The Mississippi Alluvial Plain hosts one of the most prolific shallow aquifer systems in the United States but is experiencing chronic groundwater decline. The Reelfoot rift and New Madrid seismic zone underlie the region and represent an important and poorly understood seismic hazard. Despite its societal and economic importance, the shallow subsurface architecture has not been mapped with the spatial resolution needed for effective management. Here, we present airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric observations, measured over more than 43,000 flight-line-kilometers, which collectively provide a system-scale snapshot of the entire region. We develop detailed maps of aquifer connectivity and shallow geologic structure, infer relationships between structure and groundwater age, and identify previously unseen paleochannels and shallow fault structures. This dataset demonstrates how regional-scale airborne geophysics can close a scale gap in Earth observation by providing observational data at suitable scales and resolutions to improve our understanding of subsurface structures.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Title | Airborne geophysical surveys of the lower Mississippi Valley demonstrate system-scale mapping of subsurface architecture |
| DOI | 10.1038/s43247-021-00200-z |
| Authors | Burke J. Minsley, James Robert Rigby, Stephanie R. James, Bethany L. Burton, Katherine J. Knierim, Michael Pace, Paul A. Bedrosian, Wade Kress |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Index ID | 70221866 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center; Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center; Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
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