Geology and Mineral Resources of Afghanistan

507 Pages·2008·6.06 MB·English

Ministry of Mines and Industries of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Geological Survey
Geology and Mineral Resources
of Afghanistan
Book 1
Geology
Report Series
Published by BGS 2008

Ministry of Mines and Industries of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Geological Survey

Geology and Mineral Resources of Afghanistan

Book 1
Geology

Editors in chief SH Abdullah, V. M. Chmyriov
Executive editor V. I. Dronov

Report Series
Published by BGS 2008
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Bibliographic Reference
Abdullah, Sh and Chmyriov, V M (editors in chief). 2008.
Geology and Mineral Resources of Afghanistan. 2 Volumes.
British Geological Survey Occasional Publication No.15.

Printed by
Halstan & Co. Ltd., Amersham, Bucks, England

BGS Production Team: Compiler, Amanda Hill, Illustrations, Paul Lappage and Henry Holbrook,
Print Production, James Rayner
Editorial Board:

Sh.Abdullah, N.Azimi, A..Arsalang, M.Girowal, V.I.Dronov, A.Kh.Kafarsky,
A.Salah, N.Sobat, K.F.Stazihilo-Alekseev, G.I.Teleshev, M.Hamid, A.Hashmat,
V.M.Chmriov

CONTENTS
PREFACE xii
PREFACE TO THE 2008 VERSION xiii
INTRODUCTION (V. I. Dronov) 1
Chapter 1 OUTLINE OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF AFGHANISTAN. 2
Orography. (V.I. Dronov, D.A. Starshinin) 2
Hydrography. (E.P.Malyarov) 7
Climate. (E.P. Malyarov) 12
Chapter 2 HISTORY OF GEOLOGICAL STUDIES. (V.I. Dronov, D.A. Starshinin, 14
V.M. Chmyriov)
Chapter 3 THE MAIN FEATURES OF AFGHANISTAN’S GEOLOGICAL 19
STRUCTURE. (V.I. Dronov, V.M. Chmyriov)
Regions of Hercynian Folding. 19
Epi-Early Cimmerian Platform. 21
Regions of Middle Cimmerian Folding. 23
Median Masses. 24
Regions of Alpine Folding. 27
Chapter 4 STRATIGRAPHY. (V.I. Dronov) 31
Archean. (V.I. Dronov, V.P. Feoktistov) 31
Proterozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 37
Lower Proterozoic. (V.I. Dronov, V.P. Feoktistov) 37
Middle Proterozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 48
Upper Proterozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 50
Paleozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 55
Vendian-Cambrian. (V.I. Dronov) 56
Cambrian. (V.I. Dronov) 58
Ordovician. (V.I. Dronov, A.Kh. Kafarsky) 59
Silurian. (V.I. Dronov) 62
Silurian-Devonian. (V.I. Dronov, A.Kh. Kafarsky) 64
Devonian. (V.I. Dronov) 65
Upper Devonian-Lower Carboniferous. (V.I. Dronov) 69
Carboniferous. (V.I. Dronov, A.Kh. Kafarsky) 74
Carboniferous-Lower Permian. (V.I. Dronov) 88
Permian. (V.I. Dronov, A.Kh. Kafarsky) 91
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Permian-Triassic, undifferiented. (V.I. Dronov) 109
Mesozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 111
Triassic. (V.I. Dronov) 111
Trias-Jurassic, undifferentiated. (V.I. Dronov) 128
Upper Triassic-Middle Jurassic. (V.I. Dronov) 130
Jurassic. (V.I. Dronov) 130
Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous. (V.I. Dronov) 156
Cretaceous. (V.I. Dronov) 160
Maastrichtian-Paleocene. (V.I. Dronov) 194
Cenozoic. (V.I. Dronov) 200
Paleogene. (V.I. Dronov) 201
Neogene. (V.I. Dronov, D.A. Starshinin) 214
Quaternary. (V.I. Dronov, D.A. Starshinin, V.M. Chmyriov) 221
Chapter 5 IGNEOUS ROCKS. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev) 234
Archean Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 234
Proterozoic Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 236
Early Proterozoic Intrusions. 236
Middle Proterozoic Intrusions. 238
Late Proterozoic Intrusions. 240
Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 242
Early Carboniferous Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev) 243
Permian Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 246
Late Triassic Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 248
Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 257
Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, 257
V.I. Dronov)
Early Cretaceous Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, M.A. Chalyan, 258
V.I. Dronov)
Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, M.A. Chalyan) 265
Eocene Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 269
Eocene-Oligocene Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 272
Oligocene Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, M.A. Chalyan, V.I. Dronov) 273
Miocene Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.I. Dronov) 297
Early Quaternary Intrusions. (K.F. Stazhilo-Alekseev, V.M.Chmyriov) 303
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Chapter 6 STRUCTURE. (V.I. Dronov, V.M. Chmyriov) 308
Regions of Hercynian Folding. (V.I. Dronov, A.Kh. Kafarsky, 309
V.M. Chmyriov)
North Afghanistan Platform. (V.I. Dronov, I.M. Sborschchikov, 318
V.M. Chmyriov)
Regions of Middle Kimmerian Folding. (V.I. Dronov, I.M.Sborschchikov, 340
V.M. Chmyriov)
Median Masses. (V.M. Chmyriov) 358
Regions of Alpine Folding. (V.I. Dronov, I.M. Sborschchikov, V.M. Chmyriov) 377
Major Faults. (V.I. Dronov) 385
Chapter 7 THE MAIN STAGES OF THE GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE 394
AFGHAN TERRITORY. (V.I. Dronov)
ILLUSTRATIONS 429
REFERENCES 466
APPENDICES AND ANNEXES 1 to 19 (located in a separate folder at the back of this volume).

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List of Figures
Figure 1 General Map of Afghanistan.
Figure 2 Orohydrographical Sketch Map of Afghanistan (Compiled by V.I. Dronov).
Figure 3 Main Topographic Regions of Afghanistan (Compiled by V.I. Dronov).
Figure 4 Areas Mapped by German Geological Mission (FRG) (Compiled by V.I.Dronov).
Figure 5 Areas Covered by Geological Survey at a scale of 1:200,000 Undertaken by Soviet and Afghan
Geologists (Compiled by V.I. Dronov).
Figure 6 Areas Covered by Geological Survey, Scale 1:500,000, Undertaken by Soviet and Afghan
Geologists (Compiled by V.I. Dronov).
Figure 7 Sketch Map of Tectonic Zoning of Afghanistan (Compiled by V.I. Dronov).
Regions of Hercynian Folding:
Figure 8 Unconformable occurrence of Upper Tournaisian Visean limestone on Lower Proterozoic gneiss
at the upper reaches of the Tagobe Nimdasht Valley (after A.Kh. Kafarsky - 153).
Figure 9 A portion of section through the Jaway Zone at the upper reaches of the Darrah-i-Jaway Valley
(after A.Kh. Kafarsky).
Figure 10 Cross section of a syncline located at the watershed part of the West Hendukush Ridge, east of
the Salang Pass (after A.Kh.Kafarsky - 148).
Figure 11 A character of folding in Ordovician (?) and Silurian (?)-Devonian beds at the right-hand slope
of the Darya-i-Broghil intermittent stream (after A.Kh.Kafarsky - 200).
Figure 12 A character of folding in Oligocene (?) beds at the right-hand slope of the Tash Kuprok Valley
(after A.Kh.Kafarsky - 200).
Figure 13 A principal cross section through the North Afghanistan Platform along the Tagab-i-Mohammed
Khan Valley (after K.Ya. Mikhailov et al. - 159).
Figure 14 A principal cross section through the North Afghanistan Platform along the Darya-i-Tagab
Laman River (after K.Ya. Mikhailov et al. -347).
Figure 15 The Share Naw structural pattern (after I.M. Sborshchikov - 147).
Figure 16 Relationship between Cretaceous and Proterozoic rock units north of Chaghcharan
(after I.M. Sborshchikov - 147).
Figure 17 Upthrusting of Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene limestone onto Neogene rocks in the Kotlesh area,
upper reaches of the, Hari Rod River (after I.M. Sborshchikov - 147).
Figure 18 Geological section across an imbricate structure zone at the upper reaches of the Hari Rod River,
Kotlesh area (after I.M. Sborshchikov - 147).
Figure 19 Geological section across, an imbricate structure zone at the upper reaches of the Hari Rod
River, Katawak creek area (after I.M. Sborshchikov - 147). Disharmonic folds and southerly turns of
structures are well apparent.
Figure 20 The Bamyan type of Carboniferous-Permian deposits in the southern part of the Balkhob
Uplift (Shahdar area) unconformably overlain by Cretaceous-Paleocene Sedimentary Cover deposits
(after A.Kh. Kafarsky - 148).
Figure 21 Unconformable occurrence of Rhaetian volcanics on Ordovician schist in the northern part of
the Balkhob uplift (after A.Kh. Kafarsky - 148).
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