The Nalbandon AOI is underexplored. Of more than 50 mineral deposits or occurrences, only 2 have subsurface exploration and 6 have been sampled by surface trenching. The remainder have been visited and sometimes sampled in the course of reconnaissance exploration. The Nalbandon prospect, which was explored by trenching and a shallow adit, has an inferred resource of about 2 million metric tons grading 1 percent lead and 5 percent zinc. In addition, one trench at another prospect cut 18 meters of mineralized rock with a grade of 1.6 grams per metric ton gold.

Placer gold deposits are found in two principal regions in Afghanistan. The first region is located in northeastern Afghanistan in the provinces of western Badakhshan and northern Takhar. The second region comprises a belt of permissive zones in the Ghazni, Kandahar, and Zabul Provinces in southwestern Afghanistan.