Planes mapping mineral resources will be in the tri-state area

The U.S. Geological Survey plans a series of low-level airplane flights over the next year that will map mineral resources across four states, including parts of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. A press release states that the flights are a collaborative effort between the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and the geological surveys of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, and are part of a national effort to “map critical mineral resources and modernize mapping of the nation’s geology.” The survey began in November and will take approximately a year to complete. According to the release, the small fixed-wing aircraft to be used will be equipped with sensors and no photography or video data will be collected during the surveys, which will be conducted during daylight hours only.