Aynak – a world-class sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit in Afghanistan

1. Aynak – a world-class sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit in Afghanistan Antony Benham, Stan Coats, Fiona McEvoy British Geological Survey

2. Structure Introduction • Afghanistan and the BGS project • Mineral potential of Afghanistan The Aynak copper deposit • Geology of the area • Style of mineralisation • Past mining/exploration activities • Current and future activity Summary

3. Introduction to Afghanistan • Turbulent recent history • Since the fall of the Taliban in 2001: • Hamid Karzai elected • President • Peaceful elections in • 2004 and 2005 • Return to stability

4. Mineral occurrences in Afghanistan

5. The Kabul Block • Thought to be a terrane accreted to margins of Laurasia 250 Ma • Hosts numerous copper occurrences and old workings Location of the Kabul Block

6. Tectonic map of Afghanistan Area shown in next slide

7. Geological map of Aynak

8. Cross sections through Aynak

9. Stratigraphic column at Aynak

10. Mineralisation at Aynak Left: Bornite mineralisation within dolomite marble of the Loy Khwar Formation. 1cm Near right: Porphyroblastic dolomite marble with chalcopyrite. Far right: Finely laminated biotite-feldspar-quartz schist with disseminations and stringers of chalcopyrite. 1cm 1cm

11. Central Prospect,Aynak

12. Central Prospect,Aynak

13. Other occurrences in the Kabul Block

14. Past exploration at Aynak • Extensive and detailed exploration by Soviet geologists between1974-76 and 1978-89 including: • >150 boreholes • 70 trenches • 9 adits • Surface geological and geophysical surveying • Soviet “drill-indicated” resource estimate of 240 Mt @ 2.3 % Cu, however this does not conform to Western classification standards.

15. Current work at Aynak • The BGS have created a database from exploration boreholes • All reports relating to Aynak have been translated from Russian to English • A 3D model of Aynak has been created in Vulcan • Reports and borehole database available on request

16. Vulcan model of Aynak • The Aynak model created in Vulcan is primarily based on borehole data but also includes sections drawn by Soviet geologists Left: Section through the western prospect at Aynak looking east through the steeply dipping anticline

17. Vulcan model of Aynak • The mineralised Loy Khwar Formation is the dark green unit 5 Left: Section through the central prospect at Aynak looking west through the shallow dipping section of the Aynak anticline

18. Vulcan model of Aynak

19. Vulcan model of Aynak

20. Possible Mineral Deposit Model

21. Summary Main features of the Aynak deposit • World-class stratabound ore deposit (240 Mt at 2.3 % Cu) • Mineralisation hosted within dolomite marbles and calcareous-biotite schists • Mineralogy dominated by bornite, chalcopyrite • Consists of two prospects, the shallow dipping Central Prospect and the more steeply dipping Western Prospect • Central Prospect amenable to open-pitting • Other prospects close to Aynak include Darband and Jawkhar suggest Aynak is part of a larger “copper belt”