1. Mining and Mineral Resources in Afghanistan
Mir Sediq
Minister of Mines and Industries
Mines and Money, London, November 2005

2. Outline of talk Introduction to Afghanistan
Past mining/exploration activities
Afghanistan’s mineral potential
Copper
Gold
Precious stones
The Aynak copper deposit
Mining legislation
Summary

3. Introduction to Afghanistan
Turbulent recent history
Since the fall of the Taleban in 2001:
Hamid Karzai elected
President
Peaceful elections in
2004 and 2005
Return to stability

4. Past mining and exploration
World famous for Lapis Lazuli and gem quality emeralds
Detailed mapping and exploration from mid 19th century
Afghanistan Geological Survey established 1955
German, Italian, French and Soviet involvement from 1955
Detailed exploration work during Soviet occupation from
Little work carried out since Soviet withdrawal
Many survey records destroyed during war but many also saved, including drill-logs, maps, mineral occurrence data

5. Mineral occurrences in Afghanistan
>1000 mineral occurrences identified in Afghanistan including:
Major sediment-hosted copper deposits e.g. Aynak (click once)
Copper-gold skarn deposits (click TWICE)
Gold placer deposits (currently worked by artisanal miners) (click once)
Precious gemstones including ruby, emerald, lapis lazuli (click once)
Sediment-hosted iron deposits e.g. Hajigak
Chromite deposits e.g. Logar
Vast industrial mineral deposits

6. Copper Aynak is a world-class copper deposit waiting to be exploited
It is an example of a sediment-hosted stratabound copper deposit with similarities to the Zambian Copper Belt
Other copper deposits in the area include Darband and Jawkhar
The Aynak copper deposit is situated 35 km south-south-east of Kabul.
Aynak is one of a number of copper prospects that occur in the central part of a discrete fault-bounded tectonic terrane known as the Kabul block. The deposit occupies an area of 7.0 km2 and is divided into two prospects, Central Aynak and Western Aynak.
The mineralisation is disseminated and stratiform within schist and calcareous metasedimentary rocks of Vendian–Cambrian age.

7. Aynak
Extensive and detailed exploration by Soviet geologists between and including:
>150 boreholes
70 trenches
9 adits
Surface geological and geophysical surveying
Soviet “drill-indicated” resource estimate of % Cu
Aynak divided into two areas:
The Central Prospect
The Western Prospect
The Central Prospect located on a shallow-dipping eastern limb of an anticline
The Western Prospect occurs at the periclinal closure of the anticline
The British Geological Survey (BGS) have created a database from exploration boreholes
All reports relating to Aynak have been translated from Russian to English
A 3D model of Aynak has been created in Vulcan
Reports and borehole database available on request

8. This movie shows the Aynak deposit that has been modelled by the BGS in Vulcan.
The view is looking from the west to the east and starts at the shallow-dipping Central Prospect with the mineralised zone in dark green, and progresses through several faults to the Western Prospect with its much steeper dipping mineralisation around the anticline.
The BGS is assisting in bringing the Aynak deposit to Tender.
The initial pre-Tender stage, which commences from today, will allow interested parties controlled access to information held by the AGS.
Following this, pre-qualified companies will be able to have access to data in order to prepare a bid which will then be weighed up against each other before making the award of the mining contract.
Vulcan model of Aynak

9. Gold
Gold has been worked in Afghanistan for centuries from many areas. There are 112 gold occurrences identified in Afghanistan and these are distributed mostly in three areas of the country
Takhar province in the north (click once)
Ghazni, Zabul, and Kandahar provinces in the south-west, (click once) and
Southern Badghis province in the west of the country (click once)
Currently, gold is produced almost solely by artisanal miners working the Samti Placer Deposit in Takhar Province, but there is significant potential for gold in many parts of Afghanistan in a variety of geological environments such as shear zones, copper-gold skarns, and placer deposits.

10. Precious Gems
Some of the earliest records of mining anywhere in the world are from Afghanistan, dating back over 6000 years. Most operations today are small-scale, but the potential undoubtedly exists for the development of a significant precious stone mining industry in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is the worlds leading producer of lapis-lazuli from the Sary-Sang mine in Badakhshan province (click once)
Afghan emeralds are said to be similar in quality to those of Colombia. Emerald production from the deposits of the Panshjer valley in Kapisa province was estimated at up to $12M in Six small mines are known within a 16 x 3 km zone (click once)

11. Mining Legislation Minerals Law of Afghanistan, 2005
Ministry of Mines and Industries is responsible for the administration and implementation of this law
A Mining Cadastre Office will be responsible for applications for mineral rights, collecting surface right fees and maintaining a registry of mineral rights using a modern database and GIS
All mineral substances on or under the surface of the territory of Afghanistan are the exclusive property of the State. The Minerals Law covers all naturally occurring mineral substances and artificial deposits, such as tailings and waste deposits, but not hydrocarbons and water, which are regulated by separate laws and excluded from this legislation.
The Ministry of Mines and Industries is responsible for the administration and implementation of this Law. It is planned that the Ministry will create Mining Cadastre, Mining Inspectorate and Environmental Protection Departments in 2005 to oversee its responsibilities for the mining sector.
The Mining Cadastre Department will be responsible for accepting applications for mineral rights, coordinating their technical and environmental evaluation, processing renewals and collecting application and surface right fees. They will also keep a national registry of mineral rights and create and maintain the cadastral map using modern database and GIS
The Mining Inspectorate Department will be responsible for the financial and technical evaluation of applications for Mineral Rights, and inspecting and supervising mineral activities with regard to safety, health, work procedures, production, processing and similar activities. The Mining Inspectorate will be authorised to: •   issue its opinion on the financial and technical evaluation of applications •   inspect operating sites and facilities, and the books and records of the mineral operators •   monitor and enforce compliance with the terms of the Mineral Rights including payment of Surface Rights Fees •   issue orders, fines and penalties as provided by the Minerals Law, and •   require the production of information in order to carry out its functions

12. For further information and advice speak to me after the event
Summary
Afghanistan has a stable government favourable to mining development
Known world-class deposits e.g. Aynak
Excellent geological potential for further discoveries
New mining legislation to ensure open and transparent governance
Few environmental problems
For further information and advice speak to me after the event

13. Contacts
Secretariat for the Ministry of Mines and Industries, Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel: +93 (0) &
Afghanistan Project Manager, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)