Almost $1 trillion worth of minerals may be in Afghanistan, which would drastically change the country’s economy.

Metals, including copper and lithium, could put the country’s natural resources in high demand.

“Lithium has seen increased uses in batteries,” said Bruce Herbert, assistant head of the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Texas A&M. “Electronics use a lot of lithium. The real use of lithium is a projected use. If we move to electric cars, the batteries in the cars are very large, and those batteries would use a lot of lithium. The need for lithium is anticipated to be very large.”

There is little information about the amount of lithium in Afghanistan, but Herbert said the lithium is not difficult to extract.

“[Lithium] is not present in many places,” Herbert said. “Much lithium gets washed off the land and into the ocean. You tend it find it in desert places. The U.S. has small amounts, but Afghanistan would represent one of the largest sources in the world. So it’s a big deal.”

Herbert said the metals identified represent a large resource if developed in a reasonable and environmentally conscious way. He said the minerals could be a terrific resource to rebuild the country.

“However, sometimes the resources can do nothing to help the country,” he said. “Some of the poorer countries have really benefited from mining in their country, as long as it is done in a responsible manner. If it is not responsible, political corruption results, and poor people suffer worse.”