Airborne survey to spot anomalous areas

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) plans to start an airborne survey to identify anomalous areas of the country. These areas would be with different radioactive or magnetic levels highly deviating from normal conditions found in a normal ground. The GSMB under the purview of the Ministry of Environment plans to conduct this program this year.

"These facts would help us locate sub surfaced mineral deposits," said GSMB Chairman Dr. N.P. Wijeyananda. Many of the mineral deposits that are exposed are identified but there can be many other deposits that are sub surfaced and these need to be identified soon, said Dr. Wijeyananda. "For this we need to identify areas with different levels of magnetic and radioactive qualities that would give a hint for the availability of sub surfaced mineral deposits," he said.

The GSMB plans to conduct this high tech program using helicopters in the hill areas and for other areas of the country twin engine aircrafts that can fly at lower altitudes. Scientific instruments to measure radioactive and magnetic nature of the ground will be used in this to identify anomalous areas. Further explaining the process Dr. Wijeyananda said that a land that may have an iron deposit will give different readings in instruments to identify the magnetic qualities and if there are radioactive deposits, instruments detecting such qualities will show readings that are different to a normal land.