Tungsten, a critical mineral essential for defense and industrial applications, has seen its supply chain security become a priority for the United States. Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) has taken a significant step toward establishing a domestic source with the release of first modern assay results from its Eagle Point Tungsten Project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. The results, announced on October 7, 2026, confirm high-grade tungsten mineralization at surface and provide clear targets for a planned 17-hole drill program.
Fourteen of 23 surface samples returned more than 0.10% WO3, including grab samples up to 0.55% WO3 from scheelite-bearing skarn. A continuous channel sample, CH1, averaged 0.11% WO3 over 13.1 feet, with an estimated true width of approximately 12.5 feet. The 2026 mapping traced the scheelite-bearing skarn intermittently along about 2,600 feet of the limestone-granite contact, with surface widths of 13 to 18 feet and steep dips averaging 85 degrees. These results are detailed in Table 1: Channel CH1 results (continuous 3.3-foot intervals) and Table 2: Grab sample results (selective; not representative of grade or width). The highest values clustered in Trenches 4, 5 and 6 near the granite contact, which the company interprets as possibly reflecting increasing tungsten toward the intrusive.
"These are encouraging first results from Eagle Point," said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star. "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."
The planned 17-hole, approximately 6,070-foot drill program will test the continuity and geometry of the steeply dipping skarn contact beneath surface exposures and talus cover. Historical diamond-drill logs indicate that the host limestone overlies granite at depths of approximately 200 to 300 feet, and planned hole depths reflect this constraint. The program is intended to provide data that could move Eagle Point toward a maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. An annotated photograph of Channel CH1 is available in 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.
The historical context adds to the project's significance. 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 production is approximately 650 to 665 short tons grading about 0.44% WO3, mined from an open cut and shipped in 1943-44. In 1955, the U.S. Government drafted a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration contract agreeing to fund 75% of a shaft sinking and diamond drilling program, but the contract was never executed. Western Star considers this a promising starting point for its maiden work programs.
All samples were analyzed by ALS Geochemistry in Tucson, Arizona, using lithium borate fusion ICP-MS, a total digestion suitable for scheelite. Shortwave ultraviolet examination confirmed blue-white fluorescent scheelite, generally characteristic of low-molybdenum scheelite. Tungsten correlated positively with niobium, tantalum and rubidium, which the company interprets as possibly reflecting increasing tungsten toward the intrusive contact. All samples also returned elevated tin, though its mineralogy and recoverability are unknown and it is not considered a potential byproduct at this stage.
The scientific and technical information was reviewed and approved by Jacob Anderson, CPG, an independent Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com. As the United States seeks to secure domestic supply of critical minerals, Western Star's progress at Eagle Point could contribute to reducing reliance on foreign tungsten sources.
