Casablanca – New exploration results from Morocco’s western High Atlas have expanded the area being investigated for gold and identified additional copper and silver targets, as Morocco Strategic Minerals Corporation advances work around the historic Aït Zekri mining area.

The Canadian exploration company reported results from a surface rock-sampling campaign at its Tamdghoust exploration permit, located north of the historic Aït Zekri mine. The program covered 48 selective rock samples and extended the known mineralized trend by about 2.8 kilometers along strike, taking the exploration target beyond the footprint of earlier drilling. The company said the newly identified occurrences show geological characteristics similar to those observed at Aït Zekri.

The results provide a broader set of targets for the next phase of fieldwork, although the findings remain at the exploration stage. Additional geological mapping, systematic sampling and drilling will be needed to determine whether the mineralized structures continue between individual surface occurrences, how they extend at depth and how grades are distributed across the wider area.

Gold was identified in quartz-vein systems associated with sulfides hosted in pelitic rocks and calcareous sandstone. Local brecciation and alteration were also observed. This geological setting is comparable to the mineralization documented at Aït Zekri, giving the company a basis for using historical information from the former mine area when assessing the newly identified targets.

Gold grades from the 48 samples ranged from below 0.05 grams per ton to 2.57 grams per ton. Fourteen of the samples returned more than 0.20 grams per ton. The highest result was 2.57 grams per ton in sample TM-GB-0006. Other notable results included 2.33 grams per ton in TM-GB-0016, 1.68 grams per ton in TM-GB-0010, 1.37 grams per ton in TM-GB-0021 and 0.80 grams per ton in TM-GB-0022.

The sampling program also produced results for copper and silver, broadening the exploration targets beyond gold. Sample TM-GB-0049 returned 4.27% copper and 193 grams of silver per ton. TM-GB-0048 recorded 2.57% copper and 88 grams of silver per ton, while TM-GB-0005 returned 1.69% copper and 57 grams of silver per ton.

Several other samples contained elevated silver values. TM-GB-0008 returned 143 grams per ton, followed by 121 grams per ton in TM-GB-0050, 95 grams per ton in TM-GB-0017, 78 grams per ton in TM-GB-0016 and 69 grams per ton in TM-GB-0019. Samples TM-GB-0018 and TM-GB-0021 each returned 62 grams per ton, while TM-GB-0045 recorded 56 grams per ton.

The distribution of the three metals across different sampling points is relevant to the company’s next exploration phase because it provides multiple areas for follow-up work. At this stage, however, individual surface samples cannot establish the size, continuity or economic characteristics of an orebody. Their main value is to identify areas where more detailed geological investigation and drilling can be undertaken.

Historical information from Aït Zekri is being incorporated into this assessment. A recent compilation includes 18 historical diamond drill holes with a combined length of approximately 2,018.6 meters. The company has combined historical drilling information, assay data and more recent surface sampling results in a preliminary three-dimensional geological model.

The purpose of the model is to examine the relationship between mineralization visible at surface and intersections recorded by earlier drilling. It is also intended to help define priority structures for additional drilling and improve understanding of how the mineralized system may extend below the surface.

Historical drilling has already produced a number of gold-bearing intersections at Aït Zekri. SAZ-12 returned 1.94 grams of gold per ton over 5 meters from 43.70 meters depth, including 6.48 grams per ton over 1 meter. SAZ-13 returned 1.99 grams per ton over 6 meters from 65.30 meters, while SAZ-17 recorded 2.85 grams per ton over 2 meters from 81.50 meters, including 5.06 grams per ton over 1 meter. Another reported interval from SAZ-6 returned 1.84 grams per ton over 3.10 meters from 54.20 meters.

The historical drilling also provides evidence that mineralization is present below the immediate surface zone. The deepest mineralization identified in the available historical information was reported in SAZ-9 at approximately 180 meters below surface. The drill intersections, however, are measured along the holes and do not necessarily correspond to the true thickness of the mineralized structures.

The new Tamdghoust results are therefore being assessed together with the historical Aït Zekri data rather than as a standalone discovery. The comparison of surface observations with older drilling can help determine whether separate mineralized occurrences form part of a larger geological system. Establishing that relationship will require further field investigation and drilling.

Morocco Strategic Minerals is preparing for an initial drilling campaign across priority targets in the western High Atlas. The company has said that preparatory activities include cleaning and rehabilitating historical mine workings, pumping water from flooded levels, carrying out stability and safety assessments and preparing access routes for exploration crews and drilling equipment. The work is being undertaken alongside geological studies and applications for drilling authorizations.

The company is targeting the start of initial drilling before the end of 2026. The timetable remains conditional on receiving the necessary permits, completing the preparatory work and securing specialized drilling contractors. The planned program is expected to focus on defining the geometry, continuity and grade distribution of the priority mineralized structures and generating information that could support a future mineral resource assessment.

The exploration work forms part of a broader expansion of Morocco Strategic Minerals’ presence in the western High Atlas. In April 2026, the company announced an option agreement covering a portfolio of mineral assets in the region, including the Aït Zekri mine, Tamdghoust and other permits and licenses. The agreement gives the company an option to acquire up to an 80% interest in a group of assets following due diligence and the fulfillment of specified financial and contractual conditions.

The company’s Moroccan portfolio includes projects targeting copper, gold and other metals, including Timarighine, Tifernine and BMR. Its current exploration strategy involves combining historical mining and drilling information with new surface work to identify additional targets and determine where further investment in exploration may be justified.

The latest Tamdghoust results come at a stage when the company is moving from surface exploration toward more systematic subsurface testing. The 2.8-kilometer extension of the known mineralized trend gives the exploration area a larger footprint than the historical drilling zone, while the presence of gold alongside copper and silver provides several types of mineralization for follow-up work.

The next drilling phase will be important for establishing whether the surface results correspond to continuous mineralized structures at depth. Until those investigations are completed, the reported grades should be viewed as exploration indicators rather than evidence of a defined mineral resource or a commercially viable mining project. The company’s planned work will provide additional geological and assay data that can be used to assess the scale and continuity of the mineralization across Tamdghoust and the wider Aït Zekri area.