Diablo Resources Ltd. has confirmed high-grade tungsten mineralisation at the Cupric Prospect, adding depth to its broader Horn Project in Utah, US.
First-pass surface grab sampling at Cupric yielded tungsten trioxide grades of up to 0.37 per cent, with six samples assaying over 0.1 per cent tungsten trioxide.
Highlights from the surface sampling include 0.37 per cent tungsten trioxide, 0.22 per cent tungsten trioxide and an intercept of 0.17 per cent tungsten trioxide accompanied by 2.82 grams per tonne of gold.
Reconnaissance work also confirmed a robust copper-gold-silver association across the prospect. Surface channel sampling of mineralised outcrop returned 4.5 metres at 1.26 per cent copper and 0.46 g/t gold, alongside 2.6 metres at 1.56 per cent copper.
Select grab samples from historical workings returned exceptional grades of up to 12.5 per cent copper, 3.29 g/t gold, and 398 g/t silver.
The Cupric prospect features two underground adits originally constructed during World War II to meet wartime tungsten demand.
These historical workings provide safe, immediate underground access for technical teams to map and sample the mineralised skarn system using UV light technology, setting up targets ahead of a maiden drilling program scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Diablo CEO Lyle Thorne said the discovery adds a compelling dimension to the company’s emerging polymetallic portfolio in Utah. He noted that despite historic production, Cupric has seen little modern exploration, leaving the mineralised system largely untested.
“Tungsten is a designated U.S. critical mineral with constrained domestic supply, adding strategic significance to the project,” the CEO added.
“While our focus remains on systematically advancing the highest-priority targets across Horn, Cupric represents another highly attractive opportunity within what is increasingly emerging as a large-scale polymetallic critical minerals district.”
The results come as the US faces significant supply chain vulnerabilities for tungsten, importing over 50 to 60 per cent of its annual consumption, primarily from China. Demand for secure domestic sources has seen global tungsten prices surge over the past year, spiking to US$551 per MTU.
Diablo plans to integrate the Cupric data with ongoing exploration across its Horn Project, which hosts multiple high-grade silver, gold, copper, lead, and zinc targets.
