Distribution of ultramafic complexes in Afghanistan

Abstract

Afghanistan has a complicated geologic and tectonic setting due to its position between two active plates of Indian and Eurasia. The country is composed of a serious of tectonic crustal block, which are separated by faulting systems. With consideration of these active faults, besides other types of magmatic rock complexes, ultramafic rocks have widely distribution over the various part of the country. Based on the previously geological investigation of, most of the ultramafic complexes have distribution within Logar province, Southeastern Afghanistan. This work will mostly focus on the two permissive complexes of Eocene - age ultramafic complexes which are mostly distributed in the eastern part of the country, also the mineral deposits types related to these complexes will be reviewed. In addition, further additional areas are interested for the presence of ultramafic rocks based on the some field evidence in which the findings will be included in the paper. The geologic age of ultramafic massifs situated within the territory of Afghanistan are from Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic in which some of them are in contradiction. The distribution, age, characteristics, related mineral deposition of the mentioned areas for the ultramafic rocks in Afghanistan will briefly reviewed and discussed in this paper. © SGEM2019.