Deep underground, one of the world’s poorest countries has at least $ 1 trillion in untapped natural resources, according to a report by the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum [PDF]. The South Asian country of 38 million people is estimated to have more than 2.2 billion tons of iron ore, 1.3 billion tons of marble and 1.4 million tons of rare earths.
According to Scott Montgomery, a geologist who has studied the extent of Afghan resources, it takes the country at least seven to ten years to develop large-scale mining into a major source of income.
Have bad security, weak legislation, and corruption prevented the development of the mining sector.
What is underground?
In the 1960s and 1970s, the USSR and its Eastern European allies conducted extensive Survey the geological resources of the country. However, decades of war resulted in most of the resources remaining buried.
In 2010, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), along with the Afghanistan Geological Survey (AGS), conducted the country’s most comprehensive geological survey and identified 24 Specific Areas of Interest (AOI) in the 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
The areas of interest are color-coded on the map below. These include: valuable metal reserves (green), building material reserves (yellow), industrial mineral reserves (purple) and areas with oil and gas (red).
(Al Jazeera)
Valuable metals
Iron is the most abundant of the most valuable metals in Afghanistan. The total iron ore reserves are estimated at 2.2 billion tons, placing Afghanistan in the top 10 countries for extractable iron.
The Hajigak Mine in the mountainous province of Bamyan, 130 km (80 miles) west of Kabul, has the largest iron ore deposit in the region with 1.7 billion tons of high-grade ore containing 63-69 percent iron.
To put this in context, 2.2 billion tons of iron ore could be used to build at least 200,000 replicas of Paris’s Eiffel Tower – the iconic monument that stands and stands at 324m high 7,300 tons by Eisen in 1889.
The country has an estimated 183 million tons of aluminum deposits, mainly found in Badakhshan and Kandahar provinces. The light metal is the second most widely used metal worldwide after iron.
Afghanistan also has an estimated 2,698 kg gold deposits along two main gold belts: Badakhshan southwest to Takhar and Ghazni southwest to Zabul. This amount of gold can be used to mint at least 300,000 gold pound coins, each weighing eight grams.
(Al Jazeera)
Building material
Afghanistan is the eighth largest mountainous country in the world, which makes many parts difficult to access. The Hindu Kush Himalayas stretch across the northeast of the inland and contain a variety of minerals and stones, including marble, limestone, and sandstone, which are widely used in construction.
Marble is a versatile rock that is widely used in architecture and sculpture. The country supplies an impressive 1.3 billion tons of the beautiful building block, which is enough marble to make 13,000. to build Washington monuments – 169 m high and 17 m wide. The province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan, is known for its pink onyx marble, which is one of the most sought-after in the region.
Limestone and sandstone are common types of sedimentary rock that are widely used in construction. Limestone is an integral part of cement and an important part of household products like toothpaste and paint.
Afghanistan is estimated to have at least 500 million tons of limestone, mainly found in Badakhshan, Herat and Baghlan provinces.
(Al Jazeera)
Industrial minerals
Afghanistan has historically been one of the world’s leading sources of lapis lazuli, emeralds, and rubies. Most of the gemstones can be found in the northeast of the country.
Afghanistan has an estimated 1.4 million tons of rare earth minerals, including lithium (used in batteries), uranium (used as a nuclear fuel), and many others. One of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals is located near Khanneshin in Helmand Province.
The country also has an estimated 152 million tons of barite, a colorless mineral commonly used in drilling by the oil and gas industry.
(Al Jazeera)
Exports and trading partners
According to the Observatory on Economic Complexity (OEC) total Afghanistan’s 2019 exports were $ 2.24 billion.
The first three categories were:
- Precious metals, gems, and jewelry: 45 percent ($ 1 billion)
- Fruits and nuts, citrus peel: 24 percent ($ 538 million)
- Vegetables, certain roots and tubers: 8 percent ($ 177 million)
(Al Jazeera)
In 2019, Afghanistan exported more than 90 percent of its products to just three countries – 45 percent to the United Arab Emirates, followed by 24 percent to neighboring Pakistan and 22 percent to India.
Since the Taliban took control of the country on August 15, 2021, Western states have severely restricted their aid payments to the country.
on September 2nd, the Taliban said the company relies heavily on financing from China, which already holds several long-term mining leases throughout the country.
(Al Jazeera)
