Ireland has completed the final phase of a nationwide airborne geophysical survey, marking a significant milestone in the country's efforts to develop a comprehensive, high-resolution understanding of its subsurface. After 16 years and over 440,000 km of flying the Tellus Programme has undertaken its final flight.
The survey forms part of the Geological Survey Ireland's long-running geoscience mapping programme and provides complete airborne geophysical coverage of the country. Using fixed-wing aircraft equipped with advanced geophysical instrumentation, the programme has acquired magnetic and radiometric datasets that will support geological mapping, mineral exploration, groundwater investigations, environmental studies and land-use planning.
Beyond traditional mineral exploration, the datasets are expected to support a wide range of applications, including geothermal resource assessment, critical mineral exploration, infrastructure planning and environmental management. The availability of consistent national-scale geophysical data also creates new opportunities for integrating airborne observations with geological mapping, borehole information and modern machine-learning workflows.
The completion of the programme reinforces the growing importance of publicly accessible geoscience data in supporting both scientific research and informed decision-making. As countries increasingly seek to strengthen domestic resource knowledge and accelerate the energy transition, national airborne geophysical surveys continue to provide a valuable baseline for future exploration and subsurface characterisation.
