Geological Data Acquisition Program

The FGS Geologic Data Acquisition Program acquires geological data and samples through auger and core-drilling supporting existing FGS research, such as the statewide mapping program and the research in the Everglades and Florida Bay. Several of these coring programs support other DEP programs such as the Ambient Groundwater Monitoring program, Florida Parks, and U.S. Geological Survey hydrogeology projects in southwest Florida and the Everglades Ecosystem Restoration. Geological Investigations staff describe the cores and cuttings archived in the FGS core repository. The descriptions are entered into the FGS lithologic database, which presently contains nearly 5,000 entries. Cores, cuttings, lithologic descriptions and geophysical logs are an invaluable asset to the earth science community. This fundamental geologic data supports needs of more than one third of the programs in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The Geological Investigations staff also act as consultants or co-investigators to other local, state and federal agencies.

 The Florida Geological Survey took delivery of a new Schramm T450MIIA drill rig during the first week of June 2005. Two drill manufacturers, Schramm Rotadrills of West Chester, Pennsylvania and Universal Drilling Rigs (UDR) of Australia, partnered to design and build the one of a kind, state of the art drill. The base of the drill is a Schramm T450M; the tophead, pipe spinner and hydraulic table clamp were supplied by UDR. The Schramm I450MIIA is mounted on an International 7400 6x6 chassis with a Power Take-Off (PTO) to run the drill. The new drill has four different pumps: a Gardner and Denver 5x6 mud pump, Moyno 3L8, Flowmax centrifugal and a Mission centrifugal pump, all hydraulically driven. A Sullair 300/200 air compressor is included for air rotary drilling or well development. A jib boom that rotates 270 degrees is located at the top of the 36’ mast with a single 15,000 pound winch line. A wireline winch is also mounted on the backside of the mast with a capacity of 3,200’ of 3/16” cable for wireline coring operations. Before acquisition of the Schramm, the FGS’s deep core drilling program used a Failing 1500 rig purchased in the 1980’s. When the Failing 1500 was new, it had a coring capability of 1,500 feet. However in recent years, as the rig aged, drillers were limited to a maximum drilling and coring depth of approximately 1,100 feet. The Schramm T450MIIA allows for a total coring depth of 3,000 feet, more than doubling the total coring depth of the previous drill rig. The Schramm also allows for safer drilling operations due to better control design and newer technologies for handling casing and drill rod.