Afghanistan's buried riches.

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  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      HELMAND (Afghanistan); AFGHANISTAN
    • Subject Terms:
      GEOLOGICAL Survey (U.S.) ; TALIBAN
    • Abstract:
      The article discusses geological research which indicates that Afghanistan has large deposits of critical minerals including rare earth metals, copper, and gold. Jack H. Medlin of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has found that the Helmand province contains deposits of cerium, neodymium, and other light rare earth metals. The article suggests that the development of mining operations in the southern part of the country, which is widely controlled by the Islamist militant group the Taliban, could help end the opium trade and create political stability. The geologist Said Mirzad discusses the Afghanistan Geological Survey.