The new airborne geophysical survey data will be collected using an airplane and will fly over parts of northwest Iowa, northeast Nebraska, southwest Minnesota, and southeast South Dakota, weather permitting. The survey will begin in mid-May and be completed in about four to six months.
The geophysical survey will focus on the buried Spirit Lake tectonic zone that is centered in the area between Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Omaha, Nebraska. The region is thought to have potential for critical mineral deposits buried in the ancient Precambrian rocks deep beneath the glacial deposits and sedimentary rocks exposed near the surface. The purpose of the geophysical survey is to better map the ancient Precambrian rocks at depth. The region was chosen in collaboration with the Iowa Geological Survey, the Minnesota Geological Survey, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Natural Resources Research Institute, the Nebraska Conservation and Survey Division and the South Dakota Geological Survey.
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More details at: https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/media-alert-usgs-and-agencies-four-states-announce-low-level-airplane