- Before any slim hole of larger diameter exploration boreholes or wells are drilled, it is common to drill smaller diameter boreholes to obtain physical core samples.
- Reverse Circulation (RC) Drilling – fast, cost-effective method used for collecting large, representative samples of rock fragments (chips).Early stage exploration.
- Core Drilling – diamond-impregnated drill bit to retrieve a solid, cylindrical rock sample. Highest quality and most detailed geological data. Resource definition.
- Conventional Drilling – several older, traditional drilling methods including rotary drilling. Less common, minimal data.
- Whilst RC Drilling can be fast and economic, Diamond Drilling can extract valuable cores and can typically achieve greater depths.
