Nelson Resources Confirms Two Tungsten Pathfinder Clusters at Nevada Cinnamon Target
Key Takeaways
- Nelson Resources completed a 204-sample soil programme on a 50m × 100m grid at the Ophir and Sheba targets within the Cinnamon Property, confirming two distinct, coherent pathfinder clusters above the Luning-Fencemaker Thrust.
- The stronger north-east cluster returned a coincident W–Bi–Cu–Pb–Ag signature with peak readings of Pb to 525ppm, Bi to 10.10ppm, and Ag to 2.06ppm, closely mirroring previously announced Sheba rock chip results of up to 1.95 g/t Au, 40.3 g/t Ag, and 6.63% Pb.
- Subdued gold and tungsten readings in soil are geologically expected for a structurally controlled, partly covered system — the programme was designed to detect pathfinder clustering, and on that measure it delivered.
- Cinnamon sits immediately west of Guardian Metal Resources' Pilot Mountain Tungsten Project, one of the most advanced undeveloped tungsten projects in the US, providing a direct geological and commercial reference point for Nelson's early-stage position.
- The company is now advancing to detailed prospecting, geological mapping, and systematic rock-chip sampling at Sheba and Ophir — the logical next step toward drill targeting in a country that has had no commercial tungsten mining since 2015.
Two pathfinder clusters confirmed at Cinnamon as Nelson zeroes in on Nevada tungsten target
Nelson Resources has completed its first-pass soil sampling programme at the Ophir and Sheba targets within its Cinnamon Property in Nevada, with results identifying two distinct, coherent pathfinder clusters that advance the company’s geological thesis. A total of 204 multi-element soil samples were collected on a systematic 50m × 100m grid along the Luning-Fencemaker Thrust, and the results have now been assayed.
Two clusters have been flagged for immediate follow-up. The stronger is a coincident W–Bi–Cu–Pb–Ag response in the north-east corner of the grid. A second cluster of elevated W–Sb–As sits near the north-west corner. Peak pathfinder readings included Pb to 525ppm, Sb to 167.5ppm, Bi to 10.10ppm, and Ag to 2.06ppm.
An important framing point for investors: subdued gold and tungsten readings in soil are expected here, not a red flag. For a structurally controlled, partly covered system, surface expressions of those elements are typically weak. What the programme was designed to detect was clustering of pathfinder elements, and on that measure, it delivered.
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What is tungsten skarn mineralisation, and why does it matter?
Tungsten skarn mineralisation forms when intrusive rocks (such as granite or quartz monzonite) contact carbonate rocks like limestone, creating a reactive zone where high-temperature fluids deposit tungsten-bearing minerals. The result can be a compact, high-value ore body with meaningful tungsten concentrations.
Cinnamon’s setting fits this model closely. The property hosts Luning Formation limestone sitting adjacent to quartz monzonite intrusive stocks, which is precisely the geological pairing that produces tungsten skarns at nearby operations. For context, the United States has had no commercial tungsten mining since 2015, according to the US Geological Survey, making domestic tungsten discovery a strategically meaningful opportunity.
Cinnamon sits immediately west of Guardian Metal Resources’ Pilot Mountain Tungsten Project, described in the announcement as one of the most advanced undeveloped tungsten projects in the United States. That adjacency gives investors a geographic and geological reference point. Nelson’s position is early-stage, but the neighbourhood is established.
Nelson’s Gold Point skarn results in Nevada, which confirmed high-grade gold-silver mineralisation extending well beyond historic mine boundaries, provide a useful reference point for the geological model being developed at Cinnamon: both projects involve skarn-hosted systems where surface expressions understate the scale of the buried source.
What the soil results tell us — and what comes next
Pathfinder clusters aligned with prior rock chip results
The north-east cluster’s W–Bi–Cu–Pb–Ag signature closely mirrors the previously announced Sheba rock chip results (ASX, 3 August 2026: up to 1.95 g/t Au, 40.3 g/t Ag, 0.287% Cu, 0.98% Zn, 6.63% Pb). That alignment reinforces the interpretation of a buried hydrothermal source beneath the Luning-Fencemaker Thrust. The north-west As–Sb–W cluster is interpreted as a more distal geochemical response from the same system.
The table below summarises the four priority targets across the Cinnamon property, their principal evidence, current interpretation, and planned follow-up work.
| Target | Principal Evidence | Current Interpretation | Planned Follow-Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheba | High-grade rock chips (up to 1.95 g/t Au, 40.3 g/t Ag, 0.287% Cu, 6.63% Pb); intense potassic and magnetic anomalies; epidote-chlorite and muscovite alteration on footwall of Luning-Fencemaker Thrust | Shallow-to-distal polymetallic / epithermal system related to an underlying intrusive-hydrothermal centre | Detailed prospecting, mapping and systematic rock-chip sampling over the NE soil cluster and known veins |
| Ophir | Epidote-chlorite alteration, iron-oxide footprint, favourable limestone, mapped quartz monzonite and supporting geochemistry | Near-surface, higher-temperature target close to an interpreted hydrothermal centre | Detailed prospecting, mapping and systematic rock-chip sampling |
| Levant | Intense gossan, limestone ridge, magnetic high, Fe/Al response, arsenic and yttrium anomalism | Potential leakage anomaly developed along a structure above a deeper magmatic source | Structural mapping and trace-element sampling |
| Malabar / Serica | Alteration responses above strong magnetic highs along the interpreted Gunmetal trend and central magnetic-high trend | Potential leakage anomalies above concealed intrusive-hydrothermal systems | First-pass prospecting, mapping and sampling |
Soil programme objectives — what was resolved
The programme was designed around four specific objectives. Here is where each one stands:
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Delineate the geochemical footprint across the Luning-Fencemaker Thrust — Completed. Two pathfinder clusters of elevated Pb–Ag–Sb–Bi have been defined at target scale above the thrust.
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Delineate the skarn horizons adjacent to the quartz monzonite intrusion — Not resolved. Further mapping and rock chips at Ophir are required.
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Identify multi-element vectors and zoning — Partially resolved. The north-east cluster is polymetallic (Pb–Ag–Bi–Cu–Zn–W), consistent with the Sheba vein/breccia style and a potential hydrothermal source. The north-west cluster displays a more distal As–Sb–W association.
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Build a coherent property-scale geological and targeting model — In progress. Soil data has now been compiled alongside previously announced rock chips, airborne magnetics, radiometric data, and AVIRIS alteration data, forming the basis for the next mapping and sampling campaign.
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Chairman’s view — confidence to move to the next phase
Gernot Abl, Non-Executive Chairman
“The 204-sample soil grid over Ophir and Sheba is now assayed. Gold and tungsten values in soil are subdued, which is what we would expect from a first-pass grid over a structurally controlled, partly covered system. What matters is the clustering. A coherent north-east multi-element response in lead, silver, bismuth, copper and zinc, and a second north-west response in tungsten, antimony and arsenic, both sit above the Luning-Fencemaker and represent potential leakage from a buried hydrothermal source. Results from these clusters closely resemble the Sheba rock chips we reported in August and with the magnetic and alteration architecture we already mapped. This gives us confidence to move to detailed mapping and systematic rock-chip sampling at Sheba and Ophir.”
The next phase of work will prioritise detailed prospecting, geological mapping and systematic rock-chip sampling at the Sheba copper-gold target, with parallel prospecting and sampling at the Ophir tungsten target running concurrently. Structural mapping and trace-element geochemical sampling will also be conducted at Levant, Malabar and Serica to identify fluid conduits and vector toward potential deeper mineralisation.
For investors, this transition matters. Nelson is moving from geochemical targeting to on-ground geological confirmation, a logical progression that, if successful, sets up drill targeting. Each completed step systematically reduces the uncertainty attached to these targets, without yet making the leap to resource definition.
Nelson’s Orleans Mine drilling in Nevada, which intersected 113.5 g/t gold and extended mineralisation to a second underground level, illustrates the company’s pattern of systematic step-through from surface sampling to drill confirmation, the same progression now being initiated at Cinnamon.
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