Region targeted for aerial geological survey to map underground mineral deposits

Residents in parts of Westmoreland, Fayette, Indiana and Somerset counties may see a low-flying plane or helicopter carrying a torpedo-like probe in the sky over the next few months.

It’s part of a U.S. Geological Survey initiative to map underground rocks that may contain rare earth minerals or pockets of water.

“This is a great opportunity to gather all this information” about what is available beneath the surface of the surveyed area in the state, said Gale Blackmer, state geologist and director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Geological Survey.

What the USGS is calling an “Earth MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)” is a valuable opportunity to fill gaps in the understanding of Pennsylvania’s underlying geologic framework, Blackmer said.

While the study can reveal water sources and opportunities for carbon storage, Blackmer said, it will not reveal coal seams or methane stored in the Marcellus shale strata.

The plane or helicopter carrying the magnetic sensor will fly over a 27,500-square-mile area above parts of 21 Pennsylvania counties, as well as Western Maryland, Northwestern Virginia and Eastern West Virginia, the USGS said. The flights started last month and could continue for the remainder of the year.

The routes will depend on the weather, and the state did not receive a tentative schedule from the USGS, Blackmer said.

Sensors in the probe will measure and store information from the naturally occurring radiation that is emitted from the underground rock, Blackmer said. Geologists will interpret the emissions that are recorded to determine what is underground.

The study could reveal aluminum in clay and the many mine refuse areas throughout the region, the USGS said.