While the U.S. Geological Survey is busy monitoring earthquakes in northern Oklahoma, it is also in the process of beginning a major study to define what minerals lie beneath portions of the upper Midwest.
Scientists are conducting a high-resolution airborne survey studying the rock layers under a region of the south-central Upper Peninsula, Michigan and parts of northeastern Wisconsin. The project just got underway and will continue until late August.
When the data analysis is complete, resulting geologic maps will help USGS researchers improve an assessment of mineral resources in the region. As part of the research, a low-flying airplane will be used.
“This study will help USGS and partnered scientists understand the region’s fundamental geology and mineral potential in much greater detail then is currently known,” explained USGS scientist Benjamin Drenth, who is based in December and will lead the survey.
The plane will carry instruments to measure differences in the earth’s magnetic field. The aircraft will fly as low as 250 feet in a grid pattern over the region.
