Fundamental Scientific Heritage to Strategic Research

LNEG’s core library is made up of three archives of the subsoil located in the north (S. Mamede Infesta), centre (Alfragide) and south (Aljustrel). This decentralization provides logistical and information management profitability, and facilitates user consultation. In these archives, collections of drill cores are preserved and managed. Samples of rocks, fossils, ores, soils and alluvial sediments, as well as various geological surveys carried out nationally. These vast assets belong to LNEG under Law Decree 39669 of 20 May 1954.

Currently, in LNEG’s core library are preserved approximately 700,000 meters of drill core from surveys carried out in geological resources’ exploration and research campaigns for. Other collections include various samples acquired during the execution of research projects on the country’s geological, mining and hydrogeological infrastructure, developed by LNEG or delivered by several private entities. More than a hundred geological sections with thousands of samples, rock thin sections, microfossil cells and various technical documentation related to the samples on archive, complete the collection of these libraries.

The core libraries provide scientific information to researchers, students, local ad regional authorities, organizations and companies, through:

• Consultation of drill core and rock, soil and sediment samples;
• Allowing for sampling
• Consultation of technical documentation related to the drill holes;
• Consultation of thin sections and microfossil cells;
• Consultation of the Institutional drill hole database.