A vibracorer is a
sediment sampling device first used on research vessels in the 1960's. The main element in a vibracore is the engine-powered
concrete vibrator that creates an
oscillation in an attached core barrel such as an aluminum
irrigation pipe. The vibrations of the pipe
liquifies the
sediment beneath it allowing for the pipe to easily
penetrate the ground with little added weight. Once the core sample is removed the barrel is split into two halves using a circular saw exposing the
stratigraphy of the sample.
Vibracores can be used on land where the
water table is near or at the ground surface. Thus, they are mostly used near water bodies such as lakes and rivers,
wetland regions, and coasts. They are also commonly used for ocean research such as sand mining for beach
restoration projects in
depths up to 5000 meters
Relatively
undisturbed core samples range from 10 to 25 feet in length on land and up to 40 feet in the ocean.