Aim-listed Critical Mineral Resources (DMR) has announced positive initial work at its Ifri project, in the Anti-Atlas in Morocco, with prospecting by its geological team demonstrating copper and silver in multiple shear zone and quartz vein structures with some structures containing gold mineralisation.

Channel samples include assay results of 3.1% copper and 17 g/t silver; 1.95% copper and 15 g/t silver; and 0.86 g/t gold and 21 g/t silver.

These initial samples are demonstrative of Ifri's potential, the company says.

CMR says it is pleased to see copper and silver grades returned at Ifri given the incidence of visible copper sulphide and copper oxide mineralisation on the property and Ifri's proximity to the Tagmout copper/silver mine.

The presence of gold in the system is also indicated as “extremely encouraging” given nearby industrial scale and artisanal underground gold mining.

Existing mines are targeting the quartz structures with gold grades in the region known to improve at depth.

The Ifri project is located in a well-known mining belt, which hosts active and previously operating mines, CMR points out.

Initial prospecting at the Ifri site has identified multiple large, mineralised shear structures with copper oxide, copper sulphide, silver and gold mineralisation.

Historical small-scale mining for copper and gold is also evident at numerous locations across the property and, significantly, there is a significant scale drilling programme 2.5 km west of the permit and an underground gold mine being developed less than 10 km north of the permit.

The company explains that it has located these operations, but the project names are unknown, and it is unclear who the operators are.

The next stage at Ifri is a systematic exploration programme including detailed mapping, geochemical surveying, followed by geophysics and drill-target generation.

“We are very excited about the Ifri project and its potential to host both copper/silver and gold deposits. Ifri is located in a mineralised system, and we will now focus on systematic exploration and drill target generation.

“We are encouraged by the numerous mines in this belt, several of which are intrusion-related deposits, and therefore the region's strong potential for large-scale discoveries. At Ifri, we will be targeting both mineralised structures near the surface and richer sources of copper, silver and gold at depth,” says CEO Charlie Long.