Viking Mines locks in driller for Nevada tungsten blitz
- Murray Ward
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Viking Mines (ASX: VKA) has officially cleared the runway for its highly anticipated assault on American critical minerals, signing a contract with US-based contractor DrilCor for a maiden 63-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling campaign at its highly prospective Linka tungsten project in Nevada.
According to the company, the drill contractor is now preparing the rig for mobilisation, with its arrival on site expected in late June.
Additionally, site preparation is already underway, with Viking closing in on signing an earthworks contractor ahead of drill pad construction. Viking says it plans to break ground at Linka ahead of the drill rig’s arrival and carve out 48 planned drill pads.
The fully permitted 63-hole campaign represents a historic milestone for the company, delivering the first known sub-surface exploration at Linka in more than 40 years across three priority target areas. Drilling is anticipated to take six weeks, subject to ground conditions, productivity and weather.
Drill bits will be pointed towards three specific targets designed to systematically unlock the broader mineralised system.
Initially, Linka’s Main target will swallow 36 holes designed to verify historic shallow hits, such as the high-grade 7.9 metres running at 0.9 per cent tungsten trioxide, sitting directly above the historical workings. The drill will also test for spicy down-dip continuity lurking beneath the old underground network.
A further 16 holes will then target a prospective 800-metre southwest extension of the Linka system across four distinct sections spaced 125m to 150m apart, following up significant surface geochemical samples grading up to 0.6 per cent tungsten trioxide.
The final 11 holes will be dedicated to regional reconnaissance, using shallow vertical holes to truth-tell magnetic and gravity targets and to pinpoint contact points for new mineralised zones.
Notably, Viking is fully funded to keep the drill rods turning, backed by a strong A$ 4.7 million cash pile as of March 31 this year.
Locking in DrilCor is a significant step forward in our fast-to-market strategy at Linka. With permitting complete and our drilling contractor now under contract, the team is squarely focused on getting the rig to site and breaking ground on what will be the first known drill testing at Linka in more than 40 years. Viking Mines managing director and chief executive officer Julian Woodcock
The company says a steady stream of near-term news flow, spearheaded by initial assays from the Linka Main stockpile and tailings dam sampling, will land in June.
This will be followed by trenching and assay results, due in July, from the newly discovered Conquest stockpiles, where scheelite - the primary tungsten-bearing mineral at Linka – previously fluoresced brightly under ultraviolet light, often a strong visual indicator of tungsten mineralisation. If proven up, this unexpected surface prize could be a game-changer for the company, offering a near-term production option.
Ongoing metallurgical updates are focusing on gravity concentration and flotation cleaning testwork on the stockpile material, while high-tech German TOMRA ore-sorting tests are ongoing to see if it can be easily upgraded.
Concurrently, Mineral Technologies is working through a conceptual processing study for the overall project to calculate capital and operating expenditure estimates, development timelines and three-dimensional plant designs.
With regulatory approvals secured ahead of schedule from the Bureau of Land Management and the drill rig officially locked in, Viking appears to be moving flat out to tap into Nevada's critical mineral potential.
Punters will likely be keeping a close eye on Viking for results as the drill bits finally kiss the dirt in Nevada.
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