-------- Original Message -------- Subject: SILS Bulletin 08-23 Digital Geologic Map Databases -North Coal District Afghanistan Date: Wed, 5 Nov 2008 13:23:28 -0700 From: Sheryle J Jackson <[log in to unmask]> SILS Information Bulletin Number: 08-23 Large-Scale Digital Geologic Map Databases and Reports of the North Coal District in Afghanistan Date: November 5, 2008 *Sap#: * *208572* (U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 317) *Price: $32.00 *for the DVD plus *$5.00* handling per order This report describes the Afghanistan coal resource maps and associated databases that have been digitally captured along with the maps that have been thus far converted to GIS databases. This digital data preserves and greatly increases the utility of several decades of work that has been compiled by various foreign agencies that were assisting the government of Afghanistan in the first systematic inventory of their coal resources. Many of the reports existed as unique paper copies that remarkably survived the Soviet Invasion in 1979, and the ensuing civil war and Taliban era, often a great personal risk to the Afghan scientists who preserved them. As there are almost no published data on the coal resources of Afghanistan, this data will form the basis for coal exploration and development as hostilities cease and reconstruction progresses. Coal is expected to play an important role in providing energy and jobs to the Afghan economy, in particular to support development of world-class indigenous iron and copper deposits Most of the historical coal exploration has been concentrated in north-central Afghanistan, a region referred to as the “North Coal District,” and almost all of the coal-related maps found in the Afghanistan Geological Survey (AGS) archives to date cover various locations within that district as shown in the index map. The majority of maps included in this report were originally scanned during U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) site visits to Kabul in November 2004 and February 2006. Many of these maps and associated reports exist as single unpublished copies in the AGS archives, so efforts to provide a basis for digital capturing, became a means for preserving these rare geologic maps and reports. The data included represents most of the coal-related reports and maps that are available in the AGS archives. This report excludes the limited cases when a significant portion of a report's text could not be located, but it does not exclude reports with missing plates. The efforts of the entire AGS staff to personally preserve these data during war time, in the absence of virtually any supporting infrastructure, was truly remarkable. This dual-layer DVD-ROM is available for sale from USGS. A pdf. version of this product is available at_ */http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/317//*_*/ /*.*/ /* For more information about this or other products offered by USGS contact the USGS Science Information and Library Services (SILS) at 1-888-ASK-USGS, or online through the USGS store at */_http://store.usgs.gov_/**/_._/* Sheryle Girk-Jackson 303 202 4176, FAX 303 202 4633, email: [log in to unmask] Sheryle J. Girk-Jackson Technical Information Specialist/Business Acquisitions USGS/ESIC