USGS Begins Texas Airborne Mineral Survey

Low-level flights over central Texas will map magnetic and radiometric data across the Llano Uplift as part of a federal critical minerals effort.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Geography

A small survey aircraft with a long tail stinger flies low over rounded granite hills and dry scrub in central Texas under clear morning light. — The U.S. Geological Survey and Texas Bureau of Economic Geology began low-level airborne mineral surveys over central Texas in early November, with data to be published on ScienceBase. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you support government aerial surveys mapping minerals and groundwater in your area?

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology began low-level airborne geophysical flights over central Texas in early November 2026. Survey data will be made publicly available on USGS ScienceBase.

Why it matters

The survey is intended to map critical minerals the nation needs and to add to state knowledge crucial to water resources, hazards and the resource economy. It is part of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, an effort to modernize the nation's maps of geology and mineral resources.

The fixed-wing aircraft collects magnetic and radiometric data along pre-planned flight lines spaced 660 feet (200 meters) apart, flown at a nominal 330 feet (100 meters) above terrain across 11 counties. Historical mining records point to rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium and tungsten within the area, but the survey has not yet produced results confirming them.

The players

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

The USGS is the federal science agency that produces maps and data on the nation's geology, water and natural hazards, and it leads the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.

Texas Bureau of Economic Geology

The Texas Bureau of Economic Geology is the state geological research unit at the University of Texas at Austin that studies the state's mineral and energy resources.

NV5

NV5 is an engineering and consulting firm that the USGS contracted to collect the airborne magnetic and radiometric data.

The details

The USGS has contracted NV5 to collect the data using a fixed-wing plane with an elongated tail-mounted stinger housing passive sensors that emit nothing. Flights are conducted only during daylight hours, no photography or video is collected, and operations are based out of the Llano Municipal County Airport.

Early November 2026: Low-level airplane flights begin over central Texas.
2026: Airborne geophysical survey of the Llano Uplift is conducted.

Big Picture

The flights are part of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, the USGS program modernizing the nation's geology and mineral resource maps. The Llano Uplift survey applies that program's airborne methods to a Central Texas target that includes a graphite focus area.

Survey results will be published on USGS ScienceBase, giving Texas residents and industry access to the mapping data. The data is intended to inform future decisions about critical mineral resources, water supply and geologic hazards across the state.

The takeaway

Airborne mapping can reveal mineral and water resources beneath the surface without ground disturbance, so the survey data will be a useful reference once released on USGS ScienceBase.