Viking Mines Restarts Nevada Drilling With 15 of 20 Tungsten Holes Still Awaiting Assays
Key Takeaways
- Viking's first five assayed holes returned up to 14m at 0.56% WO3, 18m at 0.42% and 13m at 0.46%, in line with Linka's historic recorded production grade of about 0.49% WO3.
- Only 5 of 20 RC holes have reported assays, with about 2,000m of drilling left to complete over roughly 2–3 weeks after the 15 October 2026 restart.
- Mineralisation extends above and below the historic workings, with estimated true widths up to 16m and higher-grade cores of 0.70% to 0.81% WO3.
- The SW Extension has confirmed the limestone–monzonite contact but no scheelite has been observed, and the Regional area remains largely untested.
- The US REEShore Act mandates Chinese-free tungsten in US military supply chains from December 2026, while Viking progresses metallurgical testwork and toll treatment options for a 900t bulk sample.
Drilling resumes at Linka Tungsten Project as 20 holes confirm maiden programme progress
Drill rigs are turning again in Nevada. Viking Mines advised that reverse circulation (RC) drilling recommenced at the Linka Tungsten Project on 15 October 2026, following the rig maintenance and crew break advised on 17 September 2026.
To date, 20 RC holes have been drilled: 14 at Linka (Main), 4 at SW Extension and 2 on Regional targets. Together they total approximately 1,146m, including one abandoned hole.
About 2,000m of drilling remains, and the company expects the remaining programme to take approximately 2–3 weeks. For investors, that means the maiden programme is moving again and further assay results are due.
Julian Woodcock, Managing Director & CEO
“…the results have shown mineralisation continuing both above and below the old workings.”
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What do the high-grade tungsten intercepts show?
Assays from holes LKRC0002 to LKRC0006 confirm high-grade tungsten mineralisation above and below the historic Linka (Main) workings. WO3 is tungsten trioxide, the measure used to report tungsten grade.
The standout intercepts were:
- 14m at 0.56% WO3 from 40m (LKRC0002; estimated true width ~9m)
- 18m at 0.42% WO3 from 62m (LKRC0005; estimated true width ~16m)
- 13m at 0.46% WO3 from 70m (LKRC0006; estimated true width ~11m)
Historic recorded production at Linka was approximately 0.49% WO3, and the company says the assays are consistent with that figure. In other words, the drilling is supporting the old records rather than overturning them.
Assays have been received for only 5 of the 20 holes, so most of the programme is yet to be reported. Samples awaiting assay include intervals with previously reported visible scheelite identified under shortwave UV light (254nm). The company cautions that “Visual observations do not establish tungsten grade and are not a substitute for laboratory assays.”
The first holes of the maiden programme had already reported visible scheelite under shortwave UV light, which is why the pending laboratory assays are the key test of whether those observations translate into grade.
| Hole ID | From (m) | Interval (m) | Estimated True Width (m) | WO3 % | Cut-Off Grade WO3 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LKRC0002 | **40** | **14** | **9** | **0.56** | 0.10 |
| including | **47** | **5** | – | **0.81** | 0.50 |
| LKRC0003 | **16** | **6** | **5** | **0.21** | 0.10 |
| LKRC0004 | **14** | **6** | **3** | **0.46** | 0.10 |
| LKRC0005 | **62** | **18** | **16** | **0.42** | 0.10 |
| including | **73** | **3** | **2.7** | **0.75** | 0.50 |
| LKRC0006 | **70** | **13** | **11** | **0.46** | 0.10 |
| including | **70** | **4** | **3.4** | **0.70** | 0.50 |
Intervals are downhole lengths, with estimated true widths as shown. The cut-off grade is the minimum grade used to define an interval: 0.10% WO3 for main intervals and 0.50% WO3 for the “including” intervals.
What is tungsten drilling testing at Linka?
Tungsten at Linka occurs as scheelite-bearing skarn developed in limestone along the contact with granitic intrusive rocks. Scheelite is the tungsten-bearing mineral, and skarn is rock altered where limestone meets an intrusion.
That limestone–monzonite contact matters because Woodcock described it as the area where there is potential for additional new discoveries, including at the SW Extension and Regional targets.
The strategic backdrop is also notable. Tungsten is designated a critical mineral, and the US REEShore Act mandates Chinese-free tungsten in US military supply chains from December 2026. The company says this positions the project to advance towards a near-term, domestically sourced restart.
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What are the programme objectives, remaining targets and next steps?
The maiden programme was designed around four objectives, and the status of each is:
- Validate historic records: Assays from LKRC0002 to LKRC0006 are consistent with historic recorded production of ~0.49% WO3.
- Test continuity: LKRC0002, LKRC0005 and LKRC0006 intersected mineralisation below and down dip of the historic stope and 150ft level, while LKRC0003 and LKRC0004 intersected shallow mineralisation in the crown pillar between the historic pit and the underground workings.
- SW Extension: Two holes intersected the limestone–monzonite contact, supporting the geological model, but no scheelite has been observed to date.
- Regional: LKRC0013 intersected limestone above the monzonite and beneath younger tuff cover. The second hole did not penetrate the cover, so that area remains untested.
Further drilling is planned across the regional 7km circumference of the interpreted monzonite/limestone contact to determine the bedrock geology for future targeting.
Assays for the remaining Linka (Main) holes are expected in October, with SW Extension and Regional results expected soon after. The company’s near-term workstreams are:
- Completion of the maiden RC programme across Linka (Main), the SW Extension and Regional targets.
- Reporting of assay results for the remaining holes as they are received and validated.
- Ongoing metallurgical testwork, including flotation optimisation on the gravity tails and a second round of ore sorting testwork with TOMRA.
- Identification of toll treatment options for the approved 900t bulk sample.
Project snapshot
In December 2025, Viking signed a binding term sheet to acquire a 100% interest in the project. The project comprises three historically producing tungsten mines, and those mines produced approximately 65,000 tonnes at 0.5% WO3 up to 1956, when operations ceased in response to the prevailing tungsten price rather than for geological reasons.
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