ASPECT Aerial Survey

In the summer of 2018, EPA flew the Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) airplane over abandoned uranium mines in Eastern and Western Navajo Nation. This low-flying, radiation-detecting plane collected data that shows radiation levels on the ground. The data will help EPA’s efforts to characterize the level and extent of radiation at and around abandoned uranium mines (AUM).

These documents provide results from the ASPECT aerial radiological & photo surveys of the Navajo Nation Abandoned Uranium Mine region.

• EPA Fact Sheet: ASPECT Aerial Survey in the Eastern Abandoned Uranium Mine Region (pdf) (1.66 MB, November 2019)
  This fact sheet presents results and example figures from the ASPECT survey in the Eastern AUM Region which included Smith Lake, Coyote Canyon, Church Rock, Standing Rock, Mariano Lake, Baca/Prewitt, Pinedale, Nahodishgish, and Casamero Lake Chapters.
• EPA Fact Sheet: ASPECT Aerial Survey in the Western Abandoned Uranium Mine Region (pdf) (2.04 MB, November 2019)
  This fact sheet presents results and example figures from the ASPECT survey in the Western AUM Region, which included Cameron, Cole Mine Canyon and Boadway Gap.
• ASPECT Aerial Survey Final AUM Report (pdf) (15.96 MB, September 2020)
  An aerial radiological & photo survey of Abandoned Uranium Mines (AUM) on or near the Navajo Nation to identify surface areas with radiation and uranium concentrations that are out of balance with natural background concentrations.