Guardian Metal identifies 'substantial' tailings footprint at Tempiute
By Josh White
Date: Wednesday 13 May 2026
(Sharecast News) - Guardian Metal Resources said on Wednesday that it had identified a substantial historical tailings footprint at its Tempiute Tungsten Project in Nevada, adding a potential near-term tungsten recovery opportunity alongside its broader US supply chain strategy.
The AIM-traded company said detailed mapping and sampling had determined that tungsten-enriched tailings from historical production at Tempiute covered about 550 acres, or 2.23 square kilometres.
Tempiute, formerly known as the Emerson Tungsten Mine, was discovered in 1916 and last operated in the 1980s.
Following the work, Guardian Metal said it had staked 193 claims, increasing its overall Tempiute footprint by more than 375% to secure what it believes is the full extent of the tailings area.
An auger drilling programme is planned to start in June, subject to receipt of required permits, and is expected to take about three months.
The programme would be used to characterise the tailings and surrounding soils for environmental evaluation, while estimating the volume and grade of tungsten and base and precious-metal bearing material present.
Guardian Metal said the combination of modern recovery methods and elevated tungsten prices made the tailings an increasingly compelling opportunity for near-term domestic tungsten supply in the US, while also offering a potential reclamation benefit.
It said previously milled material at surface and existing site infrastructure meant the cost and development timeline of any reprocessing operation could compare favourably with a conventional tungsten mining project, subject to confirmation of sufficient tonnage and grade.
Chief executive officer Oliver Friesen said Tempiute had "a long and well-documented tungsten production history" and that the historical tailings represented "a unique opportunity warranting further investigation".
"Our initial assessment has confirmed the presence of tungsten across a substantial surface footprint," he said.
"As a result we are advancing towards an auger drilling program which will help us better understand the characteristics of the material subsurface."
Friesen added that the work was timely given tungsten's status as a critical defence metal and the US government's focus on domestic supply.
Guardian Metal said it had submitted a notice to the Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection for the proposed auger drilling programme.
At the same time, the company said an independent metallurgical study would be completed to determine the most effective method of recovering tungsten and other metals from the tailings, with results expected in the coming months.
The study would also assess the geochemistry of the tailings after tungsten recovery to inform the final reclamation design.
At 1245 BST, shares in Guardian Metal Resources were up 3.09% at 208.25p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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