Agadir – Canadian mining company Aya Gold & Silver has agreed to acquire a 139-square-kilometer portfolio of exploration permits in Morocco, including a 19-square-kilometer mining license, expanding its footprint around the Zgounder Silver Mine.
The company announced the acquisition today, saying the copper-silver portfolio is located approximately 35 kilometers west of its Zgounder mine in Morocco’s Anti-Atlas region.
According to Aya, the acquisition will consolidate its land position in the Zgounder district while providing exposure to an underexplored copper-silver system with several types of mineralization and further exploration potential.
The portfolio, located in the Tizi area, contains several historical copper and silver occurrences. Aya said historical trenching returned 15 meters grading 0.65% copper and 33 grams per tonne of silver.
Historical grab samples also recorded silver grades of up to 837 grams per tonne and copper grades of up to 4.6%. Aya said its own recent reconnaissance work produced samples grading up to 500 grams per tonne of silver and 4% copper.
The company cautioned, however, that the historical results were reported by a previous operator and have not been independently verified by a qualified person. Aya said further work is required before the historical results can be considered current.
The company also noted that grab samples are selective by nature and should not be considered representative of the overall grade, true width, or extent of mineralization.
Aya said field work has confirmed a principal copper-silver horizon extending over approximately two kilometers. The portfolio also contains multiple mineralization styles, including sediment-hosted and stratiform copper, structurally controlled copper-silver veins and shear-hosted mineralization, as well as associated alteration zones.
The company said historical workings and copper occurrences point to the possibility of a larger mineralized system, while around 20 kilometers of existing roads linked to historical manganese workings could facilitate exploration activities.
“Adding 139 km² of compelling copper-silver showings only 35 km from Zgounder is in line with this strategy,” said Benoit La Salle, President and CEO of Aya Gold & Silver. “We see significant potential to apply Aya’s exploration expertise and establish a new copper-silver platform within our growing Moroccan portfolio.”
Aya said the property shares a geological setting with its existing operations, featuring Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary rocks near the Askouen granite.
The company described the acquisition as a low-cost opportunity to consolidate its Moroccan land position while leveraging its existing operating presence, technical expertise, and infrastructure to advance exploration.
The acquisition also expands Aya’s focus beyond its established silver operations in Morocco, potentially creating a new copper-silver exploration platform in the Zgounder district.
