The U. S. Geological Survey, Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center, requires a cooperative agreement to Utah State University in support of joint research on the origin, character, and mineral potential of Proterozoic-age basement rocks and the nature of the Proterozoic-Paleozoic unconformity

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in northeastern Iowa.

The Northeast Iowa Intrusive Complex (NEIIC) is composed of mafic Proterozoic rocks that may be related to the Midcontinent Rift System, and may have nationally significant mineral potential.

However, the rocks are completely buried under hundreds of meters of younger sedimentary rocks, and very few boreholes penetrate the overlying sedimentary section.

Studies of the NEIIC to date have relied almost entirely on geophysical data, but rigorous control on the geophysical interpretations is lacking.

Further, the fundamental nature of the closely related Proterozoic-Paleozoic unconformity is weakly constrained in this region, specifically in relation to its hydrogeologic character, state of stress, thermal regime, and state of weathering.