Geobank
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate stores core samples and drill cuttings from exploration and production wells on the Norwegian shelf as well as oil and reference samples for geochemical standards.
Core viewing and sampling
Geobank has facilities for viewing and sampling cores and cuttings. Use of these facilities must be booked well in advance.
Prices
The following prices apply for access to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s core viewing room/sample selection:
- 08:00-15:30 (08:00-14:45): NOK 3200 per day per room
- Outside of regular working hours: NOK 600 per hour
- Weekend: NOK 800 per hour
Access to the facilities can also be arranged outside business hours, subject to reasonable advance agreement and staff availability.
When viewing or sampling cores and cuttings outside working hours, two Norwegian Petroleum Directorate employees must be present, and the hourly rate will therefore be doubled.
All users of viewing rooms and the Geobank outside business hours must be registered in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s visitor system. Visitors must also report to the responsible Norwegian Petroleum Directorate employee upon arrival and when leaving.
Application form for sampling geological material from exploration and development wells
Geological samples consist of the following types:
- Cuttings
- Conventional cores (no sidewall cores)
- Oil from discoveries and fields
Final reports for studies, results from analyses, thin sections, micropaleontological and palynological slides based on studies on the NPD’s geological samples must be submitted to the NPD within 6 months after sampling. This also applies to studies partially based on NPD samples.
E-mail requests for Norwegian geochemical standards (NGS)
Applications for samples from Norwegian geochemical standards (NGS) must contain:
- Applicant’s name, postal address, telephone number, email address and a contact person
- Description of normal analytical activity in the laboratory
- Description of what the NGS samples will be used for
The recipients of the NGS samples must send data from their analyses of the samples to the NPD for future delineation of the standard and calibration.
See our FactPages for more about lithostratigraphy.
Digital palynology
Geobank uses the world's largest whole-slide scanner to make palynology slides accessible through Diskos. See the link on the right for more information.
Updated: 31/01/2023