Preservation of cores and samples

Sample cuttings of formations, taken at regular intervals in all wells drilled for subsurface minerals or geological information in North Dakota, shall be washed and packaged in standard sample envelopes which in turn must be placed in proper order in a standard sample box; carefully identified as to operator, well name, location, depth of sample, and shall be sent free of cost to the state geologist within thirty days after completion of drilling operations. The operator of any well drilled for subsurface minerals in North Dakota, during the drilling of or immediately following the completion of any well, shall inform the state geologist or the state geologist's representative of all intervals that are to be cored, or have been cored. All cores taken shall be preserved and forwarded to the state geologist, free of cost, within ninety days after completion of drilling operations, unless specifically exempted by the state geologist. If an exemption is granted, the operator shall advise the state geologist of the final disposition of the core. This section does not prohibit the operator from taking such samples of the core as the operator may desire for identification and testing. The operator shall furnish the state geologist with the results of identification and testing procedure.