Great Western Mining Corporation (GWMO) has commenced drilling at its Defender Tungsten Project in Mineral County, Nevada, with the programme targeting a 600-1,000 metre mineralised corridor ahead of a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) expected by the end of 2026.
The Defender Tungsten Project comprises the historic Widowmaker, Pine Crow, Dough God and Defender tungsten mines, which sit along a more than 2 kilometre mineralised corridor. Great Western's exploration to date, including geophysics, geological mapping, trenching and surface sampling, has identified tungsten mineralisation across the project and established the basis for resource drilling.
Great Western CEO Ed Loye said: “It is great to see drilling now underway at Defender following a significant amount of preparatory work. From geophysics and geological mapping through to channel sampling and drill pad construction, a great deal of work has gone into reaching this stage and it is very satisfying to see it all come together.
“Lewis Harvey of Addison and I are both on site for the start of the programme, with Lewis overseeing the logging, sampling, data capture and quality control required for the maiden MRE. Having that oversight in place from the outset will help ensure an efficient transition from drilling through to resource estimation.”
Drilling commenced on 17 August and is designed to test the continuity and grade of tungsten mineralisation while generating the geological data required for the maiden MRE.
Meanwhile, Great Western is awaiting results from a 750 kilogram representative metallurgical bulk sample sent to Eriez in Pennsylvania for flotation test work. The results are expected in August.
The company remains fully funded for its 2026 exploration programme.
Loye added: “Investors can look forward to a busy period of news flow, with results from the bulk sample metallurgical programme expected in the coming weeks, followed by drill assays through September and October. Taken together, this work keeps us firmly on track to deliver a maiden MRE by the end of 2026.”
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The start of drilling marks an important step towards Great Western's first resource at Defender. With metallurgical results due shortly and drilling assays expected over the next two months, the project should provide a steady flow of catalysts ahead of the planned year-end MRE.