Although scientists cannot see rock that is deep beneath the Earth’s surface, we can still measure some important properties of these rocks that provide clues about what kinds of minerals they might contain, and how they are arranged beneath the Earth’s surface. Airborne geophysical surveys collected with instruments mounted on the underside of low-flying aircraft are one of our best modern tools for identifying mineral, energy and groundwater resources, and natural hazards like buried seismic faults that cause earthquakes.
In collaboration with neighboring states’ geological surveys, the Massachusetts Geological Survey has secured funding from the federal Earth MRI program to do geophysical surveys of a wide swath of southern New England. This newly funded work, totalling $750,000, involves low-level airplane flights over parts of the Connecticut River Valley to image geology using airborne geophysical technology, starting this month. The flights are part of a national effort to modernize mapping of the nation’s geology, increasing knowledge of resources such as critical minerals and water, and natural hazards such as earthquakes and radon.
Massachusetts and the region will benefit in several ways from the new data, helping us better map bedrock minerals and mitigate geologic hazards. This region is home to several types of rocks and tectonic settings that can help us understand complex mineral systems. The survey is part of USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, a partnership with the geological surveys of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont as well as other states.
Read more about EarthMRI’s airborne geophysical methods here.
Funding from the EarthMRI program within USGS