American West to relook at old drill core for US critical metals

American West Metals has launched a field program at its 100%-owned West Desert Project in Utah, USA, which will focus on resampling historical drill core and mine waste for indium and gallium to potentially expand its critical metals inventory. 

The initiative targets growth of the project’s JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate, which includes the US’s largest indium resource and a substantial 33.67Mt zinc-copper-silver deposit.

The resampling program, with assays due in 3–4 weeks, targets historical drill samples, only 35% of which were assayed for indium and only 5% of them for gallium at the time. 

Early results show significant potential, with intersections including 552m of gallium at up to 77.3g/t in one drill hole  and indium grades reaching 1055g/t. 

The program is also reviewing tailings from historical zinc-silver-lead mines, including the old Utah, Emma and Galena operations for the same critical metals, aligning with an initiative by the US Department of the Interior to unlock critical minerals from mine waste. 

West Desert’s geological similarity to Utah’s high-grade Apex gallium mine, a carbonate replacement deposit, suggests strong potential for gallium and germanium in its fault zones.

American West Metals’ managing director Dave O’Neill said: “We are excited to have boots on the ground again at our West Desert Project to initiate the first of a series of important work programs that could lead to unlocking the full extent of the critical minerals potential of the project. Past exploration at West Desert has mostly focused on zinc, copper and silver with only a small number of drill holes sampled for indium and gallium.”

Located on the company’s 100%-owned private land with exploration permits in place, West Desert hosts a JORC-compliant indicated and inferred mineral resource containing 33.67Mt at 3.83% zinc, 0.15% copper and 9.08 g/t silver, alongside other high-grade zones with up to 47.6% zinc, 14.4% copper, 12.43 g/t gold and 2974 g/t silver. 

The core West Desert deposit and much of the surrounding mineralised areas are located on 100%-owned patented mining claims (private land) held by the company. 

The level of ownership provides a streamlined pathway for exploration and potential development, as patented claims are fee-simple titles outright owned by the claimant, free of royalties or ongoing federal oversight beyond standard environmental regulations.

The untested copper-gold zone, with intercepts that include 17.22m at 1.04% copper, 0.58 g/t gold and 12.46g/t indium in one hole, is also a priority for future drilling to expand resources.

The company is also planning drilling this year to test a largely unexplored porphyry contact, which could be similar to other major Utah deposits such as the globally renowned Bingham Canyon. 

A $300,000 US Geological Survey grant aids indium studies and will assist with targeting. Recent meetings between American West management and Utah’s Governor underscore the project’s strategic importance, particularly now when indium is also facing Chinese export restrictions and when there is currently no US domestic production.

The West Desert project is located in a top-tier mining jurisdiction and its fast-tracked development pathway positions it as a key player in supplying indium and gallium, both of which are becoming increasingly critical for technology and defence applications.

American West’s innovative resampling push at West Desert aims to expand the potentially world-class indium and gallium resources at the project which is a neat way of doing it and a lot cheaper than getting the drill rig out again.

Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: matt.birney@businessnews.com.au