P-3 helps find mineral wealth in Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

The P-3's sensors were used to develop a three-dimensional image of the rocks, water, oil and gas under the surface.

P-3 helps find mineral wealth in Afghanistan
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jun 21, 2010 11:44:20 EDT

A little-known pocket of naval aviation has helped identify massive mineral wealth in Afghanistan.

An NP-3D Orion from Scientific Development Squadron 1, based at Patuxent River, Md., conducted a sweeping geological assessment of Afghanistan in 2006. Naval aviators working with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the presence of untapped mineral wealth that could be worth billions of dollars — including iron, copper and industrial materials like lithium that are used in cell phone batteries.

The unusual mission — which used the plane’s advanced sensors to develop a three-dimensional image of the underground rocks, water, oil and natural gas — underscores the versatility of the Navy’s P-3 fleet. Equipped with gravitometers and magnetometers, P-3s were designed to track submarines.

“The instruments don’t really care if you’re trying to chase a sub or whether you are measuring the magnetics of a rock. They are very sophisticated, very versatile instruments,” said Jack Medlin, a USGS geologist who worked with the Naval Research Laboratory on the Afghan mineral mission.

USGS sought a detailed survey of Afghanistan after learning that Russian scientists had found massive mineral wealth during the Soviet occupation that ended in 1989. The USGS approached NRL for help because private-sector mapping firms balked at operating in the troubled region.



unhappycamper comment: Here's a link to the 2007 governmental report: Preliminary Assessment of Non-Fuel Mineral Resources of Afghanistan, 2007.