A core sample is a cylindrical section of an area that is created when drilling a hole into it with a hollow steel tube that is called a core drill. During this process the sample forced into the tube. Once removed from the tube it can be inspected and analyzed. The technique is used for a variety of different applications in various types of media (such as beneath the ground). The purpose is to sample the media at different locations to determine what it is constituted of. Sample drilling is often used in mining applications to determine where concentrations of desired minerals are located.
Core samples, however, can also be used to test the properties of a wide range of things including ice and man-made materials such as concrete, ceramics, metals and softer alloys. Core samples can also be taken from living things (including human beings) to help diagnose diseases (in their bones, for example).
