Media Alert: Low-level airplane flights to image geology over parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa
USGS Low-level airplane surveys to begin in September
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
RESTON, Va. — Low-level airplane flights are planned over a broad region of Nebraska, Kansas, and a small portion of Iowa to image geology using airborne geophysical technology.
The survey will be conducted starting in August 2024 and will last approximately 15 months, weather and wildfire restrictions permitting.
lights will cover areas within the Nebraska Counties of Nance, Polk, Butler, Saunders, Dodge, Washington, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Lancaster, Seward, York, Otoe, Saline, Gage, Jefferson, Johnson, Nemaha, and Richardson; Kansas Counties of Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Clay, Riley, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee, Geary, Jackson, Cloud, Ottawa; and Iowa Counties of Mills and Fremont.
The flights will be based out of Lincoln Airport (KLNK) in Lincoln, Nebraska; Beatrice Municipal Airport (KBIE) in Beatrice, Nebraska; and Manhattan Regional Airport (KMHK) in Manhattan, Kansas. The flights could shift with little warning to other parts of the survey area as necessitated by adverse flying conditions.
The purpose of the survey is to provide images that expand the fundamental knowledge of geology underpinning the Midcontinent Rift and the Elk Creek carbonatite. The area is known to host deposits of critical minerals, including niobium, which is important for high-strength steels for pipelines and structural applications.
Depending on availability, one of the following aircraft will fly along pre-planned flight paths relatively low to the ground at about 300 feet (100 meters) above the surface: Cessna Grand Caravan (C208B) – C-GGRD; Cessna Grand Caravan (C208B) – N2343X; or an Air Tractor (AT502B) – N3394X.
The ground clearance will be increased to 1,000 feet (300+ meters) over populated areas and will comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Flights will follow north-south lines spaced about 1,300 feet (400 meters) apart and east-west lines about 13,120 feet (4 km) apart.
The survey will use aircraft equipped with an elongated “stinger” mounted to the underside of the cabin extending behind or on the wingtips of the aircraft. Instruments in the stinger and inside the cabin will measure variations in the Earth’s magnetic field and natural low-level gamma energy created by different rock types.
The scientific instruments on the aircraft are completely passive, with no emissions that pose a risk to humans, animals, or plant life. No photography or video data will be collected. The data collected will be made freely available to the public once complete. The aircraft will be flown by experienced pilots who are specially trained and approved for low-level flying. The company works with the FAA to ensure flights are safe and in accordance with U.S. law. The surveys will be conducted during daylight hours only.
While it has seen mineral exploration in the past, the region’s critical mineral potential is currently under mapped. This survey was coordinated through close collaboration between the USGS, Conservation and Survey Division (Nebraska Geological Survey) and Kansas Geological Survey. Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has facilitated coverage of such a large area.
The new geophysical data will be processed to develop high-resolution three-dimensional representations of bedrock composition and structure to depths more than 3,280 feet (1 kilometer) below the surface.
The 3D models and maps are important for improving our understanding of critical mineral resource potential, water resources, groundwater pathways near legacy mining areas, parameters for infrastructure and land use planning, and potential risks of naturally occurring radon.
The survey fits into a broader effort by the USGS, the Conservation and Survey Division (Nebraska Geological Survey) and Kansas Geological Survey and many other state geological surveys and other partners, including private companies, academics, and state and federal agencies to modernize our understanding of the Nation’s fundamental geologic framework and knowledge of mineral resources. This effort is known as the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, and it includes airborne geophysical surveys like this one, geochemical reconnaissance surveys, topographic mapping using LiDAR technology, hyperspectral surveys, and geologic mapping projects.
The USGS is contracting with Fugro, who has subcontracted the work with Xcalibur Multiphysics, to collect data.
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