| Data types | Geophysics |
|---|---|
| Description | Airborne magnetic and radiometric survey of the Medicine Bow Mountains, Wyoming |
| Start year | 2021 |
| Affiliation | USGS Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
| Contact | Benjamin Drenth, bdrenth@usgs.gov
|
| Website | https://www.usgs.gov/centers/gggsc |
| Abstract | The high-resolution magnetic and radiometric survey is planned for acquisition in the summer of 2023 in the Medicine Bow Mountains of southern Wyoming. The survey is funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resource Initiative, with contributions from the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS), and is designed to optimize coverage of geologic features of greatest interest. The effort is focused on the Lake Owen Complex, a Paleoproterozoic layered mafic intrusion with known PGE mineralization, and the surrounding area that includes the Cheyenne Belt, which marks the southern margin of the Wyoming Province. The planned survey includes magnetic and radiometric data collected from a helicopter along flight lines spaced no wider than 200 m and a nominal terrain clearance of 60-120 m. The mineral systems of interest in the survey area include Mafic magmatic, Magmatic REE, Placer, and Porphyry Cu-Mo-Au, and Volcanogenic seafloor. Potential critical mineral commodities include As, Ba, Be, Bi, Co, Cr, fluorspar, Ga, Ge, Hf, In, Mg, Mn, PGE, REE, Sc Ta, Te, Ti, V, Zn, and Zr. There is additional potential for Ag, Au, Cd, Cu, Fe, La, Mo, Pb, Th, U, and Y. |