The Taliban: World's Next Minerals Superpower

forbes ^ | 06.16.10, 12:38 PM EDT | Gordon G. Chang,

[Flavius]

This week the U.S. Defense Department revealed that Afghanistan possesses at least $908.9 billion in untapped mineral resources. Iron accounts for $420.9 billion of the total, and copper $274.0 billion. There is cobalt, gold and molybdenum. The country could become, according to a Pentagon memo, the “Saudi Arabia of lithium.” Just as interesting, there is niobium, used to make superconducting steel.

[Dallas59]

Obama:

"We see this as a way to legitimately bring the fine members of the Taliban into the world of business and commerce and a way to remove any bad feelings they may have had against America..."

[JRandomFreeper]

used to make superconducting steel.

Ok.... Wait. Did someone discover something while I was in the shower or taking a nap?

We have superconducting steel now?

A ceramic, I could understand, or maybe even a synthetic. But steel?

I think the 'journalist' needs remedial science. At the least.

/johnny

[Sacajaweau]

Tell the Taliban that the “stuff” is all in one big cave....over there...right through that hole...go about a half mile...:-)

[Flavius]

yeah such a huge mistake hold on to those showers as well

Superconductivity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In 1962, the first commercial superconducting wire, a niobium-titanium alloy, was developed by researchers at Westinghouse, allowing the construction of the ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconductivity - Cached - Similar

Niobium (from Greek mythology: Niobe, daughter of Tantalus), or columbium, is the chemical element with the symbol Nb and the atomic number 41. A rare, soft, grey, ductile transition metal, niobium is found in the minerals pyrochlore, the main commercial source for niobium, and columbite.

[swatbuznik]

*Groan!* Why couldn’t it be in my backyard! All I find is doggie poo.

[JRandomFreeper]

Niobium/Titanium. Niobium/somekindofceramic. Not steel.

I'm fully aware of the progress of superconductors since I could con the librarian into loaning me copies of certain peer-reviewed publications.

I'm still not familiar with superconducting steel.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have some room-temp superconducting steel.

The neighbors would hate it, but I'd have some fun.

/johnny

[kromike]

Please. The Muzzie Morons will proclaim all minerals as “unIslamic”, since everything else pretty much is.

[ViLaLuz]

China already bought the rights to the largest copper mine there. They’ll probably buy out more.