Under Afghanistan found rare minerals on a trillion dollars

Despite the fact that Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, this country, perhaps sitting on one of the richest treasures of minerals in the world, according to different estimates worth $ 1 trillion.

Afghanistan is an extremely small country, rich in minerals, deposited in the violent collision of the Indian subcontinent with Asia. The USGS began an investigation of Afghanistan for the presence of minerals after American military forces have deprived the Taliban of power in the country in 2004. As it turned out, the service kept Soviet geological maps and reports 50-year-old and older.

In 2006 American researchers studied the airspace over Afghanistan for the compilation of magnetic, gravity and hyperspectral maps. Magnetic studies revealed iron-bearing minerals at a distance of 10 kilometers under the surface, and gravity studies have tried to identify potential pools filled with oil and gas. Hyperspectral experiments showed a spectrum of light reflected from the rocks to define a unique signature for each mineral. More than 70% of the country was mapped in just 2 months.

Studies have confirmed all the major Soviet finds. In Afghanistan may be 60 million tons of copper, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, 1.4 million tons of rare earth elements — lanthanum, cerium, neodymium as well as deposits of aluminum, gold, silver, zinc, mercury and lithium. Only Hanesin carbonatite Deposit in Afghanistan's Helmand province is estimated at 89 billion dollars.

"Afghanistan is a country that is very rich in mineral resources, — writes Discovery, said Jack, Madeline, a geologist and program Manager of the U.S. Geological survey in Afghanistan. We found at least 24 mineral deposits world-class".

The task force has estimated the mineral resources of Afghanistan to 908 billion, while the Afghan government estimates their cost at $ 3 trillion. In recent years, many analyses conducted group entrusted with the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Assessments of mineral resources in Afghanistan is associated with certain difficulties. It is obvious that pre-planning doesn't work in a country where you can't just go somewhere and do something. You need to carefully consider the security conditions and can't stay on earth too long to get samples.

In any case, the value of the mineral deposits in Afghanistan could seriously raise the political interest of the leading world countries.

Source: hi-news.ru