Viking Mines Confirms High-Grade Tungsten Assays Up to 2.7% WO3 at Nevada Projects

High-Grade Tungsten Confirmed at Historic Nevada Mines

Viking Mines Limited (ASX:VKA) has unveiled promising reconnaissance sampling results from its Long and Terrell tungsten projects in Nevada, with assays reaching as high as 2.7% WO3. These findings confirm significant tungsten mineralisation at two historic mine sites that have seen little modern exploration, suggesting a broader resource potential beyond the company’s primary focus, the Linka Tungsten Project.

At the Long Project, channel sampling across underground and surface workings returned high-grade intercepts including 1.80 metres at 1.8% WO3, featuring a standout 0.45-metre section grading 2.7% WO3. Additional grab samples east of the mine along the intrusive contact yielded up to 0.3% WO3, indicating mineralisation extends beyond known workings. Meanwhile, the Terrell Project delivered exceptional surface grades with a float sample of contact skarn hitting 2.4% WO3 and granite-hosted veins reaching 1.7% WO3. Historical stockpile material at Terrell also graded between 0.4% and 0.5% WO3.

Skarn Mineralisation and Untapped Potential

Both projects are situated within intrusion-related skarn settings, where tungsten mineralisation occurs along granite-limestone contacts. Viking highlights the potential for unmined high-grade skarn bodies beneath existing workings and along buried granite margins. These geological settings are known to host tungsten deposits, and the recent assays underscore the possibility of expanding mineralised feed sources for future production.

Historical production at these sites is modest by modern standards, with Terrell having produced approximately 2.9 kilotonnes at 0.6% WO3, and Long around 17 kilotonnes at 0.6% WO3. Viking notes that these figures are sourced from historical records and have not been independently verified. The company is now consolidating data and planning additional fieldwork to better define mineralisation extents and secure permitting for drilling.

Linka Project Bulk Sampling and Toll Treatment Strategy

The Linka Tungsten Project remains Viking’s flagship asset. Recently, the US Bureau of Land Management approved the collection of a 900-tonne bulk sample from historical surface stockpiles at Linka. This bulk sample will be processed through toll treatment facilities in the USA to produce concentrate samples for offtake discussions with Ammonium Paratungstate (APT) refineries. This approach aims to establish a low-capital expenditure, rapid-restart processing model that could be applied across Viking’s wider Nevada portfolio.

Identifying suitable toll treatment facilities in the US is a current priority. Meanwhile, metallurgical testwork at Linka continues alongside a maiden drilling campaign. The company’s recent assay results from Linka stockpiles, reaching up to 1.8% WO3, complement these efforts and may enhance concentrate quality through ore sorting technologies.

Advancing Exploration and Development Pipeline

Beyond Linka, the Long and Terrell Projects offer earlier-stage but compelling opportunities. Viking plans detailed mapping, follow-up sampling, and ground geophysical surveys to better understand mineralisation and rank drill targets. The company also intends to prepare notices of intent for drilling at these sites once locations are finalised.

Viking’s Managing Director Julian Woodcock emphasised the quality of the ground secured in Nevada and the potential for parallel development of multiple tungsten sources. The company’s strategy to leverage historic workings with modern exploration techniques positions it to potentially contribute to the US critical minerals supply chain.