AIT ALI

KEY POINTS:
- The prospect is located 70 km from the port of Nador,
- Presence of infrastructure (railway, roads and power line),
- Extraction of attapulgite by pen pit mining,
- Great potential.
K I N G D O M O F M O R O C C O
LOCATION AND INFRASTUCTURE:
The prospect of Ait Ali is located 25 km north of Taourit. It is accessible by road from Nador to Taourit
and it depends directly to the Taourirt province.
The prospect is covered by eight exploration licenses for 8 th category N° 2237960 to 2237967
(Topographic map: Al Youn 1 / 100, 000).
AIT ALI (Attapulgite)
(Taourirt-Oujda Basin)
)
Location map of Ait Ali prospect

REGIONAL GEOLOGICAL
The area of Ait Ali is a part of the Tertiary basin known as Taourirt-Oujda corridor. It consists of a
tortono-Messinian marine facies (blue marl) and more sandy littoral facies.
The Tertiary basin consists of Neogene series unconformably deposited on Jurassic or Paleozoic
bedrock. These series present a succession of three distinct sedimentary cycles marked by changes
in sedimentation: a regressive cycle in Tortonian, a transgressive cycle in Messenian and a strictly
continental cycle in Pliocene and Quaternary.
LOCAL GEOLOGY
Location of the Taourirt-Oujda basin
Ait Ali area is formed by a volcano-sedimentary series related to the Neogene volcanism. It
consists of greenish-gray marl with gypsum and sand horizons and covered by a decimeter level of
cinerites and bentonite and limestones with a thickness of 1.2 m.
Horizons of marls and clays with attapulgite and sepiolite are located in the volcano-sedimentary
series of the Neogene.
Clays with attapulgite in Aït Ali sector

EXPLORATION WORKS AND RESULTS
The ONHYM conducted geological mapping, sampling and surveys in Aït Ali sector. A total of
approximately 600 samples were analyzed for their chemical compositions and were identified with X-
ray. Six diamond drill holes totaling 237.50 m were subsequently realized and crossed levels of
carbonate clay with attapulgite and sepiolite with a thickness of 8m.
PERSPECTIVES
� First encouraging drillings results.
� Possible extension.
For further information, please contact:
Mme Amina BENKHADRA
General Director
5, Avenue Moulay Hassan- BP 99 - Rabat, Morocco
Tel. : + 212 5 37 23 98 98 – Fax : + 212 5 37 70 94 11
E-mail : benkhadra@onhym.com
Site web : www.onhym.com