A mining company has taken another step towards searching for more copper and silver in Morocco. Aterian said it has started field work across several projects in the country through its joint venture with Lithosquare. The Agdz project will be the first to move into the drilling stage.
The work follows a review of Aterian’s exploration projects by both companies. They will use geological mapping, trenching, geophysics, geochemistry, hyperspectral satellite images and drilling to look for new mineral deposits. The data will also be analysed using Lithosquare’s artificial intelligence platform to help identify the best drilling targets.
Agdz is the company’s most advanced project. A ground magnetic survey at Agdz East has already been completed and the results are now being analysed. Geological mapping and trenching have also started ahead of a planned 1,500 metre drilling programme.
Aterian received environmental approval for the project in February, clearing the way for drilling.
The Agdz project covers 50.4 square kilometres, including the 15.9-square-kilometre Agdz East licence. It is in the Drâa Tafilalet region, about 35 kilometres east of Ouarzazate.
The site is close to two of Morocco’s biggest mining operations. It is around 14 kilometres from the Bouskour copper silver mine, which contains 19 million tonnes of ore grading 1.44% copper. It is also about 80 kilometres from the Imiter silver mine, which holds 192 million ounces of silver. Managem Group operates both mines.
Earlier exploration found copper and silver near the surface. Previous drilling returned three metres grading 1.24% copper and 101 grams of silver per tonne at the Makarn North prospect. Surface rock samples also returned grades of up to 26.5% copper and 448 grams of silver per tonne.
At the Azrar project, Aterian plans geological mapping, ground magnetic surveys, hyperspectral surveys, induced polarisation studies and channel sampling before starting reverse circulation drilling.
Azrar is about 30 kilometres north of Tata and 45 kilometres east of the Tizert copper silver project. In 2024, Aterian bought historical airborne survey data covering more than 250 square kilometres from Morocco’s Ministry of Energy. Surface sampling at the Tifrit target found 0.63% copper and 0.82 grams of gold per tonne across nine metres.
At the Tata project, the company will use airborne geophysics, drone magnetic surveys and field mapping to identify future drilling targets. The project covers 138.6 square kilometres across nine licence blocks. Surface samples along a 32-kilometre mineralised zone returned copper grades of up to 7.02%.
Aterian and Lithosquare completed their joint venture on 31 May. Under the deal, Lithosquare will invest €1 million this year across nine projects in Morocco and Botswana. In return, it will receive a 15% stake and a 0.5% net smelter return royalty.
The companies are also exploring in Botswana’s Kalahari Copper Belt, but Morocco is one of the first places where the partnership has moved into field operations.
The announcement comes as Morocco continues to grow its mining sector. The Fraser Institute ranked the country 15th out of 68 mining jurisdictions in its 2026 Mining Investment Attractiveness Index, making it the second-highest-ranked country in Africa after Botswana. In March, Morocco also launched a digital mining permit system to speed up approvals and improve transparency.
