The Palkoja field base has hosted geologists and drill cores since 1975. In February 2018, the Geological Survey of Estonia (EGT) started establishing a modern research centre in same location. All the state-owned drill cores will be assembled in the central complex. The deposited drill cores will be used for doing applied research and for training the next generations of experts.
It is a great encouragement to see the long-standing plan come to fruition: Arbavere is once again reclaiming its position as the heart of Estonian geology, providing a home for geologists, students and postgraduates, and offering them state-of-the-art facilities for studying the earth’s crust of Estonia.
EGT director Sirli Sipp Kulli in Yearbook 2022
Visiting
The Arbavere Research Centre in the Arbavere village of the Kadrina municipality, Lääne-Viru County is less than an hour's drive from our capital, Tallinn. If you wish to visit the centre, we kindly ask that you contact us in advance at [email protected].
Reserach building
The research building of the Arbavere Research Center was completed in 2023 as part of the "Resources for a Smart Estonia" (RENE) project. The research building encompasses approximately 370 square metres and features 4 offices for the geologists and researchers working at Arbavare as well as a conference room, a small laboratory and modern welfare facilities.
Drill core storage facilities
To preserve the drill cores collected over the years, the construction of new drill core storage facilities commenced in Arbavere in 2018. Simultaneously with the transfer to the new storages, the drill core in the possession of the Geological Survey is reviewed and photographed. We currently have six storage facilities, one of which houses a heated logging room for year-round use. Reviewed drill core data is accessible through EGT borehole web application.
Drill core scanner
To enhance the examination of drill cores, the EGT acquired a drill core scanner in 2022, which was installed at Arbavere. The scanner allows for the automatic imaging of drill cores and the determination of magnetic susceptibility as well as chemical elements using an XRF device at predetermined intervals. There is also a spectrophotometer that measures the light absorption properties of rocks in visible and near-infrared light, giving information about the mineral composition.
