Geology - Magnetic Attraction of Stacked Drill Rods

Tests show that 50 times the earth's normal field can exist near stacked drill rods. Protection against the effect of these strong fields can be obtained by means of a removable sleeve of common iron pipe. GEOLOGISTS and engineers working around a diamond drill rig have often had the opportunity to observe the magnetic attraction of drill rods pulled out of the hole for core removal. This is sometimes an amusing pastime, but this same magnetic force inadvertently applied to a compass needle can cause it to lose its polarity entirely or to become reverse polarized when placed in the immediate vicinity of stacked rods. The first recommendation, of course, would be to avoid the rods, but in surveying an operating drillhole this is not always possible; therefore steps must be taken to neutralize the magnetic effect of the drill rods. Early in the summer of 1949 the geological department of the New Jersey Zinc Co. undertook at Franklin, N. J., an extensive program of surveying the course of deep diamond drillholes. The majority of the holes were surveyed while in the process of being drilled, and considerable difficulty was encountered. A pattern for the deviation of drillholes had been established for the district from surveys in holes from which the drill rig had been removed. It was observed that a certain operating deep drillhole being surveyed did not fit this pattern. In the resulting confusion of repeated surveys and cementing a plug for wedging operations, the lower 1800 ft of the hole was lost. Because of this incident studies were initiated to determine the source of the difficulties and to develop safeguards against recurrence of faulty surveys. Using a hand magnet easily shows that the polarity of a compass needle can be reversed if rotation of the needle is hindered through tilting of the compass or clamping of the mechanism. Such experiments are not recommended, especially in the case of the clockwork type of instruments. A magnetized hairspring in a clockwork instrument will cause the compass card to assume a periodic motion which will not stop until the clockwork runs down. Routine check readings of instrument north before and after each survey are not always sufficient to catch instances of reversed polarity of the compass needle. Although the majority of instances probably take place while the instrument is being removed from the hole with needle in fixed position, it is demonstrable that a 'luggish needle, weakened during a previous test, can be reverse polarized