Trillion-dollar treasure

It had long been believed that Afghanistan possessed mineral deposits of significance, partially confirmed by Russian geologists during the 1970s and 1980s. The long years of war and instability disallowed further study until 2006, when a team from the United States Geological Survey, in collaboration with the US air backup, conducted an aerial survey, re-assessing the Soviet estimates. The preliminary results from that survey were released in 2007, and the US assessment exercise concluded in December 2009. Following recent revelations about the full data, it now appears that Afghanistan's mineral resources could be worth as much as USD 900 billion. But now comes the challenge of converting this underground treasure into wealth, and ensuring that whatever is unearthed is utilised for the good of the Afghan people.

The country's reserves appear to run the gamut of mineral types. The north has proven fields of coal, oil, gas, gold, copper, precious and semi-precious gems; the border with Pakistan in the east is likewise dotted with troves of emerald, ruby, aquamarine, kunzite, quartz, marble and lithium. The central provinces enjoy iron, chromites and lithium (the latter a mineral with a significant new potential market, due to its use in high-end batteries); while the southwest has potentially significant oil, gas, gold, uranium and onyx deposits. The southern part of the country, meanwhile, is said to have copper and gold veins that run for dozens of kilometres, estimated to be worth some USD 200-400 billion at today's market prices. There are also gold- and nickel-bearing areas sprinkled across the hinterland.