Great Western Mining Corporation PLC announced three tungsten targets over both newly staked and existing claims in Mineral County, Nevada. Introduction: In the light of recent political developments which emphasise the need for new domestic tungsten resources in the United States, Great Western has undertaken a review of the tungsten prospectivity on and adjoining its existing claims, with positive results. Tungsten is included on the list of critical minerals as determined by the US Department of the Interior, while copper is identified as a critical material for energy by the US Department of Energy.
Two separate former tungsten workings historically known as Pine Crow and Defender, sit close to the northern edge of Great Western's Black Mountain claims. In recent days the Company has staked and registered six new claims which cover both Pine Crow and Defender. Separately, a 600 m long east-west tungsten-in-soils anomaly is evident in the southern part of the Company's Jack Springs claim group, approximately 9 km to the southwest of the workings described above. This anomaly is parallel to and overlies a linear magnetic high. Pine Crow and Defender The Pine Crow and Defender mines include surface workings on mineralised features, each having around five (5) acres of dozer scrapes and small pits focused on veins and altered outcrops.
These features were selectively grab sampled during reconnaissance work undertaken by the Company in 2018. Highlights are as follows: Pine Crow, three samples from mine dumps - 2,590, 2,430 and 1,520 ppm tungsten. Defender, two samples from outcropping veins and altered host rock - 1,600 and 850 ppm tungsten.
A sample from the trend between the two workings, on existing GWM claims identified altered host rock - 210 ppm tungsten. The samples from Pine Crow are also enriched in molybdenum, with values of 700, 690 and 590 ppm. Jack Springs Tungsten: Existing reconnaissance soil sampling over the northern parts of the Jack Springs claim group shows a 600 m long (east-west) and 100-150 m wide (north-south) zone of samples anomalous for tungsten.
The anomaly occurs on six adjacent soils lines (line spacing 100 m, sample spacing 50 m) collected during 2012 and consists of between one and three samples above 70 ppm tungsten on each line. The maximum value detected was 96.3 ppm tungsten. The soil anomaly correlates with a roughly linear east-west trending magnetic anomaly which was detected on GWM's drone magnetometry carried out in early 2021.
The juxtaposition of elevated tungsten with a magnetic anomaly is suggestive of a skarn setting. As the tungsten-in-soils anomaly is obscured to the east by tertiary volcanic cover, there is potential to extend the area of exploration. Next Steps: Further soil sampling and field mapping is planned at both areas of tungsten prospectivity.
If the results of this work are positive, geophysical surveys will be designed to develop drill targets.
