Fifteen pegmatite zones have been identified in Tajikistan as a result of geological surveys, according to Mukhtor Fozilzoda, head of the geology department of the Main Directorate of Geology under the Government of Tajikistan, reports Khovar.
He noted that these promising areas, with indications of rare metals including lithium, are primarily located in the east of the country, in underexplored and hard-to-reach territories.
According to Fozilzoda, the studies revealed significant reserves of rare metals, including lithium, which is strategically important for battery production and renewable energy technologies.
“The natural resource potential is of fundamental importance to Tajikistan’s economy, serving as the basis for its long-term stable development. Therefore, increasing the efficiency of exploration and utilization of natural resources is a strategic priority for the state policy in this sector, as sustainable economic development is difficult to achieve without addressing this issue.
A key component of the country’s natural resource potential is its mineral resource base,” he stated.
Fozilzoda emphasized that Tajikistan’s wealth of natural resources is evident in the fact that over 70 of the 118 elements in the periodic table have been identified in its subsurface, with 45 explored and 30 currently extracted and utilized.
“Tajikistan is one of the richest countries in the world in reserves of silver, boron, antimony, mercury, rock salt, precious and semi-precious stones, and other valuable minerals,” he asserted.
Over the past four years, significant deposits of gold, silver, antimony, lead, zinc, vanadium, iron, tantalum, niobium, lithium, beryllium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, yttrium, and other minerals have been discovered, he noted.
Current Resource Overview
According to the Ministry of Industry, over 600 deposits have been explored in Tajikistan, with more than 100 currently being exploited.
In total, over 50 types of mineral resources have been identified across the country. These include deposits of precious metals, lead, zinc, copper, bismuth, antimony, mercury, molybdenum, tungsten, iron, tin, boron resources, strontium, fluorite, rock salts, ornamental, semi-precious, and precious stones, among many other types of valuable minerals.
Currently, 37 enterprises are engaged in mining and deposit development, most of which were established with domestic and foreign investments.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
December 11, 2024