Skip to main content
UCL Logo Navigate back to homepage

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Study

    Study

    • Study at UCL
    • Prospective students
    • Current students
    • Accommodation
    • Careers
    • Doctoral School
    • Immigration and visas
    • Student finances
    • Support and wellbeing
  • Research

    Research

    • Research at UCL
    • Engage with us
    • Explore our Research
    • Initiatives and networks
    • Research news
  • Engage

    Engage

    • Engage with UCL
    • Alumni
    • Business partnerships and collaboration
    • Global engagement
    • News and Media relations
    • Policy and political engagement
    • Schools and priority groups
    • Give to UCL
  • About

    About

    • About UCL
    • Who we are
    • Faculties
    • Governance
    • President and Provost
    • Strategy
    • UCL's Bicentenary
  • UCL Logo Active parent page: Mathematical & Physical Sciences
    • About
    • Study
    • UCL200
    • Research
    • Departments
    • Active parent page: News and events
    • Innovation & Enterprise
    • Contacts

The Hotel Dos Rios - UCL Core Laboratory

UCL Core Laboratory showcases sediment cores from wells that were drilled around Ainsa, the industry consortia-funded project directed by Prof. Kevin Pickering. The sediments of the Ainsa Basin provide world-class rock outcrops and a natural laboratory in which to study ancient deep-marine sediments, the processes that led to their deposition, and the sedimentary environments in which they are found. Students and researchers come to Ainsa to learn about the composition of the sediments, the remains and tracks of life (both hard-bodied fossils and trace fossils, respectively) in what was a deep seaway connected to the opening North Atlantic Ocean (up to many hundreds of metres deep). They can also learn about the physical processes that led to the deposition of the sediments, the geometry of the deposits or beds, and the 3-D stacking patterns of the sediments, particularly the sandstones.

10 April 2018

2018-04-ainsa-cores

Breadcrumb trail

  • Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences

Faculty menu

  • Current page: News
  • Events

Breadcrumb trail

  • Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
  • News and events
  • The Hotel Dos Rios - UCL Core Laboratory

Drilling and coring of the ancient deep-marine sedimentary rocks around Ainsa has produced superb core material that is used for research and teaching. As part of the research legacy this core is now back in Ainsa.

The Hotel Dos Rios - UCL Core Laboratory is a purpose built and permanent dedicated space that showcases sediment cores from wells that were drilled around Ainsa as part of a large dataset from the industry consortia-funded University College London (UCL) Ainsa Project (directed by Prof. Kevin Pickering), together with more recent geological mapping, sedimentary logging and sampling from outcrop and subsurface material. 

It is available for study free of charge for residents of the Hotel Dos Rios by contacting Luis Sierco or staff at the Hotel Dos Rios. A charge is levied for non-residents.

Related Links:

  • Prof Kevin Pickering research profile
  • Deep-marine systems, Eocene Upper Hecho Group, Ainsa Basin, Spanish Pyrenees Edited by Kevin Pickering, Sung Kwun Chough Volume 144, Pages 1-122 (May 2015)
  • Hotel Dos Rios, Ainsa Geology collections.

UCL footer

Visit

  • Bloomsbury Theatre and Studio
  • Library, Museums and Collections
  • UCL Maps
  • UCL Shop
  • Contact UCL

Students

  • Accommodation
  • Current Students
  • Moodle
  • Students' Union

Staff

  • Inside UCL
  • Staff Intranet
  • Work at UCL
  • Human Resources
UCL Logo

University College London

Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7679 2000

UCL social media menu

  • Link to Instagram
  • Link to Youtube
  • Link to TikTok
  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Soundcloud
Here, it can happen.
Back to top

Essential

  • Disclaimer
  • Freedom of Information
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • Slavery statement
  • Log in

© 2026 UCL