Resistivity surveys in Northern Minnesota

USGS New York Water Science Center Research Hyrologist Neil Terry preparing for resistivity surveys in Northern Minnesota. (Credit: Josh Woda, USGS NY WSC, Public domain.)

The week of August 16^th-20^th Terry, Neil C and Josh Woda contributed to a 30+ year long research effort near Bemidji, Minnesota. The two worked with 20+ USGS scientists and academics to help understand the natural attenuation and continued contamination of crude oil from a large oil pipeline spill in the late 1970’s. Electrical geophysical surveys (FDEM and ERT) and SPC measurements collected on a small lake downgradient of the main oil plume hopes to shed light on contaminate pathways, secondary contaminants, and flow dynamics within the study area.