Samso News: Viking Mines Limited — Historical Data Acquisition Accelerates Linka Project Readiness - Advancing Tungsten Project Confidence.
- Noel Ong
- 5 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Announcement
Viking Acquires Extensive Historical Data for Linka Project – 22 January 2026 (view the announcement)
The tungsten show has begun, and you are now going to start seeing a lot of companies showcasing tungsten as the metal to look for, and they are not wrong. However, I will caution that not all tungsten projects are made the same. Tungsten projects are notoriously hard to develop into an economical deposit. With this in mind, the market hype will be even greater, and if the general public fully understands the reality of a supply crunch on the actual tungsten metal, the market hype will be even greater.
It is at this point that potential investors will either ride the hysteria or take caution and position in a good, solid project.
Viking Mines Limited – Building Geological Clarity at the Linka Tungsten Project, Nevada (USA)
Viking Mines Ltd (ASX: VKA) has completed the acquisition of an extensive historical technical dataset covering its Linka Project in Nevada, USA (Figure 1). The dataset provides a high-resolution technical framework that supports faster geological understanding, early targeting, and validation drilling aimed at future JORC compliance.
Figure 1: Example of historical outcrop geology map showing drillhole locations and cross sections (source: VKA).
Samso’s coverage of Viking Mines reflects a focus on execution and technical progression rather than short-term news flow. This update is relevant as it builds geological confidence and improves time efficiency by using existing data instead of surface-led exploration. The acquisition of historical datasets supports faster project evaluation while controlling capital use.
Highlights – Converting Historical Knowledge into Immediate Technical Leverage
Viking has acquired a comprehensive historical dataset representing approximately 2,816 metres of drilling across 68 drillholes, including 8 diamond and 60 percussion holes, covering the Linka, Hillside, and Conquest targets.
The dataset was acquired for US$35,000 (~A$50,000), with the Company estimating a replacement cost in excess of A$1.0 million at current market rates.
High-quality scans of late-1970s cross sections and geological maps identify known high-grade zones and underground workings, reducing the need to re-establish historical mineralisation (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Zoomed section of outcrop geology map illustrating detailed drillhole locations, cross sections, and mapped geology (source: VKA).
The information enables rapid 3D geological modelling, providing a technical shortcut that could save months of fieldwork and reduce exploration capital requirements.
The dataset supports the immediate planning of validation (“twin-hole”) drilling, a key step toward bringing historical results up to modern JORC standards.
Leadership Commentary
Viking Mines MD & CEO Julian Woodcock commented:
“Sourcing this extensive dataset substantially shortcuts the time required to advance the Linka Project, reduces the capital outlay required and reduces the exploration risk. “We are extremely fortunate to have been able to source this information and have commenced with converting the information into digital format to bring into 3D geological modelling software.
“Upon completion of the airborne survey at the Project we will have the necessary ground features to accurately georeference the historical maps and sections to allow us to extract the drillhole collar information and build a drillhole database.
“I look forward to interrogating the data and releasing to market as we complete the digitisation process.”
Near-term Milestones to Watch
Completion of georeferencing using high-resolution airborne survey data currently being collected.
Digitisation of historical drill logs, maps, and sections into a 3D geological environment.
Finalisation of drill targeting to support a Notice of Intent (NOI) submission to U.S. Federal agencies.
Release of digitised data in three tranches, covering Linka first, followed by Hillside and Conquest.
Samso Concluding Comments
From a project perspective, the Linka dataset provides Viking with a rare level of historical detail that is often unavailable at early exploration stages. The ability to reference mapped geology, underground workings, and historical drilling allows for more informed targeting.
The stated plan to validate historical results through twin-hole drilling aligns with accepted industry practice. This approach prioritises data quality and regulatory alignment rather than speculative expansion.
The emphasis on 3D geological modelling suggests the Company is positioning Linka for structured advancement rather than incremental exploration. This is a step that often precedes more capital-intensive programs.
As always, the value of this update will be measured by execution. Investors will be watching how quickly Viking converts this historical advantage into validated, modern datasets.
Market Implication - The Investor Lens
In the current state of the ASX market or any equity markets, if you are not a gold producer, you are missing out on probably one of the greatest bull runs that has come from a commodity. As we write this blog, gold is testing USD $5,000 per ounce. So if you don't have the first prize, one has to look for at least a second prize, and that is looking like tungsten at the moment. In that regard, Viking Mines Limited, venturing into the tungsten sector, has the right commodity in terms of engaging with the broader market, and the historical data will help them establish a beachfront.
Figure 3: Viking Mines share price chart as of 23rd January 2026. (source: CommSec).
The market capitalisation of Viking is presently AUD $16.99M, and looking at Figure 3, there has not been too much hype. Whether this is a good or bad sign is anybody's guess at the moment. When you make commentary from the outside of the "purple circle" or "inner management", it is always hard to know, as in a market that is well known for purposeful mixed messages. If we take the information on face value, I think the lack of response from the market now would be a good sign to think about taking a position for potential uplift that may come.
I, for one, will be very keen to see the dataset as it will give a good indication of the potential of the project. So keep an eye on this company as they make releases in the coming months.
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