Low-flying planes armed with technology used to detect enemy submarines will be buzzing the Top of Utah this month. However, these planes will be looking for submerged rocks that will help identify new earthquake faults and aquifers for water management.
Beginning this week and lasting approximately a month, an airplane under contract to the U.S. Geological Survey, and in partnership with the Utah Geological Survey, will begin collecting and recording geophysical measurements over parts of Northern Utah from Snowville, east to Brigham City and south to Farmington Bay.
The flights will cover the eastern and southern parts of Box Elder County, western parts of Weber and Davis counties and the northern tip of Salt Lake County.
Scientific equipment called a magnetometer is mounted on the aircraft and is designed to map geologic structures beneath the land surface by measuring the magnetic characteristics of the rocks.
This analysis is part of an ongoing USGS federal research program to identify such physical occurrences as changes in rock types, ultimately providing a better understanding of the area's geology and hydrology.
"It measures changes in the earth's magnetic field," said USGS spokeswoman Leslie Gordon. "Certain rocks have certain magnetic fields."
The technology will help scientists identify new faults, she said. While it won't help predict when an earthquake might strike the area, Gordon said, it will help identify how serious an earthquake could be.
The mapping also will help identify where aquifers might be located and how much groundwater they might contain.
"Certain sandstone, which would be a good aquifer, looks different from granite, which would not be a good (aquifer)," Gordon said.
The magnetometer is an offshoot of technology developed during World War II to detect submarines.
The plane is controlled by experienced pilots who are specially trained for low-level flying and who are working with the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure flights are in accordance with U.S. law.
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