Aterian (ATN), an Africa-focused metal exploration and development company, has reported high-grade copper samples from its Jebilet Est Project in Morocco. The samples include 4.43% Cu and 3.11% Cu from brecciated vein samples.
The Jebilet Project consists of three license blocks covering 45.3 km2 in western Morocco, located about 200 km south of the capital Rabat and 35 km northeast of Marrakech. The project is easily accessible via asphalt roads and smaller tracks and is situated 15 km east of the Bir N'Hass copper mine, with several other copper deposits and occurrences in the area.
The project targets a quartz-carbonate vein system with copper mineralization, and an initial reconnaissance program has identified multiple parallel quartz-carbonate veins with a general ENE orientation, with the largest vein zone striking for over 3 km and up to 10 m wide.
Geological work at the project has focused on mapping and sampling a quartz-carbonate vein network that spans the entire western license and has a variable width of 0.2 to 10 m, and can be traced along strike for over 3 km. On the eastern license, mapping has targeted a vein system with variable quartz contents and a dominant NE-SW to ENE-WSW trend.
A total of 81 samples were collected, with 46 samples reporting greater than 0.3% Cu and 13 samples greater than 1% Cu. The highest result was 4.43% Cu from a float sample of quartz-carbonate vein material with malachite, primary sulphide, and iron oxides.
Future work programmes at the Jebilet project will include further geological mapping and sampling of the extensive vein system discovered on the eastern licence. This may be supported by trenching and a geophysical survey.
Simon Rollason, CEO of Aterian, commented: "The identification of the presence of a significant network of copper-bearing veins and breccia zones within the project is a very positive start to our exploration efforts at Jebilet Est. We will continue to map out and sample the vein system which occurs close to a historic copper mine which appears to have similar controls to what we are seeing on the ground.”
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This is encouraging news from another of Aterian’s 15 projects in Morocco, a stable mining jurisdiction with good infrastructure, and follows the discovery earlier this year of high-grade copper and silver on its recently acquired 100%-owned Azrar Project in Morocco where it is now working towards establishing an extensive drill programme.
As well as its Moroccan interests, the company also has highly prospective projects in Rwanda, targeting critical metals in the country. It recently discovered 22 zones of the rare earth pegmatite across its southern projects, and now plans metallurgical test work and a preliminary drilling programme for the second half of the year.
Following the merger of Aterian Resources and Eastinco to form Aterian last year, the enlarged group is currently engaged in 3 partnerships within Rwanda to explore and develop tantalum, niobium, tin, and lithium opportunities, critical metals for the energy transition along with the vast amounts of copper that will be required for electrification.
Given the scope of the group’s exploration portfolio and promising results so far, shareholders should expect further positive newsflow in the year ahead.