Reported By:
| Edited By: |Source: ANI |Updated: Mar 11, 2018, 04:19 AM IST
Geologists have found one million metric tons of rare earth elements, including lanthanum, cerium and neodymium, in the desert of southern Afghanistan.
This single deposit places Afghanistan on the sixth position on a list of countries having the largest rare earth reserves, scientificAmercian.com reports.
US Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Robert Tucker said the discovered quantity of deposits, which are used in manufacturing modern technologies, can fulfill the world's needs for next ten years based on current consumption.
He suspects the actual deposit to be much larger based on clues gathered during the three- day reconnaissance mission.
"I fully expect that our estimates are conservative. With more time, and with more people doing proper exploration, it could become a major, major discovery," Tucker said.
The exploration time was limited as the deposit is located near heavily guarded southern Af-Pak border.
"It's one of the most challenging things I've ever done. Walking around with 30 to 40 pounds of protective gear is very difficult," Tucker said.
Chemical analyses of rock samples show that the concentration of light rare earth elements in the Afghan deposit are at par with the premier Chinese site, Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia.
The new rare earth findings were mentioned in USGS's new, 2,000-page assessment of Afghanistan's vast mineral bounty, which was presented on September 29 at the Afghan embassy in Washington.
