LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Great Western Mining reported high-grade assay results from its expanded tungsten claims in Nevada on Monday, significantly enhancing the potential of its Pine Crow and Defender prospects.
Recent grab samples from a reconnaissance programme recorded tungsten trioxide grades exceeding 1%, with the highest at 1.75%.

The AIM-traded firm said the results represented a marked improvement on the previous maximum of 0.33% tungsten trioxide, and confirmed a 1.2 kilometre mineralised trend between the two former mine sites.

Both Pine Crow and Defender were historic tungsten producers, now fully covered by Great Western's claims following an expansion in late 2024.

In light of the strong assay results, the company said it would accelerate its exploration programme, with plans to conduct mapping, soil sampling, geophysical surveys, and trenching.

The project area lay about 45 kilometres from Guardian Metal Resources' Pilot Mountain project, which held a JORC-compliant resource of 12.53 million tonnes at 0.27% tungsten trioxide.

Great Western said the update came as global tungsten prices reached 12-year highs, with ammonium paratungstate trading near $400 per metric tonne unit.

The surge followed Chinese export restrictions on critical minerals.

It said China dominates the global tungsten supply chain, accounting for 80% of production and 97% of processing, while the US had formally declared tungsten a critical mineral.

"It is still early days, but these initial results generated by our exploration team are extremely encouraging and a strong case can be made for establishing a single body of mineralisation joining Pine Crow and Defender across a 1.2 km tract," said chairman Brian Hall.

"Together with our Huntoon copper porphyry setting which we will be drilling this summer, Great Western is now working directly on two metals which are formally on the critical list.

"In the case of tungsten, we are only too aware that globally there are very few listed companies which offer investors exposure to this high priority defence and industrial metal, and we will be working towards launching a drill campaign."

At 1156 BST, shares in Great Western Mining Corporation were up 7.32% at 1.1p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

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