News
April 21st, 2025
It's a Bird, it's a Plane....it's an Airborne Electromagnetic Surveying Helicopter!
Low-altitude helicopter surveys are scheduled to take place over parts of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, utilizing airborne geophysical methods to map the region’s geology.
The airborne electromagnetic (AEM) survey aims to generate detailed images of subsurface electrical resistivity, thereby enhancing the geological understanding of regions spanning the Penokean orogen and the Midcontinent Rift System from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula into Wisconsin. This two-year project, scheduled for completion in 2025, is funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative. Its objectives include supporting mineral resource assessments, refining the regional geologic framework and mapping, and advancing water resource and surficial mapping studies. A key focus of the survey is to characterize major mineral systems, particularly those containing critical minerals associated with mafic magmatic, volcanogenic seafloor, and porphyry systems.
You can learn more about the project by reading a recent USGS press release.
March 13th, 2025
USA's Oldest Rocks are From Michigan!
Although most scientists consider the oldest rock in the world to be Canada’s Acasta Gneiss, turns out the oldest rocks in the U.S. are from Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. In the latest edition of GSA Today, they reveal that the Watersmeet Gneiss is estimated to be 3.62 billion years old!
MGS geologists have been actively mapping the Watersdome region in the UP and we are looking forward to sharing our findings with everyone! Keep an eye out for our next edition of the MGS Core Quarterly for more details about the oldest rocks in the U.S.
February 18th, 2025
Latest Issue of MGS Newsletter
Check out the Fall 2024 issue of the MGS Core Quarterly Newsletter!
In this issue:
- Major Milestones and Progress in 2024
- Introducing New Staff
- MGS Cuttings Collection Supports CCUS
- Unlocking Michigan’s Subsurface Vault – Annual Core Workshop
- Cass County Surficial Geology Report
- Dark Data Brought to Light
- MGS Research Supports Food Security
- Core Stories – Updated Wayne County Bedrock Map
February 10th, 2025
MGS is Rockin' a New Logo!
Your eyes are not playing tricks on you. MGS is rockin’ a new logo designed with the help of Western Michigan University students. Will there be merchandise for sale with the logo in the future? Our crystal ball says “Outlook is looking good”.
January 8th, 2025
Update about Michigan's Potash Deposit and Research
Dr. William Harrison recently described Michigan’s potash deposit and the research we have been conducting about it. The article discusses the history of the deposit, where it is, and why it is particularly important now. He discusses the collection of potash rock cores that we preserve at MGRRE from 77 different wells in 9 counties. Research by MGRRE staff and students identified the geologic and stratigraphic distribution of this deposit, and analytical testing by industry has confirmed it to be the highest grade potash known throughout the world.
This story was also featured in the latest issue of Geologically Speaking, a Michigan Section AIPG Publication; see page 11.
