American West Metals (ASX:AW1) reports sampling of historical drill core has returned peak values of 1,065 grams per tonne silver, 155g/t indium, and 40.4g/t gallium at its West Desert Project in Utah.
The sampling program included 1,155 samples from 18 drill holes from previous drill programs, with the company targeting unsampled intervals within and around the West Desert Deposit.
“We confirmed very high-grade indium, gallium, silver, and base metal mineralisation,” Managing Director Dave O’Neill says.
“We have also identified significant opportunities to enhance and expand the current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) through … unsampled intervals and improved data coverage.”
The sampling has returned maximum values of 9.54% zinc, 2.34% copper, and 9.91% lead alongside the critical metals grades.
The West Desert Deposit hosts a JORC 2012 indicated and inferred MRE of 33.7 million tonnes at 3.83% zinc, 0.15% copper, and 9.0g/t silver, which includes the largest undeveloped indium resource in the US.
American West has secured a second diamond drill rig to accelerate testing of resource expansion and exploration targets, with the company fully funded to complete the proposed expanded program.
“These first results for 2026 come at a time when our current drilling program is gaining momentum, with multiple high-priority targets being tested and further geophysical work planned to accelerate discovery along the mineralised corridor,” O’Neill says.
American West Metals expects assays for drill hole WD26-01 over the next week, with assays from the second drill hole expected in the next three to five weeks.
Write to JC Villarba at Mining.com.au
Images: American West Metals
