A helicopter dangling a massive, hula hoop-shaped sensor will soon be carrying out flights roughly 200 feet above the High Desert as part of a USGS research project, officials announced Tuesday.
The ” low-level airborne project ” is set to begin in early November and be completed by December, weather permitting, according to the USGS. The survey area will include portions of San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Kern counties.
“The purpose of the survey is to provide images of subsurface electrical conductivity that expand the fundamental knowledge of the geology of the western Mojave Desert,” according to a statement issued by the federal agency.
“The helicopter will fly along pre-planned flight paths relatively low to the ground, about 200 feet above the surface,” the statement added. “A sensor that resembles a large hula-hoop will be towed beneath the helicopter to measure small electromagnetic signals that can be used to map geologic features.”
The flights will be based out of Barstow, although the base of operations, as well as the flight paths, are subject to change with little warning, officials said.