A naukri.com initiative
Nasa
3w
263
Image Credit: Nasa
NASA Flights Map Critical Minerals from Skies Above Western US
- The US Geological Survey has led a nationwide survey from the inside out utilizing tools to probe ancient terrain in new detail to jumpstart mineral exploration
- USGS is leading the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment with NASA to map critical minerals across more than 190,000 square miles of North American soil using airborne instruments, including imaging spectrometers
- The technology detects hundreds of wavelengths of light reflected off planetary surfaces and identifies surface minerals across dry, treeless expanses of the Western US
- Undiscovered US deposits of critical minerals, from lithium to aluminum and rare earth elements including neodymium and cerium, are thought to exist and modern mineral maps will support exploration by the private sector
- The completed survey will cover parts of California, Nevada, Arizona and Oregon on an area about the size of Spain
- GEMx scientists believe mineral maps will support exploration of critical minerals by the private sector, jumpstarting mineral exploration
- The initiative is funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and will last four years
- The project has collected enough data to start producing a complete hyperspectral map of California - the first of its kind
- Already the technology has been used to help identify surface minerals across dry, treeless expanses of the Western US creating maps which goes beyond mineral identification
- The hyperspectral map is expected to provide new insights into invasive plant species, mine waste that can contaminate the environment, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, and wildfires
Read Full Article
15 Likes
For uninterrupted reading, download the app