The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has granted approval for Viking Mines’ inaugural 63-hole drilling programme at the Linka Tungsten Project in Nevada.
This approval, which came ahead of the company’s internal schedule, ensures the project is fully permitted, allowing for planned mobilisation in the June quarter.
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The drilling campaign will cover three priority target areas.
It includes the south-west extension, where surface samples indicate up to 0.6% tungsten trioxide.
The programme will revisit historical high-grade intercepts such as 8.5m at 1% tungsten trioxide at the site, which ceased production in 1956 after producing approximately 65,000t at 0.5% tungsten trioxide.
With the BLM approval in place, the company plans to focus on finalising the selection of a drilling contractor, with evaluations nearing completion and an award expected soon.
Drill rig mobilisation is set to begin following the contract award.
The approved drilling plan details 63 holes distributed across 48 drill pads, with specific objectives.
The Linka Main project, involving 36 holes, aims to verify high-grade historical data.
The south-west extension will see 16 holes targeting potential mineralisation, while 11 holes are allocated for regional reconnaissance to assess geophysical data across the broader intrusive complex.
Viking Mines managing director and CEO Julian Woodcock said: “Receiving the BLM approval is yet another hurdle accomplished at Linka as we move towards the first known drilling at the project for over 40 years.
“With our maiden campaign now fully permitted for drilling, the regulatory pathway is behind us, and the focus shifts entirely to finalising our drilling contractor and getting drilling under way.”
