Afghanistan Maps Natural Mineral Resources

 Afghanistan has become the first country to map its natural mineral resources using an advanced remote sensing technique known as hyperspectral imaging.

The mapping, a collaborative effort between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghan Geological Survey, generated more than 800 million pixels of data from Afghanistan's rugged¹ and mountainous terrain². 

Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Ekil Hakimi, says the "transparent³ and credible⁴ information" about its minerals has already helped to attract foreign investors⁵. 

"Countries like India, China, Canada, Turkey, and companies like Exxon, Mobil, and Chevron⁶ have all either secured contracts or expressed serious interest in resource extraction," said Hakimi.

About 70 percent of Afghanistan has been mapped with the hyperspectral imaging, giving the government a clear picture of the country's abundant natural resources, an essential tool for the development of an economically viable⁷ minerals market. Hakimi says this information is the beginning of a new vision for Afghanistan.

"This will once again establish Afghanistan as a strategic land bridge that connects the Asian and middle Eastern markets, stimulating⁸ broad-based development and economic diversification," Hakimi added.

The director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. Marcia McNutt, says going to Afghanistan to map its resources with the new technology was a dream come true.

"Suddenly someone comes to you and says 'I'm going to give you more money than your agency has ever seen and you get to go - we've going to give you the key to unlock this country that for 75 years has been undiscovered from a natural resources standpoint and by the way there's a new tool that has never been used on this planet before to map natural resources,'" McNutt recalled.

McNutt says with the success Afghanistan has had with mapping its mineral assets, she is sure other countries will want to use the hyperspectral imaging technique.

1 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

2 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

3 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

4 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 chevron   

n.V形臂章；V形图案

参考例句：

• He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章，上面有中士的V形标志。
• The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。

7 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

8 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。