Rumble Resources identifies high-grade tungsten in historical samples from Western Queen gold project
Rumble Resources (ASX: RTR) has reported a series of high-grade tungsten assays from the sampling of historical drill core at its Western Queen gold project in Western Australia.
The company has sampled 78 diamond holes drilled by previous owners for a total of 7,823 metres, with assays from the first three holes returning a wide intercept of 11m at 0.93% tungsten trioxide and 4.19 grams per tonne gold from 169m, including 1m at 2.49% tungsten trioxide and 0.41g/t gold from 172m.
Rumble has also observed visible scheelite of varying concentrations and thicknesses in all historical diamond holes checked to date under ultraviolet light.
Systematic review
Other sampled highlights were 4.05m at 4.58% tungsten trioxide and 0.72g/t gold from 174.85m including 2.05m at 8.71% tungsten trioxide and 1.38g/t gold from 176.85m, as well as 12m at 0.56% tungsten trioxide and 0.46g/t gold from 69m including 2m at 2.48% tungsten trioxide and 0.12g/t gold from 70m.
Rumble is now systematically reviewing every historical hole using pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence) analysis and sampling anomalous intervals containing scheelite.
The company has sent samples to a laboratory for tungsten (fusion XRF) analysis to build on “very scarce” historical data.
Metallurgical testing
Preliminary metallurgical testing on a 500-kilogram sample of high-grade scheelite-bearing material collected from mining bunds and waste dumps at the Western Queen South target is also underway.
Rumble is conducting the work alongside a Phase 2 diamond and reverse circulation drilling program at Western Queen targeting extensions to existing gold and tungsten mineralisation.
The company will review the spatial data density of all tungsten assays with a view to calculating a maiden mineral resource estimate for the project’s tungsten mineralisation, which remains open in all directions.
Primary target area
Rumble managing director Peter Harold said tungsten was emerging as a primary target area at Western Queen.
“The discovery of high-grade tungsten has been an added bonus [to the gold mineralisation] and we look forward to eventually combining all the assays from the historical core with gold and tungsten assays from Phase 2 drilling,” he said.
“Comparing the significant tungsten intersections returned to date at Western Queen with worldwide tungsten resources for operating mines and development projects suggests that Western Queen may contain a significant tungsten resource.”