Commencement of Scout Drilling at Azrar Project
Summary by AI BETAClose X
4 November 2026
Aterian plc
(“Aterian” or the “Company” or the “Group”)
Commencement of Scout Drilling at Azrar Project
Aterian plc (LSE: ATN), the Africa-focused critical metals exploration, development and trading company, is pleased to announce a significant step forward in its exploration programme with Lithosquare SAS ("Lithosquare"). An 800 m scout Reverse Circulation ("RC") drilling programme is set to commence imminently at the Company's 85%-owned Azrar Copper-Silver Project ("Azrar") in Morocco. The programme is fully funded through the joint venture, with the drill rig mobilised to site and access upgrades and drill pad preparation underway.
Highlights:
Exploration advancing rapidly under the Lithosquare JV, with an 800 m scout RC programme at Azrar fully funded and drilling expected to commence imminently.
Drill rig mobilised to site, with access upgrades and drill pad preparation progressing ahead of subsurface testing.
Priority target comprises an approximately 1 km-long mineralised fault zone and surrounding prospective sediments. Historic composite point rock chip samples returned up to 3.41% copper with 56 g/t silver.
The programme will test the continuity and subsurface extent of surface mineralisation and provide data to guide the next phase of exploration.
Charles Bray, Executive Chairman of Aterian, commented:
“Our partnership with Lithosquare is translating exploration plans into activity on the ground. With the drill rig now mobilised to Azrar and this 800 m programme fully funded by the JV, we are moving rapidly towards testing a priority copper-silver target at depth.
Azrar offers an exciting opportunity to investigate both fault-hosted mineralisation and the immediately surrounding sedimentary beds. The approximately 1 km-long target, supported by encouraging surface sampling, gives us a clear focus for this initial scout programme. Drilling will allow us to assess what continues beneath the surface and determine the most promising areas for further work.
This is the progress we want shareholders to see from the Lithosquare partnership: committed exploration funding being deployed to advance our projects and test their potential. We believe this approach gives Aterian a strong platform to pursue discoveries and build value across its exploration portfolio. We look forward to reporting progress as the programme advances.”
Lithosquare-funded exploration programme
The planned RC drilling totalling 800 m is focussed on achieving several objectives:
- To intersect mineralisation of a suitable grade and width to be deemed as showing economic potential.
- To understand the continuity of the copper-silver mineralisation mapped and sampled at surface within the fault and the immediately surrounding Adoudou Formation sediments.
- To identify the subsurface extent and continuity of gossanous material observed on surface, both within the fault and fault-proximal bedding-parallel outcrops.
- To provide geological and geochemical datasets to support interpretation and prioritise additional target areas.
The JV combines Lithosquare's AI and geoscience capabilities with Aterian's project portfolio and operational expertise. Mobilisation of the rig at Azrar is a tangible advance in the partnership's exploration programme, with drilling intended to provide the next evidence for assessing the project's potential.
Azrar Project Background
Aterian holds an 85% interest in the 76.9 km² Azrar copper-silver project in Morocco’s Western Anti-Atlas. Lithosquare, the Paris-based AI company, holds a 15% interest in the Project. The Azrar project lies approximately 45 km east of Managem Group’s Tizert copper-silver project. Mineralisation at Tizert is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation at Azrar.
The presence of neighbouring deposits underscores the district-scale prospectivity of the Anti-Atlas Belt, although mineralisation at those deposits is not necessarily indicative of mineralisation at Agdz and Azrar.
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Illustrations
The following figures/images have been prepared by Aterian and relate to the disclosures in this announcement.
Qualified Person
The technical disclosure in this regulatory announcement has been approved by Simon Rollason, Chief Executive Officer of Aterian Plc. A graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand in Geology (Hons). He is a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, with over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration and mining.
- ENDS -
This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was inside information as stipulated under Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310 (as amended).
Engage directly with the Aterian PLC management team by asking questions, watching video summaries, and seeing what other shareholders have to say. Please navigate to our interactive investor hub here: https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb
For further information, please visit the Company’s website: www.aterianplc.com or contact:
Aterian Plc:
Charles Bray, Executive Chairman - charles.bray@aterianplc.com
Simon Rollason, CEO & Director – simon.rollason@aterianplc.com
Financial Adviser and Joint Broker:
AlbR Capital Limited
David Coffman / Dan Harris
Tel: +44 (0)207 7469 0930
Joint Broker:
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
Ewan Leggat / Devik Mehta
Tel: +44 20 3470 0470
Financial PR:
Bald Voodoo - ben@baldvoodoo.com
Ben Kilbey
Tel: +44 (0)7811 209 344
Subscribe to our news alert service: https://atn-l.investorhub.com/auth/signup
Notes to Editors:
About Aterian plc
Aterian plc is an LSE-listed exploration and development company with a diversified African portfolio of critical metals projects.
Aterian plc is actively seeking to acquire and develop new critical metal resources to strengthen its existing asset base while supporting ethical and sustainable supply chains as the world transitions to a sustainable, renewable future. The supply of these metals is vital for developing the renewable energy, automotive, and electronic manufacturing sectors, which are increasingly important in reducing carbon emissions and meeting global climate ambitions.
Aterian has a portfolio of multiple copper-silver projects in Morocco. Aterian holds a 90% interest in Atlantis Metals, a private Botswana-registered company holding eleven mineral prospecting licences for copper-silver in the world-renowned Kalahari Copperbelt and three for lithium and salt brine exploration in the Makgadikgadi Pans region. The Company also holds two exploration licences in Rwanda, where it is evaluating tantalum and niobium opportunities, and further exploring for pegmatite-hosted lithium.
The Company's strategy is to seek new exploration and production opportunities across the African continent and to develop new sources of critical mineral assets for exploration, development, and trading.
Glossary of Terms
The following is a glossary of technical terms:
|
“Ag” |
means |
silver |
|
“Anti-Atlas Mountains” |
means |
a mountain range in Morocco, forming part of the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa. The Anti-Atlas extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest towards the northeast to the heights of Ouarzazate and further east to the city of Tafilalt, a distance of approximately 500 km. The range borders on the Sahara to the south |
|
“Au” |
means |
Gold |
|
“Breccia” |
means |
a rock consisting of angular fragments of stones cemented by finer materials |
|
“Cambrian” |
means |
is the first geological period (538 to 485 Ma) of the Palaeozoic Era |
|
“Cu” |
means |
copper |
|
“Ediacaran” |
means |
the uppermost division of the Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian time and the youngest period (635 to 538 Ma) of three that make up the Neoproterozoic Era |
|
“Ferruginous” |
means |
containing iron oxides |
|
“Float sample” |
means |
loose pieces of rock that are not connected to an outcrop |
|
“g/t” |
means |
grams per tonne |
|
“Hercynian or Variscan Orogeny” |
means |
an orogenic belt that evolved during the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, from about 419 to 299 Ma ago |
|
“Inlier” |
means |
an area of older rocks surrounded by younger rocks. The erosion of overlying younger rocks typically forms inliers. |
|
“km” |
means |
kilometres |
|
“m” |
means |
metres |
|
“Ma” |
means |
million years |
|
“mm” |
means |
millimetres |
|
“Mt” |
means |
millions of tonnes |
|
“Outcrop” |
means |
a rock formation that is in situ and visible on the surface |
|
“Qualified Person” |
means |
a person who has the education, skills and professional credentials to act as a qualified person under NI 43-101 |
|
“Paleoproterozoic” |
means |
the first of three subdivisions of the Proterozoic Eon (occurring from 2,500 Ma to 1,600 Ma. This period is marked by the first stabilisation of the continents and when cyanobacteria evolved. |
|
“Sedimentary-hosted copper” |
means |
stratabound copper deposits that are typically restricted to a narrow range of layers within a sedimentary sequence but do not necessarily follow sedimentary bedding. |
|
“Stratabound” |
means |
a mineral deposit confined to a single stratigraphic unit |
|
“Stratiform” |
means |
parallel to the bedding planes of the surrounding rock |
|
“Vein” |
means |
a distinct sheet-like body of crystallised minerals within a rock |
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