Project to seek hidden geothermal systems in Imperial Valley, California

Salton Sea and the SouthernValley, California (source: flickr/ Doc Searls, creative commons)

The US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) and the US  Geological Society (USGS) have recently launched a project that aims to collect on hidden geothermal systems in California’s Imperial Valley where the geothermally active Salton Sea is located.

The initiative, called “GeoFlight: Salton Trough,” will use low-flying aircraft to actively capture airborne magnetic and radiometric data from the study area. This will help identify unique surface and near-surface features that can then be used to generate more accurate geologic maps.

In cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the USGS will also be conducting high-altitude airborne LiDAR surveys over the Salton Trough area. The high-quality elevation data produced from this survey will be made publicly available.

Source: USGS