MINERAL RESOURCES IN AFGHANISTAN 2021 momp.gov.af1 MINERAL RESOURCES IN AFGHANISTAN CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 7 GOLD 8 COPPER 15 PORPHYRY CU-MO-AU 22 CHROMITE 25 IRON ORES 28 LEAD & ZINC 36 MAGNESITE/TALC 42 FLUORSPAR 48 GEMSTONES 52 LIMESTONE/CEMENT 56 DIMENSION STONE 58 MARBLES 62 TENDERING PROCESS 68 REFERENCES 71 Shah Foladi Geology Park, Bamyan — Photo Credit: Dr. Hassan Malestani Standard Disclaimer This is a technical document drawing on multiple data sources, all of which are open source. While any analysis is based on this data, both sins of commission or OUR PUBLICATIONS omission are the responsibility of the MoMP Public Relations Directorate. Should there be either typographic or data errors in the report, kindly communicate Available for download at: momp.gov.af these in writing to [email protected] and a revised version will be posted online. Copyright Statement All queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Public Relations Directorate, Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Abdulhaq Square, Kabul, Afghanistan. Mining Sector Compiled by Roadmap Hussaindad Shafai Abdullah Asifi Qasim Akbar + Designed by REFORM STRATEGY Rohola Rezaei EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES 2019 momp.gov.af Cover photograph Mountain patterns in Afghanistan Photo Credit: Michael Foley/Flickr © 2021 Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan All rights reserved 4 5 MINERAL RESOURCES IN AFGHANISTAN INTRODUCTION Afghanistan is endowed with abundant natural resources that remain largely untapped. The country has world-class deposits of iron ore, copper, gold, rare-earth minerals, and a host of other natural resources. Similarly, the presence of petroleum resources has long been known in Afghanistan but these resources were exploited only to a limited extent. Bulk metals, such as iron ore, copper, aluminum, tin, lead and zinc, are located in multiple areas of the country. And, gemstones, rare-earth metals, sulfur, talc, gypsum and chromite, are predominant across Central Afghanistan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Logar, Khost, among other places. Much of the petroleum resource potential of Afghanistan and all of the crude oil and natural gas reserves are in northern Afghanistan, located in parts of two petroliferous geologic basins – the Amu Darya Basin to the west and the Afghan Tajik Basin to the east. The Government of Afghanistan sees Afghanistan’s vast mineral and hydrocarbon resources as a catalyst of long-term economic growth. Accordingly, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) designed several consequential documents, including the Mining Sector Roadmap, a new Minerals Law, and a new Hydrocarbons Law as part of its commitments to open the mining and hydrocarbon sectors for private investment. To sustainably utilize our natural resources, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum intends to tender new large-scale mining and hydrocarbon projects. The ministry is rigorously focused on attracting domestic and foreign investors to exploit Afghanistan’s plethora of mineral and hydrocarbon resources. This document will focus on the bankable investment opportunities in the mining sector which are ready for tendering. Band-e-Amir National Park, Bamyan — Photo Credit: Dr. Hassan Malestani 6 7 MINERAL RESOURCES IN AFGHANISTAN Mineral Resources in Afghanistan Gold GOLD Orogenic Gold Deposits DEPOSIT PROFILE 1 Potential for shear-zone vein-gold Deposit Name Vekadur mineralisation exists along the major trans-crustal structural Location Badakhshan Province breaks representing remnant Deposit Style Orogenic / Metamorphic lode gold terrane collisional boundaries. Host geology Silicified and ochreous brecciated schist, diabase and keratophyre dykes in vicinity (Proterozoic) Background Soviet-Afghan teams, and have the Neo-Tethys Ocean between the Gold potential also occurs within Ore minerals Gold, arsenopyrite, galena, chalcopyrite and scheelite Gold has been worked in been largely unexplored. Indo-Pakistan and Eurasian plates Phanerozoic rocks in moderate Deposit geology Podiform orebody average 2m thick and 300m extent. Traced for 100m down dip Afghanistan from ancient times The reports of the earlier Soviet produced the Himalayan orogeny. to gently dipping fault/suture Estimated Resources 960 kg contained gold at grade of 4.1g/t Au, 46.7g/t Ag and small-scale artisanal mining exploration are now available in During this oblique collision zones related to continental is still being carried out on placer Kabul. BGS and USGS have NW-directed subduction occurred margin collisional tectonism. Information: Abdullah et al. 2008; Peters et al. 2011 gold deposits in Takhar Province. published summaries of the beneath the Tirin-Argandab zone Suture zones characterised by There are a number of other geology and re-interpreted the and a number of calc-alkaline ophiolitic remnants between prospects, which have been earlier data in the light of remote granite bodies were intruded, diverse assemblages of island evaluated by Soviet and Afghan sensed information (Peters et al., accompanied by porphyry copper- arcs, subduction complexes teams in the 1970’s and there is a 2007 and 2011). gold mineralisation of the Tethyan and continental margin clastic high probability that some of these Metallogenic Belt (TMB). Further wedges are also prospective. The could be developed into working Afghanistan has a complex geology north in Badakhshan there are a zone of late Hercynian folding mines. Improved exploration due to its position on the junction number of prospects and on the eastern end of the North methods and modern between the Indo-Pakistan and occurrences of metamorphic lode Afghan platform, in the provinces metallogenetic models, coupled Eurasian crustal plates. Its geology gold in areas of Hercynian and of Badakhshan and Takhar, are with knowledge that Afghanistan is composed of a series of terranes later Cimmerian folding. This zone prospective for shear-zone gold Figure 2. Geological map lies on a continuation of the that broke away from the main may extend southward into mineralisation, with a number of the Vekadur gold deposit. Tethyan Metallogenic Belt, have Gondwana Supercontinent before Parwan as shown in Figure 1 and of deposits identified to date, Red hatched areas are zones greatly improved the potential of colliding, with each other or, with even further to the west associated including the Vekadur Au-Ag of crushing and hydrothermal the country. Several areas of the the Eurasian Plate. Ultimately, all with folding related to the closure deposit (Figure 2 and Deposit Profile alteration in Proterozoic quartz- country have potential for new the terranes became accreted onto of Palaeo-Tethys along the Herat 1). The Vekadur gold deposit has mica (light brown and grey) deposit types, such as fine-grained the southern margin of the terrane boundary. been explored by five adits, eight and chlorite schists (pale blue) epithermal gold, not sought by the Eurasian plate. The final closure of pits, and 10 or more trenches Red outline shows gold heavy (Gugenev et al., 1967). The adits mineral anomalies (after Peters are excavated from the hanging et al., 2011). wall west of the outcrop of the vein and tunnel eastward into the mountain. There is little overburden in the hanging wall side of the vein and the deposit could be worked as an open pit. No modern exploration has been A number of other occurrences are carried out in the Badakhshan known in the Ragh District and, region since the 1960’s. like Vekadur, are found in shatter zones containing gold-bearing Other prospective districts such quartz veins with a low-sulphide as Baharak and Fayzabad as well mineral content. These features as having lode gold deposits, are common to a number of Figure 3. Afghanistan Geological Survey field also contain iron skarns some of productive cratons where several work conducted in 2010 at Furmorah gold which contain gold. The Furmorah Figure 1. Gold occurrences in Afghanistan on hundred small deposits of about prospect, Fayzabad district, including prospect pluton is surrounded by several a low-resolution Landsat image, with areas of one tonne of gold are present as evaluation and trench digging. Photographs by iron skarns, one of which grades enhanced gold and mercury potential (after structurally controlled stockworks the Afghanistan Geological Survey (Figure 3c as much as 3.3g/t Au. Peters et al., 2007). and massive veins. Peters et al., 2011). 8 9 Mineral Resources in Afghanistan Mineral Resources in Afghanistan Gold Gold Placer Gold that while being the respected enabling the resource envelope zones from ASTER and aeromagnetic Small-scale placer gold mining industry standard for terraces to be identified and the dredge anomalies. Within them two deposits, appears to have been conducted and dryish floodplains are known envelope to be calculated. The Zarkashan in the north and Kundalyan in the streams and rivers of the to systematically lose most of the appropriate method of mining in the south, have been investigated by Hindu Kush for many centuries gold when used in waterlogged would be a civil engineering detailed sampling, trenching and drilling. and continues locally today in ground such as wet floodplains. cutter-suction dredge pumping both placers and paleoplacers in This fact has been known for the overburden away to raise flat Takhar Province. Reports persist many decades in the Russian land several kilometres away ZARKASHAN of local people putting sheepskins placer gold industry. so creating a large dredge pond in mountain streams in to hold a large mineral dredge The Zarkashan area of interest surrounds Badakhshan Province to serve as Samti Gold Dredge Resource such as a Russian, Dutch or USA the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Zarkashan fleece sluices capable of catching An outstanding success was bucket-line dredge with on-board diorite, granodiorite to adamellite fine gold, reminiscent of tales of the systematic proving of a wash-plant to recover the gold. intrusion and consists of a number of the 'Golden Fleece'. resource of 30 tonnes of placer Accordingly a modified German gold and copper occurrences (Figures gold by churn drilling on the Ruhr grab dredge may be an 6 and 7).