PLAINWELL, Mich. (WOOD) — Over the Plainwell Municipal Airport, a giant hexagonal antenna is attached to a helicopter. It’s a sight that has drawn attention online and from people who have seen the aircraft flying.
The equipment is meant to survey the ground below to help Kalamazoo city officials better map out the aquifers the water system relies on.
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The system uses an electromagnetic current. Materials like clay or silt conduct the current while sand and gravel do not. It’s the latter that gives scientists a clue of the aquifer below.
Geologist and geophysicist Jared Abraham is with Aqua Geo Frameworks. He said the antenna stretches out the wire that’s producing the current. It’s a larger and more mobile system compared to laying the wire on the surface…