Phosphate occurrence and potential in the region of Afghanistan, including parts of China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan

Abstract

As part of a larger study, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook a study to identify the potential for phosphate deposits in Afghanistan. As part of this study, a geographic information system was constructed containing a database of phosphate occurrences in Afghanistan and adjacent countries, and a database of potential host lithologies compiled from 1:1,000,000 scale maps. Within Afghanistan, a handful of known occurrences and reports indicate the presence of phosphate in Permian, Cretaceous, and Paleogene sediments and in carbonatite. With the exception of the Khanneshin carbonatite, very little is known about these occurrences. In the countries surrounding Afghanistan, economic phosphate is known to occur in Cambrian, Devonian, and Paleogene sediments and in Kiruna-type Fe-apatite deposits. Many of the host units may extend into Afghanistan or equivalent units may be present. Although the possibility of economic phosphate deposits exist for Afghanistan, the need for detailed exploration for phosphate, the remoteness of some locations, and the probability that a deposit would not be exposed at the surface mean that one or more deposits are not likely to be identified in the near future. Even if a phosphate-bearing deposit is identified in Afghanistan, it is not clear if the probable size, thickness, and grade ranges would allow economic development of the hypothesized resource.

Geochemical Characteristics of Trace Elements and Mineralization Model of the Ediacaran-Early Cambrian Phosphorites, South China

“…The global sedimentary phosphorite deposits are mainly distributed in the United States, China, the Middle East, and North Africa . The main metallogenic periods include late Proterozoic-Cambrian, the phosphate deposits are mainly distributed in Central and South Asia; Permian phosphorus is deposited in North America; Jurassic-early Cretaceous phosphorus is deposited in Eastern Europe; late Cretaceous-Eocene phosphorus deposit is mainly found in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia; Cenozoic Miocene phosphorus formation period is in the southeastern United States …”