Wireline rock coring is a highly technical drilling method. M&W Drilling built its reputation in some of the toughest rock coring conditions in the country (complex karst geology). M&W Drilling operates 10 rock coring rigs across the continental US, handling everything from 10 ft geotechnical rock cores for data center and geotechnical site characterizations to 2,000 ft mineral exploration boreholes.
Wireline rock core drilling is a method used to extract continuous, intact samples of bedrock for evaluation. A diamond-impregnated bit cuts the rock while a core barrel captures the cylindrical rock core sample. The rock core is then retrieved, logged, and tested to assess strength, fractures, and composition.
Yes. M&W Drilling operates track-mounted coring rigs designed for restricted and off-road access sites. We evaluate terrain, overhead clearance, environmental sensitivity, and access constraints in advance to select the right rig and support equipment.
M&W Drilling can rock core through all types of rock, from sedimentary to igneous and metamorphic.
The key advantage of wireline rock coring is rapid recovery and re-emplacement of the core barrel. With conventional coring, the entire drill string must be removed from the borehole to retrieve each core sample (typically ~10 feet at a time) and then reintroduced the same way, which is time-consuming. Wireline coring allows the core barrel to be quickly pulled and replaced using a winch cable, without tripping the drill string. This enables much faster sample collection and significantly more efficient production rates.
