Bou-Azzer mine

The Cobalt, Nickel, and Gold Deposit of Bou Azzer

Located 120 km southwest of the famous Ouarazazat touristic city, the cobalt-nickel -gold deposits of Bou Azzer are associated with the Elgraara Panafrican greenstone belt extending over 30 Km.
With a century of fascinating memories, the history of Moroccan cobalt born in the famous Jama Lfna square in Marrakech at 1928.  A geologist, visiting the square as a tourist, recognized erythrite mineral of cobalt valued by its crystallographic structures unique in the world, and that led to the discovery of the first cobalt deposit in the Bou Azzer-Elgraara inlier.  
The economic potential of Bou Azzer's Cobalt began to be exploited as early as 1929, through visual prospecting that cataloged the main outcropping occurences, followed by artisanal mining in 1932. Industrial-scale mining was initiated in 1934 by SMAG (Société Minière de Bou Gaffer) on the central  deposits in Bou Azzer  and on the Ightem deposit to the east of the district. The operation was suspended during World War II, resumed, and improved in 1944 with the installation of a pneumatic industrial plant. 
From 1969 to 1971, the Russian group Technoexport conducted a comprehensive research program that led to the discovery of the Taghouni, Bou Azzer East, and Tamdrost deposits, the mine was put back into production and closed again in 1983 due to depletion of mineral reserves. 
In 1987, spurred by rising market prices, the geological team of CTT resumed work and discovered the Méchoui deposit. Production thus recommenced, and the group simultaneously embarked on an ambitious research and development program, resulting in the development of two beneficiation processes enabling the production of cobalt cathodes, cobalt derivatives, nickel, and gold ingots. 
The Bou-Azzer mine supplies the hydrometallurgical plants of Guemassa for most of their supply of cobalt concentrate.
Furthermore, CTT holds a portfolio of permits along the ophiolitic series and the Pan-African suture known as the major Anti-Atlas fault, extending over 100 km. In addition to cobalt, the suture is renowned for its deposits of silver, gold , copper , and manganese . The Group is investing in a Greenfield exploration program across the entire province, supported by airborne geophysics, spectrometry, and remote sensing.