Viking Mines (ASX:VKA) reports tungsten assays up to 1.8% WO₃ at Linka
Viking Mines has reported assay results from the Phase 2 field mapping and sampling campaign completed at the Linka Tungsten Project in Nevada, USA.
The campaign included sampling across historical rock stockpile areas, trenches and road cuttings, with results including assays up to 1.8% WO₃ from historical rock stockpile areas.
Highlights
Phase 2 field mapping and sampling campaign completed at Linka, with 98 samples collected comprising 63 trench samples, 30 samples across 3 historical rock stockpile areas and 5 geological grab samples.
Historical rock stockpile sampling returned assays up to 1.8% WO₃.
Historical mill area ROM pad samples averaged 0.5% WO₃, with Conquest mine rock stockpile 2 averaging 0.4% WO₃ and Conquest mine rock stockpile 1 averaging 0.1% WO₃.
Trench and road cutting sampling returned multiple zones of tungsten mineralisation, including LKTR0006 with 1m at 1.3% WO₃, LKTR0002 with 5m at 0.4% WO₃ and 3m at 0.4% WO₃, and LKTR0005 with 3m at 0.5% WO₃.
The Phase 2 campaign was completed at the Linka Tungsten Project in May 2026 and included sampling across historical rock stockpile areas, trenches and road cuttings.
A total of 98 samples were collected during the programme, comprising 63 trench samples, 30 samples across 3 historical rock stockpile areas and 5 geological grab samples.
The historical rock stockpile sampling programme focused on 3 areas, including the historical mill area ROM pad and 2 stockpiles located adjacent to the historical Conquest mine.
Ten samples were collected from each location to establish whether tungsten mineralisation was present within material remaining from historical mining operations.
Assay results and geological observations indicate the rock stockpiles comprise waste rock from historical operations, predominantly barren monzonite and limestone intermingled with mineralised garnet tactite.
Viking Mines noted a distinction between the 2 stockpiles, with stockpile 2 appearing to be stockpiled ore and stockpile 1 comprising commingled ore and waste material.
Viking Mines Managing Director and CEO Julian Woodcock said,
“This first pass was designed to answer one question, is there tungsten in these dumps, and the answer is clearly yes. Systematic sampling will now establish representative grades, and the TOMRA ore sorting testwork nearing completion will tell us whether this material can be efficiently upgraded.”
The company said the intermingled nature of mineralised tactite and barren waste rock within the dumps makes the material a potential candidate for sensor based ore sorting.
Ore sorting testwork has been completed at TOMRA’s test facility in Germany on samples collected from the Linka Main stockpile and the Conquest open pit, with assay results expected shortly.
Trench sampling across 6 historical trenches and road cuttings returned multiple zones of tungsten mineralisation.
The programme was designed to validate historical trench results and test mineralisation along the Linka Mineralised Trend ahead of the maiden drilling campaign.
The company reported the results confirm the presence of scheelite mineralisation within historical trenches along the approximately 820m mineralised trend from Linka (Main) to Conquest and support the presence of multiple zones of mineralisation.
The Linka Tungsten Project is located in Nevada, USA, and comprises 3 historically producing tungsten mines: Linka, Conquest and Hillside.
Mineralisation occurs as scheelite bearing skarn developed in limestone along the contact with granitic intrusive rocks.
Historical operations produced approximately 65,000 tonnes at 0.5% WO₃ through a 360 tonne per day mill up to 1956.
Viking Mines’ next steps include assay results from TOMRA testwork on Linka Main stockpile and Conquest open pit samples, systematic follow up sampling across the 3 dump areas, ongoing metallurgical testwork targeting >80% recovery into a concentrate >50% WO₃, and completion of the maiden drill programme at Linka.