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Doug Bright
Viking Mines is charging ahead with its strategy to deliver the earliest possible tungsten production from its recently acquired Linka project in Nevada, USA, following completion of the digitisation of all historical data across 70 holes and 2881 metres of drilling.
Viking’s latest tranche of data has shone a bright light on the company’s Conquest area, 650m northeast of the Linka Main pit, where 32 historical holes for 959m of drilling have confirmed exceptional high-grade and thick tungsten mineralisation.
Standout intercepts include 12.2m assaying 1.3 per cent tungsten trioxide from 26.5m, including 1.5m going a whopping 4.8 per cent tungsten trioxide from 32.6m down-hole depth.
Other solid hits picked up at Conquest include 22.9m at 0.6 per cent tungstite from 19.8m in a second drillhole, featuring 6.1m running 1.2 per cent tungstite from 36.6m.
‘The digital record now validates the exceptional opportunities presented by this high-grade tungsten mineralised system.’
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
A third hole delivered 22.9m grading 0.5 per cent of the oxide from 5.5m, including 11.3m going 0.6 per cent tungstite from 26.2m depth.
Tungsten trioxide, otherwise known as tungstite, is a rare, yellow, secondary mineral formed by the weathering of tungsten-bearing ores such as scheelite or wolframite. Other closely related, rare hydrous tungsten minerals include meymacite and hydrotungstite.
Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock said: “Finalising the digitisation of the Linka dataset, which now includes these thick, high-grade intercepts at Conquest, is another significant milestone achieved. We have consolidated a comprehensive digital record of the historical exploration that now validates the exceptional opportunities presented by this high-grade tungsten mineralised system.”
Historical drilling at Conquest was remarkably shallow – averaging just 30m depth, with a maximum of 56m – leaving significant untested potential along strike and down-dip.
Management says the digitised data hint at additional potential for mineralisation at greater depth, where the basal quartz monzonite could exist as a dyke or steeply dipping feeder structure, suggesting a mineralised lower contact ripe for exploration.
While the Conquest tungsten mineralisation is hosted in the Vinini Formation – historically regarded as less prospective than the Antelope Valley Limestone host at its Linka Main prospect – the latest results have showcased Conquest as a compelling additional target with strong regional potential.
Immediate expansion opportunities include testing beneath the historic Conquest mine pit using angled holes to probe previously untested volcanic cover to the southeast.
Another search avenue for Viking at Conquest is the favourable limestone contact at depth, which the company believes could lie between 65 and 100m depth below surface.
Tungsten prices are climbing fast. Recent benchmarks show Rotterdam ammonium paratungstate (APT) prices in the range of US$1,650–1,900 (A$2340 – A$2690) per metric tonne unit – up almost a whopping 500 per cent in the past year amid tightening supply and US defence onshoring policies.
Upcoming 2026 US procurement changes under US Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) will restrict tungsten from certain countries, which will significantly amplify the need for secure domestic sources.
Armed with newly digitised data, Viking is wasting little time designing a maiden drill program to test its models, with one eye on a rapid transition to mining. The initial drill test will prioritise shallow, high-grade ore blocks that have already been defined in the historical dataset.
Back at the desk, the company says it is integrating the full 70-hole historical drill results into a 3D model to determine the potential scale of the skarn mineralisation hosts at the Linka and Conquest zones. The model will incorporate geophysical data, including gravity and magnetic data, to help map the full extent of the 1.6 km-long mineralised corridor.
The company is also preparing a Notice of Intent for a reverse circulation drilling program, targeting a June quarter start.
With tungsten now firmly back in the geopolitical spotlight and US defence supply chains under mounting pressure, Viking’s push to resurrect Nevada’s forgotten tungsten fields looks timely.
If upcoming drilling confirms continuity and scale at Linka and Conquest, the company could be fast-tracked from data revival to a strategically important producer sooner than many expect.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
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