The Electric EarthResearchers map the plant’s geomagnetic currents.

A nearly 20-year effort to map the electrical properties of Earth’s crust and mantle across the contiguous United States, viewed as critical to protecting the electrical grid during extreme solar storms and against damage from electromagnetic pulses used as weapons, is now complete. “Before, we had a patchwork quilt of information, but we could not connect the dots,” said Professor Adam Schultz, the project’s principal investigator. “Now we can see the entire picture.” The 3-D geoelectric map provides vital information to scientists and power companies and helps them understand how geomagnetic currents under the surface interface with the power grid. The map could also be used to identify geohazards and potential natural resources. OSU’s National Geoelectromagnetic Facility is the largest facility for this type of measurement in the world.