$1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan

[The SC]

U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan
Just this month, American geologists working with the Pentagon team have been conducting ground surveys on dry salt lakes in western Afghanistan where they believe there are large deposits of lithium. Pentagon officials said that their initial analysis at one location in Ghazni Province showed the potential for lithium deposits as large of those of Bolivia, which now has the world’s largest known lithium reserves.

For the geologists who are now scouring some of the most remote stretches of Afghanistan to complete the technical studies necessary before the international bidding process is begun, there is a growing sense that they are in the midst of one of the great discoveries of their careers.

“On the ground, it’s very, very, promising,” Mr. Medlin said. “Actually, it’s pretty amazing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/wo...pagewanted=all

Now we should talk about Lithium and its strategic applications for electric cars and mostly electric batteries to run things in the future.

Lithium-ion battery
Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The ability of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to store up to eight times more energy than conventional designs is getting a boost thanks to a new conducting material that doesn't break down after repeated usage.
Lithium-ion batteries are found everywhere from laptop computers and hybrid cars to electric power grids. The market for them is expected to soar by a factor of more than 80 between 2012 and 2020, rising to $5.8 billion a year.
That's primarily because the batteries are likely to be integrated with gusto to the so-called "smart grid" that increasingly relies on intermittent technologies such as solar and wind energy. Batteries provide a place to store energy when excess is generated and deliver it when it's needed.

"Because of this, lithium ion is set to emerge as the dominant rechargeable battery technology for electrical smart grids during the coming years," Satoru Oyama, principal analyst for Japan electronics research at IHS, said in a statement.
Battery tech improving as demand soars - Future of Tech on msnbc.com


Market for lithium:
"demand from the portable electronics sector will absorb much of the planned production increases in the next decade"

Industrial applications of Lithium:

Ceramics and glass
Electrical and electronics
Lubricating greases
Other chemical and industrial uses
Inorganic lithium salts
Air purification
Optics
Nuclear
Medicine

Lithium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

Is there "rear earth" in Afghanistan then west and Chinese will like to get their hand on it

 

[karan21]

india got iron, is also expected to also get copper and gold. man this country is a potential goldmine. a perfect place for indian buisnessmen to be. we should let this chance go out of hands.

 

[Raphael]

Lithium is gonna be the new petroleum if nuclear fusion ever becomes a viable power source [(6,3)Li + (1,0)n → (4,2)He + (3,1)T ... tritium is the desired product]. So I guess you can argue that the US invaded Afghanistan for the same reason they invaded Afghanistan. lol

 

[shuttler]

Lithium is gonna be the new petroleum if nuclear fusion ever becomes a viable power source [(6,3)Li + (1,0)n → (4,2)He + (3,1)T ... tritium is the desired product]. So I guess you can argue that the US invaded Afghanistan for the same reason they invaded Afghanistan. lol

I agree. Both Iraq and Afghan have huge natural resources and the countries are too weak to protect themselves

 

[Backbencher]

Pity at those people who should have been one of the most wealthy people are at the verge of collapsing .
Stand up and utilize your resources Afganistan before some greedy people exploit it .

 

[Sher Malang]

In another news I read 'Afghanistan is Saudi Arabia of lithium' !! we need another 2 decades to completely become able to dig them out. For a decade these minerals will be contracted out to foreign countries once the mining sector becomes self sufficient by every means (cadre, transport, processing, etc..) there will be no contracts to foreign countries. Within 5 months we will be having our own oil too

 

[PteX]

In another news I read 'Afghanistan is Saudi Arabia of lithium' !! we need another 2 decades to completely become able to dig them out. For a decade these minerals will be contracted out to foreign countries once the mining sector becomes self sufficient by every means (cadre, transport, processing, etc..) there will be no contracts to foreign countries. Within 5 months we will be having our own oil too

Good for Afghan. Maybe your people will be less inclined to terrorism and backwardness once you become richer than most countries, if you play your cards right.

 

[DelhiDareDevil]

Is there "rear earth" in Afghanistan then west and Chinese will like to get their hand on it

and India obviously

 

[The SC]

@PteX

You were the first inclined to terrorism from massada to ben gourion to now.
And where do you get your money from, the truth is that you get it from world wide fraudulent schemes, since you have no natural resources of your own how can you justify your "state" budget.

 

[The SC]

Is there "rear earth" in Afghanistan then west and Chinese will like to get their hand on it

Afghanistan yields rare earth elements

RESTON, Va., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- More than 1 million tons of rare earth minerals were discovered in less than 1 square mile of Helmand province in Afghanistan, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The USGS found the rare earth elements in about one-quarter of a square mile in deposits in Helmand. A 2007 survey found an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of potential rare earth resources in southern Afghanistan.

"This is just one more piece of evidence that Afghanistan's mineral sector has a bright future," Regina Dubey, acting director of a U.S. Defense Department business and stability task force, said in a statement.

The international community gets more than 95 percent of its rare earth minerals from China. Rare earths are used in a range of products high-strength magnets to alloys for batteries.

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman said Washington was ready to help back Kabul in its efforts to exploit its natural resources.

"The potential that these findings have for the future well-being of the Afghan people is significant," Grossman said.

U.S. defense officials estimated in 2010 that there could be as much as $1 trillion worth of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium in Afghanistan.

Read more: [url]http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2011/09/15/Afghanistan-yields-rare-earth-elements/UPI-95171316090675/#ixzz1vJ08tDg1
[/URL]


According to a recent study released by the US Geological Survey, Afghanistan may be home to massive rare earth element deposits containing about 1.5 million metric tons worth of rare earth material.

By the USGS’s estimates, Afghanistan’s rare earth element reserves could amount to up to $1 trillion worth of the precious materials. According to chemical analysis on rock samples near the deposits, the concentration of the rare earth materials could rival China’s largest deposit.

“I fully expect that our estimates are conservative. With more time, and with more people doing proper exploration, it could become a major, major discovery,” said USGS scientist Robert Tucker.

Eklil Hakimi, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S., told Bloomberg in an email that USGS’s new data may be invaluable in securing additional foreign investment in the region.

“Afghanistan has modern hydrocarbon laws and mining laws, favorable to investors,” Hakimi said. “I believe that the key to peace in Afghanistan lies in our mineral resources because lasting security and stability is dependent on the amount of economic opportunity available to Afghans.”

Regina Dubey, acting director of Defense Department’s task force for business and stability operations, echoed Hakimi’s statements about the potential boost to Afghanistan’s economy, saying, “The mineral resources in Afghanistan have the potential to completely transform the nation’s economy.”

In addition to a high volume of rare earth elements, Afghanistan also contains a considerable amount of gold, iron, and copper, according to the USGS.

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/146904/rare-earth-element-afghanistan/#krHElFOz18Pd1omo.99

 

[killerx]

The best in afghan can do eat make babies grow opium and fight
So the Russian have retreated and so are Americans and china and India are most welcome to dig it up mate you all will be beheaded in the end

 

[The SC]

Afghanistan Occupation: Maybe for Rare Earth Minerals?

Scientific American Article.

Since China controls most of these resources:

[link to www.scientificamerican.com]

Why not monopolize the country that has the only other known potential mining sights:

[link to www.scientificamerican.com]

Over 3 TRILLION dollars worth of raw materials...estimated..

Oh, and don't forget the largest remaining copper deposits on the planet. This is no small matter because copper is one of the most important but limited resources in an expanding modern population. But last I heard the issue is getting the ore out to a facility where it could be processed, and all the politics involved, some Canadian firm had the main contract.

Last I heard China was building a railroad in order to tap the Afghan copper reserve, but I am not up to date about the latest development concerning the copper reserves.


Taliban huh?

 

[Sher Malang]

Good for Afghan. Maybe your people will be less inclined to terrorism and backwardness once you become richer than most countries, if you play your cards right.

And you surely know terrorism and backwardness wasn't an Afghan creativity but by 'some' other people! hell, Afghanistan was closed to the world for almost a decade what can you expect?

 

[The SC]

Massive Rare Earth Mineral Find in Afghanistan

The latest discovery is that Afghanistan is rich in rare earth elements (RREs). China currently has a near monopoly on the global production of RREs, and the price for a ton of unprocessed ore has soared to a dizzying $100,000 a ton.

First and most obvious, Afghanistan has been in a civil war for thirty years, with Western forces intervening only in the last decade. The country is torn by tribalism and religious divides and Karzai's administrative control is largely limited to the larger cities. Mao Tse Tung in his 1947 work "The Present Situation and Our Tasks" wrote, “Concerning attacking cities, resolutely seize all enemy fortified points and cities that are weakly defended. At opportune moments, seize all enemy fortified points and cities defended with moderate strength, provided circumstances permit. As for all strongly defended enemy fortified points and cities, wait until conditions are ripe and then take them,” a strategy the Taliban are apparently following to the letter, unconcerned with election cycles and opinion polls. The Taliban know that they have time on their side – as one Taliban commander told a U.S. military officer, “you have the watches, we have the time.”

Afghanistan - Newly Discovered Mineralogical Treasure House (Again)