USGS Helicopters Will Conduct Survey In Laramie, Albany Counties

Residents of several counties in southeast Wyoming as well as northern Colorado can expect to see low-flying helicopters as part of a survey being conducted by the United States Geological Survey [USGS].

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That's according to a USGS news release, the flights will "image geology using airborne geophysical technology."

Laramie And Albany Counties Included In Survey

The survey will include flights over ''Albany, Carbon, Converse, Laramie, and Platte counties in Wyoming as well as Jackson, Larimer, and Routt counties in Colorado.''

The release says the flights will be "based out of various Wyoming airports," but it doesn't specify which ones. The aerial survey is expected to get underway this month, and wrap up in about three months or so.

According to the release ''The purpose of the airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey is to provide images of subsurface electrical resistivity that expand the fundamental knowledge of geology underpinning an area from the Cheyenne Belt in Wyoming through to the Black Hills in South Dakota. These flights are a part of a two-year airborne data collection project, expected to finish in 2026.''

The choppers will be flying low to the ground, roughly 100 to 200 feet. The USGS says none of the equipment being used will pose any kind of safety threat to people or animals, and no photographs will be taken. The helicopters will be flown by experienced pilots with special training in low level flights.