Llano Uplift Survey Maps Texas Critical Minerals
Airborne flights over central Texas will produce public geology data on rare earths and other critical minerals, with flights starting in November 2026.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Geography
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The U.S. Geological Survey and the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology are beginning low-level airborne geophysical flights over central Texas in early November 2026. The survey is a planned mapping operation, not a finished result, and its data will be publicly available on USGS ScienceBase.
Why it matters
The flights are part of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, an effort to modernize the nation's geology and mineral resource maps. The survey targets the Llano Uplift, where historical mining records indicate rare earth elements, tantalum, niobium and tungsten are present, and it includes a graphite focus area.
The aircraft is a fixed-wing plane with an elongated stinger extending from the tail that houses magnetic and radiometric sensors. Flight lines are spaced 660 feet (200 meters) apart at a nominal clearance of 330 feet (100 meters), and the survey is conducted during daylight hours only.
The players
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
The federal science agency that runs the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and contracted NV5 to collect the airborne data.
Texas Bureau of Economic Geology
The research arm of the University of Texas at Austin that co-leads the survey with the USGS and studies the state's geology and mineral resources.
NV5
The engineering and geospatial firm contracted by the USGS to collect the airborne magnetic and radiometric data.
The details
Airborne magnetic surveys measure small variations in Earth's magnetic field, which reflect differences in the rocks beneath the surface. Radiometric sensors detect naturally emitted gamma radiation, which helps identify specific rock and soil types. The aircraft collects both data sets along pre-planned lines, and the sensors are completely passive with no emissions. No photography or video data will be collected.
Timeline
Early November 2026: low-level airplane flights begin over central Texas.
2026: the airborne geophysical survey of the Llano Uplift is conducted.
The Tech Race
Earth MRI is the USGS's effort to replace older geology and mineral maps with modern, airborne-collected data across the country. The Llano Uplift survey adds Texas to that national mapping push, focusing on critical minerals the U.S. relies on.
Survey data will be publicly available on USGS ScienceBase once processed, so researchers, prospectors and Texas water and hazard planners can use it. The extraction gives no timeline for when processed data will be posted.
The takeaway
Watch for the publication of the Llano Uplift airborne data on USGS ScienceBase, which will show whether the historical records of rare earth and tantalum occurrences are reflected in the new survey. The data release will also indicate how quickly Earth MRI can turn flights into usable maps.
Further reading
For broader context on how mapping shapes resource planning, explore more Geography coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by USGS.
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