Description
Set up and operate exploration drilling equipment to obtain core or chip samples and subsurface data for mineral, groundwater, or geotechnical prospecting.
- • Train drill crews and implement procedures to improve safety and efficiency in prospecting operations.
- • Monitor gauges and adjust controls to manage rotation, feed, and fluid or air pressure at the bit.
- • Track depth by counting rods and verifying measurements against drill logs.
- • Operate drawworks and hoists to lower and raise rods, core barrels, and casing safely.
- • Assemble and break down rods, core barrels, and casing using hand and powered tools.
- • Maintain detailed drill logs of footage, lithology, recovery, sample intervals, consumables, and time.
- • Inspect, service, and adjust drill rigs and support equipment to ensure proper performance.
- • Operate pumps and compressors to maintain circulation and proper drilling fluid or air quality.
- • Fish and recover lost or broken tools, rods, and casing using specialized downhole tools.
- • Mix and condition drilling fluids with water and additives to meet ground conditions and sampling requirements.
- • Lead rig crews in site setup, drilling, sampling, and demobilization activities.
- • Monitor penetration rates and ground conditions; select and change bits, core heads, and hammers as needed.
- • Repair or replace defective components on drill rigs, water trucks, compressors, and pumps.
- • Clean, lubricate, and inspect pulleys, sheaves, and cables.
- • Assemble pumps and power units; connect tanks, hoses, and flow or return lines.
- • Retrieve, label, and preserve core or chip samples for geological logging and analysis.
- • Install temporary casing, plugs, or well caps to secure and stabilize boreholes.
- • Case and stabilize boreholes as required to maintain hole integrity and sample quality.
- • Position and level truck- or track-mounted drills at marked locations per survey or geological plan.
- • Plug and abandon boreholes per regulations and restore drill sites.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
