Mud logging

Mud logging is the creation of a detailed record of a borehole by examining the cuttings of rock brought to the surface by the circulating drilling medium. Mud logging is usually performed by a third-party mud logging company. This provides well owners and producers with information about the lithology and fluid content of the borehole while drilling.

Historically it is the earliest type of well log.
Under some circumstances compressed air is employed as a circulating fluid, rather than mud.
Although most commonly used in petroleum exploration, mud logging is also sometimes used when drilling water wells and in other mineral exploration, where drilling fluid is the circulating medium used to lift cuttings out of the hole.

Back to Methods & Fluids →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0