U.S. Geologists Uncover Staggering $1 Trillion Cache of Unmined Mineral Resources in Afghanistan
Kabul A CH-47 Chinook helicopter flies over Kabul, Afghanistan, June 4, 2007 DoD photo by Cherie A. ThurlbyWith huge quantities of rare-earth elements valuable to high-tech industries like lithium-ion battery production, will Afghanistan become the "Saudi Arabia" of the future? Right now, every mining company CEO in the world has one thing on the mind: Afghanistan. Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that American geologists have discovered an estimated $1 trillion worth of untapped geological resources there, including vast reserves of rare earth metals and lithium, which are becoming increasingly sought-after for high-tech manufacturing. The cache is large enough to have profound geopolitical implications. But judging by the state of play at another remote, developing-world mineral stash-the lithium deposits of Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni, which I recently visited-it's not easy to go from desolation to natural-resource riches. Those rare earth metals essential for building motors for hybrid and electric cars that China thought...