As the Group’s flagship sector, exploration is a historical activity which occupies a core position in our growth strategy. Its excellence guarantees the future of our activities, ensures organic growth of our operations, enables value to be extracted from new deposits and offers development opportunities.
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30Exploration projects
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More than 100Experts
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55 000 km²Under exploration
Covering the entire value chain
Our Greenfield and Brownfield exploration projects aim to maximise the success of our approaches, renew our resources and optimise our investments.
Our exploration process covers 4 key steps.
Strategic exploration to identify targets following mapping, geophysics and geochemistry work.
Tactical exploration involving test drilling to confirm the existence of mineralisation.
Delimitation of the resource.
Certification of resources according to the usual industry standards adapted to the typology of deposits.
Building on our knowledge of Morocco and Africa, we have developed an exploration model, suited to different types of deposits:
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VMS (Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide) deposits
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MVT (Mississippi Valley Type) deposits, for Zinc and Lead,
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SHCD (Sedimentary Hosted Copper Deposit) deposits for Copper, Cobalt, Silver and Gold
Drawing on internal and external expertise
Our committed, multi-disciplinary exploration team comprises more than 100 experts in geology, geomatics, geophysics, etc./span>
Our activity is organised into regions and covers the entire value chain, from Greenfield exploration up to the discovery and delimitation of the deposit. Our teams are also specialised in intelligence and the targeting of acquisition and partnership opportunities in Morocco and internationally.
In order to perform our exploration projects in line with the most demanding standards, we draw on our internal resources, equipped with the latest technologies
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Our Sagax subsidiary, specialising in geophysics
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Our research centre, mainly involving laboratory processing tests, in order to direct the exploration projects.
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Our analysis and geological mineral processing analysis and studies laboratory equipped with a full range of high-precision multi-element analysis techniques (ICPMS, ICPAES, XRD, XRF, Atomic Absorption and Fire Assay), a MEBSEG scanning electron microscope and a thin sections production workshop.
We adopt the best practices, while cultivating a network of international experts, notably in economic geology, exploration strategy, metallogeny and modelling. We also cooperate with internationally reputed universities and research institutes.
Since 2002, we have opted for standard NI 43101 from the Canadian Institute of Mining and the related best practices. To ensure compliance, we rely on internal governance bodies and recognized outside firms. .
Creating value through exploration
Our Exploration work has led to the discovery and start-up of some of the world’s largest projects.
Our Exploration work has led to the discovery and start-up of some of the world’s largest projects for precious metals and base metals: 5 new large-scale deposits have been brought to light since the 2000s.
Other important deposits have also been discovered by our teams of geologists, including Kiniero in Guinea and Tinga in Ghana.
A map showing the deposits discovered: Wadi Gabaga in Sudan (Gold), Pumpi in DRC (Copper and Cobalt), Tizert in Morocco (Copper and Silver), Bouskour (Copper) as well as other gold-bearing deposits in West Africa. Tri-K in Guinea (Gold)
We are currently running exploration projects and development projects which have reached varying stages of maturity.