Rumble Resources Limited announced the return of significant high-grade tungsten assays from pulp samples of Reverse Circulation (RC) and Diamond drilling completed by the Company in 2021. The tungsten assays received to date define a 1,300m long strike of significant mineralisation and highlight the tungsten mineral resource potential at Western Queen. Tungsten (W) laboratory assays have been received for pulp samples of previous RC and diamond drilling completed by the Company in 2021 as part of the Western Queen gold resource drill program.
Importantly, 64 of the original 87 RC and diamond holes drilled by the Company at Western Queen with anomalous pXRF samples grading greater than 500ppm W have returned significant tungsten intervals grading greater than 0.1% WO3. Tungsten mineralisation has now been intersected over a continuous strike length of 1,300m, with mineralisation open in all directions. The improved spatial data coverage of tungsten assays at Western Queen has highlighted both the resource potential and zones of higher grade tungsten mineralisation that represent immediate follow up drill targets.
Significant intersections from the recently received pulp assays include 3m @ 0.52% WO3 from 86m in WQRC118, with a high-grade zone of 1m @ 1.24% WO3 from 86m, 2m @ 0.51% WO3 and 0.44g/t Au from 68m in WQRC028, 3m @ 0.42% WO3 from 146m and 6m @ 0.24% WO3 and 3.85g/t Au from 259m in WQRC179, with a higher grade zone of 2m @ 0.40% WO3 and 9.09g/t Au from 259m, 4m @ 0.25% WO3 from 85m in WQRC060, with a higher grade zone of 1m @ 0.53% WO3 from 88m and 5m @ 0.24% WO3 and 0.21g/t Au from 12m in WQRC078, with a higher grade zone of 3m @ 0.33% WO3 and 0.12g/t Au from 13m. The significant assay intersections from pulp samples complement the previously reported tungsten mineralisation within drillhole WQDD013 which returned a spectacular intersection of 4.05m @ 4.58% WO3, 0.72 g/t Au from 174.85m including 2.05m @ 8.71% WO3, 1.38 g/t Au from 176.85m including 0.65m @ 18.35% WO3, 2.97 g/t Au from 176.85m and previously reported pulp assay intersections including 12m @ 0.56% WO3 and 0.46g/t Au from 69m in WQRC032, with a high- grade interval of 2m @ 2.48% WO3 and 0.12g/t Au from 70m and 3m @ 0.69% WO3 from 90m and 2m @ 1.55% WO3 from 159m in WQRC101. Geological investigations of the tungsten mineralisation at Western Queen are ongoing.
The tungsten mineralisation contains large aggregates of scheelite grains (up to 5mm) occurring parallel to the main foliation trend. The mineralisation is essentially multiple scheelite-pyroxene (tremolite)+/-gold endoskarn zones associated with the Western Queen Shear Zone (host to gold mineralisation) within dominant Archaean mafic amphibolite lithologies. Tungsten mineralisation occurs spatially proximal to gold mineralisation, while high-grade tungsten mineralisation does not always corelate with high-grade gold mineralisation.
The skarn development is interpreted to have been a later stage to the main gold event at Western Queen. Comparing the significant tungsten intersections returned to date at Western Queen with worldwide tungsten resources for both operating mines and development projects suggests that Western Queen may contain a significant tungsten resource. The worldwide resource grades of operating mines average between 0.20%-0.30% WO3, while the significant intersections returned at Western Queen including 4.05m @ 4.58% WO3, 12m @ 0.56% WO3 including 2m @ 2.48% WO3, 12m @ 0.34% WO3 including 7m @ 0.49% WO3, and the 1300m continuous strike of significant tungsten mineralisation now intercepted that a potential tungsten resource at Western Queen will likely be high- grade compared to worldwide projects.
The Company has access to the extensive historic core library of diamond holes drilled at Western Queen by previous operators. None of the historic diamond core has been previously pXRF analysed or assessed for economic tungsten mineralisation. The Company plans to re-log, pXRF analyse and sample anomalous tungsten intervals observed in historic core in early 2025.
The Company has commenced a major drilling program at Western Queen, consisting of up to 15,000m RC and 5,000m of diamond drilling. The key focus of the drill program is to target high-grade down plunge extensions to previously intercepted gold mineralisation along the main 2.7km project area within the granted mining leases, ML59/45 and ML59/208. The drilling will be directed primarily beneath the Western Queen South, Princess, Duke and Western Queen Central deposits.
It is anticipated that this drilling will form the basis for a Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) upgrade in 2025 following the recently announced MRE of 4.42Mt @ 2.02g/t Au for 286,600oz1, which represented a 76% increase in the total resources within the Western Queen Project. Importantly, the ongoing drill program has been designed to target both high-grade gold and the recently discovered tungsten mineralisation. The current drill program in conjunction with the pulp assays received to date and the historic diamond core which is to be sampled for tungsten in early 2025, should provide the Company the required data density to classify a tungsten resource.
It is anticipated that this will occur in conjunction with a future gold resource estimate upgrade during 2025. Company geologists have recently completed an inspection of the historic mine waste dumps and containment bunds with an ultraviolet light. A large number of scheelite containing boulders were identified that visually contain abundant, coarse grained scheelite.
Scheelite is extremely resistive to weathering and on that basis, the Company will collect between 500-1000kg of sample material containing coarse scheelite with the intention of completing a preliminary tungsten metallurgy program in early 2025.
