Afghanistan
Afghanistan is rich in natural resources. These resources include copper, chromium, iron, lead, zinc, gold, precious stones, to name just a few. Northeastern Afghanistan is well endowed in gemstones and gold. This satellite image shows general locations of some of these.
"L" is lapis lazuli, "Au" is placer and bedrock gold, "E" is emerald , "R" is ruby, and "S" is sapphire. Emeralds and rubies are also found throughout northern Pakistan. Our current activities will assist the Afghanistan government in understanding its mineral resource potential and the extent of known deposits. To that end, Larry has traveled throughout northeastern Afghanistan visiting the emerald, ruby, lapis, and gold deposits. The purpose of these visits is to understand the genesis and extent of the deposits, and to help the Afghanistan government and the miners in safely exploiting this valuable resource. In the summer 2009, Larry worked with Gem Hunters on a project to define the current extent of mining activity in the Panjshir emerald area and the Jegdalek ruby area. Gem Hunters has delivered its report to U. S. Agency for International Development. During the course of this work Larry spent 10 days in the Hindu Kush in the emerald area and several additional days in the ruby area. Larry’s work in Afghanistan also continues through his emeritus scientist appointment with the US Geological Survey. His work in this capacity continues on the geochronology of Afghanistan. Professor George Gehrels, Tectonics and Geochronology Laboratory at the University of Arizona, is cooperating in this work. Zircon geochronology has been done by Larry in George's lab at the University of Arizona. Results of that work will be published in the future.