Viking Mines (ASX:VKA) has begun metallurgical testwork on samples grading up to 1.3% tungsten trioxide that were collected from the Linka Project in Nevada, US.
The company says it collected four ‘high grade’ samples from the project for metallurgical testing to assess several pathways to produce saleable scheelite concentrates.
Viking is assessing two pathways, using mobile crushing and processing equipment to produce coarse, lower grade scheelite concentrate without using a milling circuit in strategic option one, and using a traditional development pathway with grinding and flotation of mineralisation to maximise concentrate grade and recovery in strategic option two.
Metallurgical testing is one of the key steps to advance the Linka Project. Other priorities for the company include completing flowsheet optimisation, evaluating ore sorting, conducting geophysical and aerial surveys, conducting drilling and permitting campaigns, and a regional project assessment.
Managing Director Julian Woodcock says the 1.3% tungsten trioxide sample collected from Linka is “exceptional compared to global benchmarks”.
“We have designed this testwork program to assess opportunities to leverage these grades into early cash flow through low-cost processing, while also defining a base-case traditional flowsheet,” Woodcock says.
“With tungsten prices at record levels, our focus is on rapid advancement of our portfolio of tungsten projects in Nevada, US.”
The Shanghai Metal Market reports the spot price of tungsten ingots at an average of US$191 ($283) per kilogram as of 21 January 2026.
Viking Mines is a diversified explorer and developer, focused on tungsten, gold, and vanadium projects in the US and Australia.
Write to Maddison Elliott at Mining.com.au
Images: Viking Mines
