Geologists within the New York State Museum have been conducting geological mapping in partnership with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) for 40 years. This long-standing collaboration has helped the State Museum study and map the distribution of rocks and sediments across New York’s landscape to understand the geologic processes that made the topography of the Empire State magnificent. Now, thanks to federal funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), state of the art aerial geological surveys will be flown over parts of Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and Lewis Counties to collect data. These geophysical surveys allow scientists to detect and map rocks and complex geologic structures below the ground surface that have previously been hidden by vegetation or covered by thick sediment layers deposited by ancient glaciers. This survey data is then stitched together to produce a map, which provides information that allows State Geological Survey scientists to make interpretations about ancient geologic events that occurred many millions of years ago. This data will also guide future geologic research in the State Museum for decades.
More information can be found through the United States Geological Survey:
https://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/biden-harris-administrat...
