A huge deposit of minerals has been found in Afghanistan by U.S. geologists. The mineral wealth is enough to turn the tides around in this impoverished country and turn it into worthwhile mining centers.

Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the United States Central Command, told reporters, “There is stunning potential here. There are a lot of ifs, of course, but I think potentially it is hugely significant.”
They have discovered approximately a trillion dollars worth of untapped mineral deposits. These minerals included cobalt, iron, copper and gold. There were also some industrial metals found like lithium. Pentagon was quoted as saying that with these findings, Afghanistan could become the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.” Lithium is a great material which is used in batteries for mobile phones and laptops. Try checking your battery and you will see the label, Lithium ion battery.

Last month in his visit to Washington, Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s president, said that the Pentagon’s estimate is far from his. He says there could be even up to $3 trillion worth of mineral deposits there.

The U.S. Geological Survey has been monitoring Afghanistan since 2006. They started with aerial surveys of the resources. The reason for their surveying is to follow the leads that mining experts have collected during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s.

The biggest mineral deposits found were iron and copper. They also found a large amount of niobium which is used in producing superconducting steel.

This truly is a great discovery but this is not confirmed as an instant business opportunity. They still have to consider the competition and the demand for the elements as well.

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Post tags: Afghanistan, copper, geologists, gold cobalt, Hamid Karzai, lithium deposits, mineral reserves, niobium, Pentagon, US Central Command