Western Star advances 17-hole drill program at Eagle Point
(TheNewswire)
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Results include 0.11% WO₃ over 13.1 feet, grab samples up to 0.55% WO₃ and scheelite-bearing skarn mapped along 2,600 feet of contact
Vancouver, British Columbia – TheNewswire - October 7th 2026 – Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) (the "Company" or "Western Star") is pleased to report the first modern assays from its Eagle Point Tungsten Project ("Eagle Point" or the "Property") in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, a property whose only recorded production was shipped during the Second World War. Fourteen of 23 surface samples returned more than 0.10% WO3, including grab samples of up to 0.55% WO3, from scheelite-bearing skarn that 2026 mapping has intermittently traced along approximately 2,600 feet of the limestone granite contact. A continuous 13.1-foot channel sample averaged 0.11% WO3, and the results will guide the Company's planned 17-hole, approximately 6,070-foot drill program.
Grab samples are selective by nature and may not be representative of mineralization on the Property. Readers are cautioned that the grab and stockpile sample results reported below are not indicative of the grade or width of mineralization.
Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star, stated, "These are encouraging first results from Eagle Point. We detected tungsten in every sample we collected, and the strongest results cluster in Trenches 4, 5 and 6 near the granite contact. That gives us clear targets for our 17-hole drill program, which we believe will be the first drilling at Eagle Point in more than 70 years. Tungsten supply has become a national-security priority for the United States and we believe domestic deposits like Eagle Point have an important role to play."
Key Highlights:
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Channel sampling: Channel CH1 returned 0.11% WO over 13.1 feet (estimated true width approximately 12.5 feet), including 0.18% WO over 3.3 feet.
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Grab samples up to 0.55% WO: Historical trench grabs returned up to 0.55% WO (Trench 5), 0.33% WO (Trench 4) and 0.28% WO (Trench 6); outcrop grabs returned up to 0.35% WO
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Consistent tungsten: 14 of 23 samples exceeded 0.10% WO, and 21 of 23 exceeded 100 ppm W.
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Mapped skarn: 2026 mapping has intermittently traced scheelite-bearing skarn along approximately 2,600 feet of the limestone–granite contact, with measured surface widths of 13 to 18 feet and steep dips averaging approximately 85 degrees.
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Scheelite confirmed: Shortwave ultraviolet examination confirmed blue-white fluorescent scheelite in the samples.
Twenty-three rock samples were collected from the principal Eagle Point skarn target during the August 19–28, 2026 field program: four continuous 3.3-foot channel intervals (Channel CH1), grab samples from the top and bottom of six historical trenches west of the historical adit (a single sample from Trench 3), outcrop grab samples, and two grab samples from historical stockpiles. Samples were analysed by lithium borate fusion ICP-MS (ALS method ME-MS85), a total digestion suitable for scheelite. WO3 is calculated from W (ppm) using a factor of 1.2611.
Table 1: Channel CH1 results (continuous 3.3-foot intervals)
|
Sample |
Interval (ft) |
W (ppm) |
WO3 (%) |
|
EP-CH1-A |
0.0–3.3 |
694 |
0.09 |
|
EP-CH1-B |
3.3–6.6 |
1,440 |
0.18 |
|
EP-CH1-C |
6.6–9.8 |
792 |
0.10 |
|
EP-CH1-D |
9.8–13.1 |
612 |
0.08 |
|
CH1 weighted average |
13.1 |
885 |
0.11 |
Channel intervals are reported as sampled lengths. The skarn at Channel CH1 has a measured width of 18.0 feet and dips approximately 84 degrees; the channel sampled 13.1 feet of that width. The estimated true width of the sampled interval is approximately 12.5 feet.
Table 2: Grab sample results (selective; not representative of grade or width)
|
Sample |
Sample type |
W (ppm) |
WO3 (%) |
|
EP-TRENCH5B |
Grab, historical trench |
4,360 |
0.55 |
|
EP-GRAB-002 |
Grab, outcrop |
2,770 |
0.35 |
|
EP-TRENCH4A |
Grab, historical trench |
2,610 |
0.33 |
|
EP-TRENCH6A |
Grab, historical trench |
2,200 |
0.28 |
|
EP-GRAB-001 |
Grab, outcrop |
1,840 |
0.23 |
|
EP-TRENCH6B |
Grab, historical trench |
1,540 |
0.19 |
|
EP-TRENCH5A |
Grab, historical trench |
1,340 |
0.17 |
|
EP-TRENCH3 |
Grab, historical trench |
1,290 |
0.16 |
|
EP-GRAB-003 |
Grab, outcrop |
1,260 |
0.16 |
|
PILE GRAB 001 |
Grab, historical stockpile |
1,225 |
0.15 |
Stockpile samples are not in situ, and their original source location cannot be confirmed.
Sample locations are shown in Figure 1. A table of sample coordinates (UTM NAD83, Zone 12N) is available on the Company's website at [URL].
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 1: August 2026 surface sample locations and WO3 results with mapped skarn, Eagle Point Tungsten Project. Grab and stockpile samples are selective and are not representative of the grade or width of mineralization.
Click Image To View Full Size
Figure 2: Annotated photograph of Channel CH1. The photograph was digitally annotated because the original chalk markings are not visible. Red lines mark the channel start and end, the blue line marks the sampling line, and green lines mark the boundaries of the four sample intervals, EP-CH1-A to EP-CH1-D from left to right.
Geological Context and Interpretation
Tungsten at Eagle Point occurs as scheelite in garnet–epidote–quartz skarn developed along the contact between the Horquilla Limestone and intrusive granite. Mapping during the 2026 program intermittently traced the skarn for approximately 2,600 feet along the mapped contact, with measured surface widths of 13 to 18 feet and steep dips averaging approximately 85 degrees. Samples collected to date cover approximately 1,680 feet of the mapped contact. Extensive talus cover obscures portions of the contact.
All samples were examined under shortwave ultraviolet light, confirming scheelite that fluoresces blue-white, which is generally characteristic of low-molybdenum scheelite. Historical reports describe molybdenum-bearing scheelite at Eagle Point. Molybdenum was not included in the analytical package and will be added in follow-up multi-element and whole-rock analysis.
The highest tungsten values were returned from Trenches 4, 5 and 6, which lie closest to the mapped granite contact. Tungsten correlates positively with niobium, tantalum and rubidium, which the Company interprets as possibly reflecting increasing tungsten toward the intrusive contact; this interpretation is preliminary and will be tested by drilling. All samples also returned elevated tin (72 to 344 ppm Sn); its mineralogy and recoverability are unknown, and tin is not considered a potential byproduct at this stage.
Western Star will integrate the 2026 results into its Leapfrog Geo model to finalize collar locations for the planned 17-hole, approximately 6,070-foot program of shallow, closely spaced holes testing the steeply dipping skarn contact beneath surface exposures and talus cover. Historical diamond-drill logs indicate that the host limestone overlies granite at a depth of approximately 200 to 300 feet (Moore, 1952; Dale and McKinney, 1959), and planned hole depths reflect this constraint. These historical drill data have not been verified by the Qualified Person.
The Company is advancing drilling logistics and permitting. No Mineral Resource has been established at Eagle Point.
Scheelite was discovered at Eagle Point in 1940, and the Property was examined repeatedly by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and U.S. Geological Survey between 1942 and 1957. The only recorded historical production is approximately 650–665 short tons grading approximately 0.44% WO3, mined from an open cut and shipped in 1943–44 (Faick and MacKallor, 1951; Dale and McKinney, 1959). No work has been conducted on the Property since 1957.
These historical figures pre-date modern reporting standards, have not been verified by the Qualified Person, and are not a current Mineral Resource or Mineral Reserve. They are provided for historical context only and should not be relied upon or aggregated with the 2026 results.
In 1955, the U.S. Government drafted and signed a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration exploration contract (Idm-E783, Docket DMEA-3701), agreeing to fund 75% of a program of shaft sinking and diamond drilling on the Property. The contract was never executed, and the planned drilling was never carried out. The company considers this exceptionally promising and a starting point for the company’s maiden work programs.
The planned 17-hole, approximately 6,000-foot drill program is intended to test the continuity and geometry of the scheelite-bearing skarn and, if supported by drilling and assay results, provide data that could move Eagle Point to a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC)
Twenty-three samples were hand-delivered to ALS Geochemistry in Tucson, Arizona, an independent commercial laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025. Samples were prepared using ALS preparation code 31Y and analysed by method ME-MS85, a lithium borate fusion multi-element ICP-MS package. Results were reported on ALS certificate TU26316988, finalized September 25, 2026.
Sample security and chain-of-custody protocols were maintained throughout the program. Each sample was individually labelled and sealed within an outer zip-tied bag. Given the reconnaissance-scale nature of the program, no independent field standards, blanks or duplicates were inserted into the sample stream. The Company relied on ALS Geochemistry's internal QA/QC procedures, which the Qualified Person has reviewed. The Qualified Person verified the data disclosed in this news release by personally collecting the samples, hand-delivering them to ALS Geochemistry in Tucson, and reviewing the ALS certificate against the field sample inventory.
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jacob Anderson, CPG (#12160), MAusIMM (#3089445), an independent consultant to the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Anderson is independent of the Company.
Western Star Resources is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration and advancement of mineral properties, with a growing strategic emphasis on tungsten and critical minerals in the United States. The Company is advancing a portfolio of past-producing tungsten assets in Nevada and New Mexico while maintaining additional exploration exposure through its Western Star property in British Columbia.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Blake Morgan, Director, President and CEO
blake@acvc.vc
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Forward-looking information: Certain statements herein may constitute forward-looking information, including references to future work programs, drilling, permitting, additional analytical work and geological interpretation. Such statements are subject to risks associated with exploration, operations, contractor and equipment availability, permitting and geological interpretation. Forward-looking information is based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions, including that drilling contractors, equipment and permits will be available on acceptable terms and timelines, that the geological interpretations described herein are reasonable, and that additional analytical work will be completed as planned. Readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable securities laws.
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