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Kentucky Geological Survey receives nearly $340,000 from USGS to preserve vital oil and gas well records
Press Release

Kentucky Geological Survey receives nearly $340,000 from USGS to preserve vital oil and gas well records

The Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) has been awarded $335,695 from the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) to improve access to and preservation of Kentucky’s oil and gas well records and samples. The new funding, matched by KGS for a total project investment of $671,390, supports a three-year effort that began on August 1, 2025. 

The project, led by Elizabeth Adams (PI), will focus on three priorities: 

  1. Improving discoverability of data for public and research use. 

  1. Preserving and digitizing physical collections, including fragile well cuttings and paper documents. 

  1. Modernizing cataloging and housing of collections to support future accessibility for industry, researchers, educators, and policymakers. 

At the heart of the project is the preservation of approximately 1,250 sets of oil and gas well cuttings and 171.5 cubic feet of wellbore documents. Many of these materials are at risk of deterioration due to age, humidity, and deteriorating storage. For many wells, the archived documents are their only drilling record, providing potentially critical information for orphan well identification, methane mitigation, hydrogen research, and resource exploration. 

“These records represent more than a century of Kentucky’s oil and gas history,” said Adams. “Preserving and digitizing them ensures that scientists, industry partners, and policymakers have reliable data for energy research, environmental management, and decision-making.” 

Project activities include: 

  • Identifying and cataloging well provenance. 

  • Rehousing and labeling cuttings with International Geo Sample Numbers (IGSNs). 

  • Scanning historical well documents and elogs at high resolution for online access. 

  • Reconciling differences between physical and digital records. 

  • Uploading updated metadata to public databases, including ReSciColl. 

In addition to Adams, the project team includes archive tech Charlie Hall, database management specialist Carrie Pulliam, geologist Ray Daniel, and newly hired archive tech Rachel Browning.  

Archive tech Rachel Browning labels and bags clean well samples.
Archive tech Rachel Browning labels and bags clean well samples.

This project will significantly expand Kentucky’s digital geologic record, which supports research in energy production, rare earth elements, stratigraphic analysis, 3D mapping, and natural resource management. By modernizing access to these historic collections, the project creates a long-term conservation and stewardship legacy for Kentucky’s geologic data. 

For more information about the Kentucky Geological Survey and its physical and data resources, visit https://kgs.uky.edu/

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