the Nirex geological archive that was transferred from Nirex to the British Geological Survey (BGS) during 2000/2001.

function: information

Unique resource identifier

code

http://data.bgs.ac.uk/id/dataHolding/13480335

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Additional information source

Nearly all of cores and samples from the Nirex deep boreholes are held by the BGS. All cores were re-packaged from their original core boxes into cardboard boxes for transfer to BGS. All original drillers depth identifers, core run numbers etc have been maintained.

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

originating controlled vocabulary

title

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2008-06-01

Keyword set

keyword value

data.gov.uk (non-INSPIRE)

Core samples

Boreholes

Deep drilling

Drill core

originating controlled vocabulary

title

reference date

date type

revision

effective date

2022

Keyword set

keyword value

Keyword set

keyword value

NERC_DDC

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

-3.5031

East bounding longitude

-3.4094

North bounding latitude

54.4383

South bounding latitude

54.3869

Extent

Extent group

authority code

title

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1979

code identifying the extent

DOUNREAY [id=98586]

Extent group

authority code

title

reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1979

code identifying the extent

SELLAFIELD [id=98585]

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

1989

End position

1997

Dataset reference date

date type

creation

effective date

1989

Frequency of update

notPlanned

Quality and validity

Lineage

The cores were obtained by Nirex during their investigations at Sellafield and Dounreay. All borehole, core handling and subsequent testing and analysis were carried out to BS 5750 pt 1 and BS EN ISO 9001.

Conformity

Conformity report

specification

title

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2011

degree

false

explanation

See the referenced specification

Conformity report

specification

title

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2010-12-08

degree

false

explanation

See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:323:0011:0102:EN:PDF

Data format

name of format

SAMPLES - core samples

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

Constraint set

Limitations on public access

The copyright of materials derived from the British Geological Survey's work is vested in the Natural Environment Research Council [NERC]. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, via the BGS Intellectual Property Rights Manager. Use by customers of information provided by the BGS, is at the customer's own risk. In view of the disparate sources of information at BGS's disposal, including such material donated to BGS, that BGS accepts in good faith as being accurate, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the quality or accuracy of the information supplied, or to the information's suitability for any use. NERC/BGS accepts no liability whatever in respect of loss, damage, injury or other occurence however caused.

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

organisation name

Nirex

full postal address

Corporate Communications, Currie Avenue, Harwell

DIDCOT

OX11 ORH

United Kingdom

email address

not available

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Responsible party

organisation name

British Geological Survey

full postal address

Environmental Science Centre, Nicker Hill, Keyworth

NOTTINGHAM

NG12 5GG

United Kingdom

telephone number

0115 936 3143

facsimile number

0115 936 3276

email address

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

responsible party role

distributor

Responsible party

organisation name

British Geological Survey

full postal address

Environmental Science Centre, Nicker Hill, Keyworth

NOTTINGHAM

NG12 5GG

United Kingdom

telephone number

0115 936 3143

facsimile number

0115 936 3276

email address

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Responsible party

organisation name

British Geological Survey

full postal address

Environmental Science Centre, Nicker Hill, Keyworth

NOTTINGHAM

NG12 5GG

United Kingdom

telephone number

0115 936 3143

facsimile number

0115 936 3276

email address

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

responsible party role

custodian

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact

organisation name

British Geological Survey

full postal address

Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth

NOTTINGHAM

NG12 5GG

United Kingdom

telephone number

+44 115 936 3100

email address

enquiries@bgs.ac.uk

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata date

2025-03-03

Metadata language