​It’s a case of ‘eyes to the sky’ over western County Donegal and northern County Mayo as the latest airborne phase of Tellus, a major geological survey of Ireland, gets underway in the regions.
To gather data, a low-flying plane equipped with state-of-the-art technology will traverse the skies into the autumn months (weather permitting). The aircraft, a white twin propeller plane bearing the registration number C-GSGF, will be based at Sligo airport and survey rural areas at a height of 60m – approximately eight times the height of a standard two storey house, as approved by the Irish Aviation Authority.

Dr James Hodgson, Geophysics Programme Manager for Tellus, said:

“Tellus is an important and exciting project which is helping to unearth significant geological information about Ireland. Eastern Donegal was previously surveyed in 2011, as part of the Tellus Border project, so we look forward to completing the airborne data set for the region with upcoming flights”.
“By late 2017, we expect to have surveyed 50% of Ireland – with the resulting information helping us to better understand the local environment, soil management and natural resource potential for Donegal. We would also like to thank the local community for their continued support with survey activity”.

Tellus is led by Geological Survey Ireland and funded by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE).
For more information on Tellus, including weekly flight plans, please visit www.tellus.ie. If you have any concerns about sensitive livestock, please call the Tellus Freephone Information Line on 1800