A fossilized fern leaf has been found in a recent core sample taken from a project in Tumbler Ridge, BC. Sonic Drilling had been contracted to drill to 48.7 m, provide core samples and assist with soil penetration testing every 1.5 m. Bill Fitzgerald, General Manager of Sonic Drilling said “The drillers just arbitrarily picked up a piece of the core sample and found the leaf inside. It was pretty exciting to see something that old.”

The engineer on site estimated the leaf to be approximately 80 million years old. It was cored at 48.7 m below the surface and embedded in coal. Sonic drill rigs are often used on projects like this due to their ability to provide undisturbed, continuous core samples to over 90 m. Using patented sonic drilling technology, samples, ranging from 76 mm to 203 mm in diameter, can be obtained from a variety of overburden including boulders, clays, silts, sand and gravel which can often get jammed with other types of drilling.

The core samples are placed into clear plastic sleeves and neatly laid out allowing detailed visual examination and analysis, followed by sampling, photographing and archiving for a permanent record of existing conditions.