Aterian PLC
10 August 2026
10 August 2026
Aterian plc
("Aterian" or the "Company")
AI Exploration Programme Commences in Botswana
Aterian plc (AIM: ATN), the critical minerals exploration and development company, is pleased to announce the commencement of a high-resolution drone magnetic survey over its Botswana copper exploration licences in the Kalahari Copper Belt.
The survey forms the first stage of a systematic exploration programme designed to generate high-priority drill targets across Aterian's Botswana copper portfolio. The programme represents part of Aterian's strategic collaboration with Lithosquare, announced earlier this year. The collaboration combines high-resolution field datasets with advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to accelerate exploration targeting and improve the identification of prospective copper-silver mineralisation across the Company's Botswana portfolio.
The initial programme will focus on the Company's two highest-priority licences, PL0199/2025 and PL0157/2024, with the resulting magnetic data forming a critical input into Lithosquare's AI-driven exploration targeting workflow, where it will be integrated with geological, structural, satellite and other regional datasets to prioritise drill targets.
Highlights
● First AI-guided exploration programme commences following Lithosquare target generation.
● High-resolution drone magnetic survey commencing over the Company's two highest priority Kalahari Copper Belt licences, PL0199/2025 and PL0157/2024.
● Survey data will be integrated into Lithosquare's proprietary AI targeting platform to generate and rank priority drill targets.
● High-resolution magnetic survey designed to improve geological understanding beneath Kalahari sand cover and identify structures associated with copper-silver mineralisation.
Survey Programme
The survey will commence on PL0199/2025 following establishment of a magnetic base station and completion of equipment calibration before progressing to PL0157/2024.
Drone magnetic surveys provide significantly higher spatial resolution than conventional regional airborne surveys, enabling subtle geological structures beneath Kalahari sand cover to be identified for follow-up exploration.
The processed magnetic data will be integrated with existing geological, structural and regional datasets and analysed using Lithosquare's AI-assisted targeting platform. The objective is to identify and prioritise structural corridors, lithological contacts and other geological features considered prospective for Kalahari Copper Belt-style copper-silver mineralisation, supporting the generation of high-confidence drill targets.
Charles Bray, Executive Chairman of Aterian plc, commented:
"The commencement of this high-resolution magnetic survey in Botswana, coming immediately after the highly encouraging magnetic interpretation at Agdz East in Morocco, demonstrates the very rapid and positive pace at which our exploration collaboration with Lithosquare is advancing.
In a short period, we have moved from applying Lithosquare's technology to refine and expand priority copper-silver targets in Morocco to commencing a new field programme across our highest-ranked Kalahari Copper Belt licences. This is exactly the exploration momentum we intended to create: rapidly acquiring high-quality field data, integrating it with Lithosquare's AI-driven targeting platform and advancing the strongest opportunities towards drill-ready status.
The initial results from Morocco have already demonstrated the potential value of this approach, providing a much clearer understanding of the structural controls on mineralisation and identifying multiple targets associated with kilometre-scale fault corridors. We are now applying the same disciplined, technology-led process in one of the world's premier emerging copper districts.
The Kalahari Copper Belt hosts major sediment-hosted copper-silver deposits, yet much of its prospective geology remains concealed beneath sand cover. High-resolution drone magnetics should allow us to identify subtle structures that cannot be adequately resolved through conventional regional datasets and focus our resources on the ranked targets offering the greatest discovery potential.
Aterian is building a fast-moving pipeline of increasingly well-defined copper-silver targets across Morocco and Botswana. With Agdz East advancing through trenching, Azrar geological analysis, and our Botswana geophysical programme now underway, shareholders can look forward to a strong and accelerating flow of exploration activity and results as we systematically advance the most compelling targets to drilling."
Further Work
Following completion of the magnetic survey, Aterian intends to integrate the results with geological mapping and historical datasets to define priority targets for ground follow-up and drilling.
Further updates will be provided as the survey progresses, and interpretation of the data is completed.
Update on PL2622/2023
As part of the Company's ongoing exploration programme in the Kalahari Copper Belt, soil geochemical sampling has also been completed over licence PL2622/2023. The results did not identify any geochemical anomalies considered sufficiently significant to warrant immediate follow-up exploration.
In line with Aterian's disciplined exploration strategy and the prioritisation process undertaken in collaboration with Lithosquare, the Company has decided to place further work on PL2622/2023 on hold while exploration activities are concentrated on the higher-priority licences PL0199/2025 and PL0157/2024, where the current high-resolution drone magnetic survey is underway. The Company will continue to review PL2622/2023 within the context of future regional exploration programmes as additional datasets become available.
- ENDS -
This announcement contains information which, prior to its disclosure, was inside information as stipulated under Regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310 (as amended).
Engage directly with the Aterian PLC management team by asking questions, watching video summaries, and seeing what other shareholders have to say. Please navigate to our interactive investor hub here: https://aterianplc.com/s/fcf8eb
For further information, please visit the Company's website: www.aterianplc.com or contact:
Aterian Plc:
Charles Bray, Executive Chairman - charles.bray@aterianplc.com
Simon Rollason, Director - simon.rollason@aterianplc.com
Financial Adviser and Joint Broker:
AlbR Capital Limited
David Coffman / Dan Harris
Colin Rowbury
Tel: +44 (0)207 7469 0930
Joint Broker:
SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP
Ewan Leggat / Devik Mehta
Tel: +44 20 3470 0470
Financial PR:
Bald Voodoo - ben@baldvoodoo.com
Ben Kilbey
Tel: +44 (0)7811 209 344
Notes to Editors:
About Aterian plc
Aterian plc is an LSE-listed exploration and development company with a diversified African portfolio of critical metals projects.
Aterian plc is actively seeking to acquire and develop new critical metal resources to strengthen its existing asset base while supporting ethical and sustainable supply chains as the world transitions to a sustainable, renewable future. The supply of these metals is vital for developing the renewable energy, automotive, and electronics manufacturing sectors, which are increasingly important in reducing carbon emissions and meeting global climate ambitions.
Aterian has a portfolio of multiple copper-silver (+gold) and base-metal projects in Morocco. Aterian holds a 90% interest in Atlantis Metals, a private Botswana-registered company holding eleven mineral prospecting licences for copper-silver in the world-renowned Kalahari Copperbelt and three for lithium and salt brine exploration in the Makgadikgadi Pans region. The Company also holds an exploration licence in southern Rwanda, where it is evaluating the tantalum and niobium opportunity and further exploring for pegmatite-hosted lithium.
The Company's strategy is to seek new exploration and production opportunities across the African continent and to develop new sources of critical mineral assets for exploration, development, and trading.
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