SUPERIOR, Wis. (AP) - Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey are overseeing two aerial surveys of northern Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan in an effort to better define the geology of the upper Midwest.
U.S. Geological Survey geophysicists Paul Bedrosian and Ben Drenth are using helicopters to conduct electromagnetic and magnetic surveys, Wisconsin Public Radio (https://bit.ly/1qvUbMf ) reported. Both surveys will map rocks down as far as 1,500 feet beneath the ground’s surface.
“These surveys are part of a renewed effort to use geophysics to look beneath those sediments to better understand the basic structure and geology of the region and, in turn, the implications that may have for potential mineral resources,” Bedrosian said.
The electromagnetic survey began this month and will continue for the next several weeks, while the magnetic survey will span the next several months. Findings from both surveys will be released over the next several years.
The regions that will be surveyed include iron-rich areas where there’s been renewed interest in mining.
“We don’t advocate for or against mining, but we want the basic geologic information to be out there in the public domain,” Drenth said. “A lot of that information simply doesn’t exist yet in these regions.”
The electromagnetic survey will map 100-mile lines from north to south to measure the electrical conductivity of rocks. The survey’s range runs from the Twin Ports in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, to Escanaba, Michigan.
“They do have some relevance from a minerals industry perspective on a very largescale as to where you may have potential for additional mineral deposits,” Bedrosian said.
Local governments will be able to use the data to guide land use decisions.
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Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, https://www.wpr.org
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