Tungsten Mining has kicked off on-site preparations for a major drilling campaign at Mt Mulgine, aiming to significantly expand its tungsten resource and potentially define the world's largest deposit.
- 130 RC holes for 40,000m planned at Mulgine Trench
- Drilling targets extensions beneath 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate
- Exploration Target of 165-200 Mt at 0.10-0.12% WO3 and 180-220 ppm Mo
- 37 diamond holes for metallurgical and geotechnical studies
- Potential to upgrade resource confidence and scale
Major Drilling Campaign Underway at Mt Mulgine
Tungsten Mining NL (ASX:TGN) has commenced on-site preparations for a substantial drilling program at its 100%-owned Mt Mulgine Project in Western Australia. The campaign will include 130 reverse circulation (RC) holes covering 40,000 metres and 37 diamond holes totalling 4,700 metres, marking a significant operational milestone as the company aims to expand and upgrade its globally significant tungsten resource.
The RC drilling is designed to test mineralisation continuity 80 to 160 metres beneath the 2020 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) along the 1.5-kilometre strike of the Mulgine Trench deposit. This includes infill and extension drilling on a 40 by 40-metre pattern, with lines extended northwest to probe down-dip continuity. The northern and southern strike extensions will also be tested to delineate the resource boundaries more precisely.
Alongside the RC drilling, 37 PQ diamond holes will collect material for metallurgical test work and geotechnical data critical for future pit design. These studies will support engineering and flowsheet validation, essential steps towards project development.
Exploration Target Highlights Potential Resource Growth
The drilling campaign targets an Exploration Target previously defined at 165 to 200 million tonnes grading 0.10 to 0.12% WO3 (tungsten trioxide) and 180 to 220 ppm molybdenum (Mo). This equates to a potential 165,000 to 240,000 tonnes of contained WO3 and 30,000 to 36,000 tonnes of Mo, which could add substantially to the existing 270,000 tonnes of contained WO3 in the current MRE.
Significantly, the Exploration Target remains conceptual, with insufficient exploration to confirm a Mineral Resource estimate. Tungsten Mining has drilled 321 holes for over 52,000 metres at Mulgine Trench to date, supplemented by 22,755 metres of historical drilling. The upcoming program aims to increase the Indicated resource category by upgrading confidence in the inferred MRE and testing the conceptual extensions.
Mt Mulgine’s mineralisation is hosted within a 160 to 260-metre thick zone, dipping shallowly northwest, with tungsten occurring mainly as scheelite in quartz veins and greisen units. The deposit also features a 50 to 120-metre wide Lower Tungsten-Molybdenum Domain with associated molybdenum, gold, silver and copper mineralisation.
Strategic Importance and Next Steps
Chairman Gary Lyons emphasised the significance of the on-site preparations, stating that the drilling campaign could position Mt Mulgine as the largest tungsten project globally. This follows the company’s recent capital raise and strategic moves to accelerate project development and expand its resource base.
Assay results from the drilling will be released periodically, approximately six weeks after drilling commences, providing the market with ongoing updates on progress and resource implications. The program builds on the company’s broader exploration efforts, including a parallel campaign at its Watershed deposit, which is set to begin drilling in June 2026 and targets high-grade tungsten zones closer to surface.
Given tungsten’s critical role in modern industry and its strategic importance, the expansion and upgrading of Mt Mulgine’s resource could have significant implications for Tungsten Mining’s position in the global market.
Investors will be watching closely as assay data emerges, potentially reshaping the scale and confidence of the Mt Mulgine resource. The company’s ability to translate this into a robust development pathway will be key to its medium-term prospects.
These developments follow the company’s earlier announcements detailing the drilling program and Exploration Target, including the major drilling at Mt Mulgine and the $53 million capital raise that underpins feasibility studies and project advancement.
Bottom Line?
The drilling program at Mt Mulgine could redefine the scale of one of the world’s largest tungsten resources, but assay results will be crucial to confirm potential expansions and upgrade resource confidence.
Questions in the middle?
- Will the drilling results support upgrading a significant portion of the inferred resource to Indicated status?
- How will metallurgical and geotechnical data influence the feasibility and design of future mining operations?
- What impact could a larger Mt Mulgine resource have on Tungsten Mining’s strategic positioning amid rising global tungsten demand?