Media Alert: Low-level Flights to Image Geology over Eastern California

The flights are a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and the California Geological Survey (CGS). The USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative is an effort to modernize the nation's maps of geology and mineral resources, and to identify energy and groundwater resources and natural hazards.

"Partnership with state surveys helps accomplish national goals like mapping the critical minerals the U.S. needs. The California Geological Survey is helping with the work of the nation-and adding to state knowledge crucial to water resources, hazards and the resource economy," said Jamey Jones, science coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.

"Earth MRI datasets are a coordinated federal-state partnership to collect modern data in priority regions of the state, make those data publicly available, and materially improve our understanding of the geology of California. This 2026 airborne geophysical survey is of significant scale and in an area that has been a focus for some years," said Jeremy Lancaster, California State Geologist and Director of the California Geological Survey.

The survey covers a portion of eastern California on the western edge of the Great Basin, which hosts a diverse range of mineral deposits and districts that represent known mineral resources, such as the Pine Creek mine near Bishop, Calif., the largest historic producer of tungsten in the U.S. The survey areas still have significant exploration and production potential. Potential critical minerals and related commodities include antimony, arsenic, beryllium, bismuth, boron, copper, fluorine, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, lead, lithium, mercury, molybdenum, potash, rubidium, silver, tellurium, tin, tungsten, and zinc.

The new high-resolution geophysical surveys will provide foundational geological data that can be used to support future mineral exploration and also provide crucial subsurface data for assessing geothermal energy potential, as well as volcano and seismic hazards in the Long Valley caldera, the eastern Sierra Nevada range front, and within Owens Valley.

The survey includes magnetic and radiometric data collection from helicopters along pre-planned flight lines spaced 660 feet (200 meters) apart at an altitude of 330 feet (100 meters). The USGS has contracted NRG Exploration USA Inc. and Woolpert to collect the airborne magnetic and radiometric data. Their AS350 helicopters will be equipped with an elongated "stinger" that extends from the main cabin or helicopter skids and houses sensors collecting data. These scientific instruments 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 aircraft will be flown by experienced pilots who are specially trained and approved for low-level flying. These pilots work with the FAA to ensure flights are safe and in accordance with U.S. law. The surveys will be conducted during daylight hours only.

Flights will be based out of the Bishop and Lone Pine airports, and will fly over the following counties: Fresno, Inyo, and Mono in California, and Esmeralda and Mineral in Nevada.

Earth MRI includes airborne geophysical surveys like this one, geochemical reconnaissance surveys, topographic mapping using LiDAR technology, hyperspectral surveys, and geologic mapping projects. The data collected are made freely available to the public on the USGS ScienceBase website.