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    Aya’s bonanza silver hits at Zgounder mine: resource and pit design notes for engineers

    June 3, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Aya’s bonanza silver hits at Zgounder mine: resource and pit design notes for engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    New drilling at Aya Gold & Silver’s Zgounder mine in Morocco returned bonanza underground intercept T28-26-1248 with 8 m at 2,176 g/t Ag from 8 m, including 4 m at 4,298 g/t, plus open-pit hole ZG-RC-26-946 with 6 m at 1,867 g/t from 96 m. Additional RC holes in the pit area cut up to 10 m at 739 g/t Ag from 129 m and 6 m at 1,160 g/t from 6 m, from a 116‑hole campaign that is one‑third of a 30,000 m 2026 programme. Zgounder, a 1.4 Mt/y silver‑only operation with 15.7 Mt at 145 g/t Ag reserves (73.4 Moz) and life to 2036, is extending mineralisation at depth and along the Western Fault ahead of further drilling from the 1,825 m exploration drift in H2 2026.

    Technical Brief

    • Processing plant expansion completed in 2024 lifted Zgounder’s milling capacity to 1.4 Mt per year.
    • Proven and probable reserves stand at 15.7 Mt at 145 g/t Ag, totalling 73.4 Moz contained.
    • Zgounder lies ~215 km south of Marrakech by road, influencing logistics and reagent supply chains.
    • The 2026 exploration programme totals 30,000 m of drilling, with ~10,000 m already completed.
    • Recent drilling includes 116 holes, combining underground core and open-pit reverse circulation methods.
    • New mineralised zones have been delineated north of the current open pit footprint.
    • Mineralisation is being extended along the Western Fault corridor, with an exploration drift at 1,825 m level advancing.
    • Zgounder contributed about 41% of Aya Gold & Silver’s net asset value in Scotia Capital’s assessment.

    Our Take

    With Zgounder already contributing 41% of Aya Gold & Silver’s NAV and reserves of 73.4 million oz at 145 g/t, the bonanza-grade hits in the Western Fault corridor likely strengthen the case for further mine-life extensions beyond the current 2036 plan rather than relying solely on the Boumadine polymetallic project, whose feasibility is only targeted for late 2027.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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