Minerals

Mauritania is endowed with significant and diversified mineral resources. The country is ranked as the second iron ore exporter in Africa and the thirteenth iron ore producer worldwide. Important mining projects are under development for Iron, Gold, Copper, Uranium, and Phosphate Minerals. 

  1. Current mining: gold, iron ore, copper, black sands 

  2. Development: phosphates, uranium, rare earth

  3. Proven samples: lead, zinc, tungsten, chrome, PGE, nickel, cobalt, diamonds, graphite

Huge Mineral Reserves

Gold > 25 Million Ounces
Iron >  4 Billion Tons
Copper > 28 Million Tons
Phosphates > 60 Million Tons
Uranium > 60 Million Pounds

More than 900 mineral occurrences are recorded countrywide for a wide range of minerals including critical minerals.

Significant investment programs to develop mineral exploitation include:

  1. El Aouj Iron Ore Development 

  2. Gueib Attomai Iron Ore Development

  3. Askaf Iron Ore Development 

  4. Tijirit Gold Development 

  5. Tiris Uranium Development

  6. Minerals in exports $2.3 billion USD

Mineral Groups

Mineral Groups Entity
1 Iron, Manganese, Titanium (coated), Chromium, Vanadium
2 Copper, Lead, Zinc, Cadmium, Germanium, Indium, Selenium, Tellurium, Molybdenum, Tin, Tungsten, Nickel, Cobalt, Platinoid, Gold, Silver, Magnesium, Antimony, Barium, Boron, Flourine, Sulfur, Arsenic, Bismuth, Strontium, Mercury, Titanium and Zirconium (in sand), Rare Earths
3 Coal and other fossil fuels
4 Uranium and other radioactive elements
5 Phosphate, Bauxite, Sodium and Potassium Salts, Alum, Sulphates other than Alkaline Earth Sulphates and all industrial rocks other then cement manufacture or direct use as building materials such as: Asbestos, Talc, Mica, Graphite, Kaolin, Pyrophillite, Onyx, Chalcedony, Opal
6 Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Beryl, Topaz and all other precious stones
7 Diamond

Mineral Types

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Iron-Ore

Iron deposits are present in different areas:

  • Tiris Province

  • Inichiri volcanosedimentary and metamorphic suites

  • Tindouf Basin

  • Oolitic iron in Taoudeni and Tindouf Basins

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Gold

  • Diversified sources of gold

  • A small “gold rush” occurred this year

  • Archean and Paleoproterozoic (mainly birrimian) high-potential rocks

  • Untamed potential occurs in other rocks

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Base Metals (Cu)

  • Copper is the main documented base metal

  • Hundreds of showings of Cu in different settings

  • Potential for Pb-Zn (both MVT and SEDEX)

  • Wide range of potential for Nickel

  • The Mauritanides range hosts several important prospects for copper but also podiform chromite, manganese, barite, kaolin, and others.

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Base Metals (Ni)

  • Permissive tracts for Ni and associated mineralization in Mauritania

  • Potential for precious metals as Platinum group in similar environments

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Lithium, Beryl

  • Over 150 beryl pegmatites are known in the Khnefissant area

  • Veins 2-4m thick traceable for several hundred metres

  • Similar occurrences are known in the Tijirit at Timmimichant, Guetel Khaye, Sineine, and Inkebden and in Sebkhet Nich; Tamagot; Guelb el Azib, and Iguilid Massif.

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Titanium-Zirconium

  • Many areas of interest

  • Easy to mine

  • Existing infrastructures

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