Information Circular 18. Subsurface Research and Scientific Drilling in Western Minnesota

Abstract

Minnesota citizens benefit in many ways from geological information on the state. As population and complex technology expand, the rocks and glacial materials of the state are called on more and more to provide ground water, mineral commodities, and fuels, and also to accommodate special engineering structures for the safe storage of petroleum, natural gas, heated water, and a bewildering array of waste products. Sound geologic data are essential for proper exploitation and management of the geologic environment and avoidance of serious decision errors. In another sense the rocks themselves pose interesting academic questions about the origin and development of continental crust in early geologic time, and also about the more recent glacial history of the upper midwest. These questions and their answers contribute to the intellectual richness of our lives, and our thinking about them commonly leads to unexpected practical benefits.