Fichier de la Lithotheque Nationale d'Echantillons Marins (BRGM Core Descriptions)

In 1975 the BRGM and CNEXO in France joined to create a national marine geological sampling center at the Centre Oceanologique de Bretagne in Brest. This center collects and stores samples of the sea bottom and subbottom from all over the world and makes them available to any person or institution interested in their study. A French national scientific commission defined the rules for collecting operating and using this facility. The commission consists of the representatives of the Ministry of Industry, industrial and oil firms, the main sea ports and Universities as well as of BRGM and CNEXO, which preside in turn every two years over the commission. BRGM was in charge of the management of the Center. Not only geological samples but also related data are stored such as geographical location, depth, weight and number or level, related studies, if any, etc. (the list of published studies is included). The samples and related data are identified by computer cards and are stored in computer files. After verification they are transferred to a data bank which integrates information from the lithotheque, phototheque and data collections for more complete processing. Institutions and persons interested in the cores may request the catalog of the already processed samples or may receive portions of samples for study following approval by the Commission. A copy of the lithotheque was transmitted to the World Data Center for Marine Geology and Geophysics, Boulder (now the World Data Service for Geophysics) for distribution in 1985. More current information is available from BRGM. The data at the WDC include descriptions of approximately 25,000 samples.