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Record series

Index to Cores and Cuttings in Alphabetical Order by Well Name (Minerals and Petroleum)

VPRS 16210
by 1970 - 1999
Open
North Melbourne
About Record items Record groupings Related record series Related functions

Agencies

This record series was created by:
Mines Department (also known as Department of Mines and Mining Department) ( VA612 ): 1970 - 1977
Department of Minerals and Energy ( VA611 ): 1977 - 1985
Department of Industry and Office of Economic Planning (previously known as Department of Industry and Economic Planning) ( VA3005 ): 1990
Department of Manufacturing and Industry Development ( VA3012 ): 1990 - 1992
Department of Energy and Minerals ( VA3035 ): 1992 - 1995
Department of Agriculture, Energy and Minerals ( VA3744 ): 1995 - 1996
Department of Natural Resources and the Environment ( VA3972 ): 1996 - 1999
Department of Industry, Technology and Resources ( VA2661 ): 1985 - 1990
Agencies responsible for this record series:
Department of Primary Industries ( VA 4563 ): 2002 - present

Date Range

Series date range: 1970 - 1999
Series in custody: 1970 - 1999
Contents in custody: 1940 - 1999

Function / Content

"GEDIS" boreholes names were made up of local names, parish and borehole number within the parish. A borehole is known by the parish name in which it is located, and a unique number within that parish. In addition, the database contains "local names" that further identify the borehole (either by its name or its location).

The GEDIS database has been set-up so that the petroleum well name is usually the "local name" in the boreholes database. The index cards are ordered alphanumerically by well name.

Details included from petroleum wells were bores, cuttings, depth, location, trays and remarks. Similarly for water bore cores. The "cuttings" were rock chip samples generated by rotary drill bits and collected at the surface of the hole. The cores are solid long cylindrical-shaped rock samples.

Details for water bore cores were number of bores, cuts, depth, location, number of trays, drill numbers

Cores and cuttings were stored at the Department's core shed at Werribee (as at 2008).

How to use the records

The Department's cores and cuttings were registered in the GEDIS boreholes database. Apart from the database, there is a card index to cores and cuttings. In relation to the different types of cores (mineral wells, petroleum wells and water bores) and different sorts of data was collected.

Recordkeeping system

The card index was superseded by the development of GEDIS Oracle, an electronic database, in the mid-1990s within the Department of Primary Industries. Details that were on the index cards were also recorded on the GEDIS database in a more structured manner.

Wells were registered using the next available number. This register is still in use by the Petroleum Division.