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Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.

RESTON, VA – A low-flying airplane will soon be visible to residents in parts of central Florida. 

Data collection for this survey area will begin in January 2025 and last potentially through April, weather permitting.

The survey will cover parts of the following counties in Florida: Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota.

 A map of western Florida with an Earth MRI survey footprint overlayed near Tampa.

The airplane will fly along pre-planned flight paths relatively low to the ground at about 300 feet (100 meters) above the surface. The ground clearance will be increased to 1,000 feet (300+ meters) over populated areas in compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations. 

The scientific instruments on the airplane are completely passive, with no emissions that pose a risk to humans, animals, or plant life. No photography or video data will be collected.

Instruments on the airplane will measure variations in low-level radiation created by different rock types. This information will provide scientists with the framework needed to better evaluate natural resources, groundwater, or geologic hazards. 

The effort is part of the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI); a nationwide collaboration between the USGS and state geologists to modernize our understanding of the nation’s fundamental geologic framework through new geologic maps, geophysical and topographic surveys, and geochemical sampling. 

Experienced pilots who are specially trained and approved for low-level flying will operate the aircraft. All flights will occur during daylight hours and are coordinated with the FAA to ensure compliance with U.S. law. More information on USGS mineral resources research can be found here.

The flights are being coordinated by the USGS and the Florida Geological Survey. Their goal is to image geology at the surface and below ground using airborne geophysical technology, with applications to hurricane resiliency and critical mineral resource evaluation. The data collected will be made freely available to the public once complete. 

The survey will include re-flights of an area previously surveyed last year to study any changes to the geology following Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which made landfall in Florida in September 2024. The 2024 surveys marked the first time in more than 45 years that a public high-resolution survey has been flown in these areas.

This survey will be flown by contractor Xcalibur Multiphysics via a subcontract to Fugro. 

To stay up to date on USGS mineral resources data and reports, and to learn more about USGS mineral-resource and commodity information, please visit our website and follow us on X.  

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