Junior explorer Emu NL has received a double shot of good news with elevated tungsten values occurring in tandem with gold mineralisation in a recent drill campaign at its Monte Cristo prospect at the company’s flagship Badja gold project near Yalgoo in WA. Significant tungsten values intersected include 12 metres grading 0.12 per cent tungsten from 58m containing an internal metre going a whopping 0.64 per cent tungsten.
Other notable tungsten intercepts in recent drilling comprise a 6m hit grading 0.18 per cent tungsten from 58m downhole and 4m at 0.14 per cent tungsten from 28m.
The assay technique used on the drill samples incorporated multi-element ‘pathfinder’ testing that Emu believes has significantly under reported the tungsten grades. Multi-element analysis is a less specific, catch-all assay used as an early pathfinder method to test an array of different elements and generally returns inaccurate values.
A tungsten specific element analysis is now underway to determine the actual grades intercepted in recent drilling.
Importantly, results account for only 3 of the 27 RC drill holes recently plunged into the tenure with all three holes returning highly elevated tungsten assays associated with gold mineralisation.
The grades compare favourably with the mineral resource grades of the nearby Mt Mulgine tungsten and molybdenum project owned by Tungsten Mining NL, just 85 kilometres south of the Badja gold project. Mt Mulgine boasts a 207 million tonne resource base at 0.11 per cent tungsten making it the largest inferred tungsten resource in Australia.
Emu says the recent results confirm Monte Cristo is both a prospective gold and tungsten target.
The major use for tungsten is in cemented carbides, also called hard metals, that have a hardness approaching that of diamond making it ideal for use in cutting applications and in wear-resistant materials. Tungsten carbides are primarily used in the metalworking, mining, oil drilling and construction industries. Tungsten and its alloys are also found in electrodes, light bulb filaments, wires, welding and as components in electrical, heating and the aeronautical industry.
A comprehensive set of soil sampling assay results including tungsten remain pending from Monte Cristo.
Monte Cristo racked up some impressive gold hits in recent drilling including 3m grading 13.35g/t gold from 67m downhole, 3m going 8.84g/t gold from 35m and 6m at 6.51g/t from 120m amongst a myriad of others.
EMU's Chairman, Peter Thomas said:
“This is a very exciting development for EMU. Tungsten is both a strategic and ‘conflict’ mineral which is growing in importance around the globe due to looming supply risk and its inability to be substituted. We eagerly await assay results from tungsten element specific testing which are likely to be significantly higher than those reported. Monte Cristo is already a high-grade gold prospect and the addition of tungsten gives us optimism for further upside from this prospect.”
With the addition of high-grade tungsten contributing further value to the company’s impressive array of gold hits at Monte Carlo, Emu will no doubt be eagerly awaiting the remaining multi-element results. It could be off to races for the junior explorer if it can even come close to emulating the numbers from its neighbour at the nearby Mt Mulgine tungsten project.
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