Airborne Geophysical Surveys over the Eastern Adirondacks, New York State

Airborne geophysical surveys were conducted in the eastern Adirondacks from Dec. 7, 2015 - Dec. 21, 2015, by Goldak Airborne Surveys. The area was flown along a draped surface with a nominal survey height above ground of 200 meters. The flight line spacing was 250 meters for traverse lines and 2500 meters for control lines. Here we present downloadable magnetic and radiometric (gamma spectrometry) data from those surveys as image (Geotiff) and flight line data (csv format).

Background
The Eastern Adirondacks region was known for iron mining in the 1800's and 1900's but it also contains deposits of rare earth minerals. Rare earth minerals are used in advanced technology such as in cell phones, rechargeable batteries and super-magnets. In many areas rare earth minerals appear to be associated with iron ore.

The surveys were flown in order to map geologic variations in three dimensions. Magnetic surveys measure subtle changes in Earth's magnetic field that reflect different types of buried rock, such as iron-rich ore bodies. Radiometric methods detect naturally occurring gamma particles. The energy spectra of these particles can be used to estimate relative amounts of potassium, uranium and thorium (also referred to as gamma ray spectrometry), which are sometimes associated with rare earth elements. Together, these data provide insights into the regional tectonic and magmatic history as well as mineral resources in the area.