[ Note - here is only Part 1 of an abstract relating to 2 separately indexed parts ]. The subject two areas covering the northern outcropping Peake and Denison Ranges basement inliers were taken up by Pancontinental Mining to test for possible economic occurrences of lead-zinc and copper-gold mineralisation (broadly matching Mount Isa Block, Eastern Succession styles) within the Mesoproterozoic basement sequence, and for any economic gold occurrences related to the Cambrian monzonitic intrusive rocks. They had been applied for on the basis of inferred likely age correlations between basement sequences in the Peake and Denison Inliers and the Mount Isa Inlier. A proposed 600 km strike slip fault offset of these originally contiguous inliers supported the correlations. The structural setting of these two licence areas along the G2 lineament corridor was also a major factor in gauging their prospectivity. In March 1994 University of Queensland, Department of Earth Sciences postgraduate student Derek Hopper commenced a PhD study relevant to EL 1844, entitled 'The Mid to Late Proterozoic Peake and Denison Block, South Australia: crustal evolution, geotectonic comparisons with the Mount Isa Block, and metallogenic implications". Pancontinental Mining agreed to support this study with funding of up to $30,000 to assist with travel logistics and field work plus sample analytical expenses. To attempt to identify possible correlations or differences with stratigraphic sequences and intrusive events of economic importance in the Mount Isa Block, Pancontinental Mining separately commissioned a series of SHRIMP uranium/lead zircon age determinations to be made by Mark Fanning at the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University. Two of the dated samples, consisting of aplite and granite respectively, came from Lagoon Hill Inlier on EL 1925, and the other four samples came from the adjoining EL 1844. The dating results that were obtained at ANU for the Lagoon Hill zircons are the first reported indications of an intrusive event occurring at around 1530 Ma, known for the Peake and Denison Ranges region. This figure is also the approximate age of the Williams - Naraku - Wimberu granite suite in the Cloncurry Terrain of the Mount Isa Block. The Williams Granite - a highly fractionated, heterogeneous, I-type intrusive - is commonly regarded as the source of the widespread hydrothermal activity responsible for forming the many significant copper-gold deposits in the Eastern Succession. Open file aeromagnetic data from three past surveys carried out by BHP and CRA were obtained and re-processed to form a single 24,000 line km dataset covering both licence areas. These surveys had been flown at 300 m line spacing along north-south lines. The dataset was interpreted in late 1993 by Pancontinental and its consultant geophysicist, before a year's hiatus in exploration activity occurred, arising from the takeover of Pancontinental Mining by Goldfields Ltd and the subsequent loss of key personnel. When Renison Gold took control, and after it had performed a review of all available regional geological and geophysical information, aiming to identify Cu-Au prospects with the potential to contain > 100 Mt of 3 g/t Au equivalent, immediate follow-up of the apparent copper-gold mineralisation potential of the intense magnetic anomaly located near Davenport Creek was undertaken by the licensees, utilising grid-based detailed ground magnetic surveying, magnetic source body shape and depth modelling, and the re-logging and selective petrological examination of stored drill core from Dampier Mining's hole WLE2 that was drilled in 1979 on the southern flank of the anomaly. This work showed a magnetite-dominant (~70%) source that, coupled with the altered and breccia-veined nature of the cores seen, suggested the need for RC precollared diamond drilling of a vertical hole to about 500 m depth to test this source. During August 1995 vertical hole DCDH001 was drilled to a total depth of 404.4 m, and it encountered a significantly copper-mineralised zone within the cored Peake Metamorphics, yielding 3 m @ 2.75% Cu from 330 m depth. Immediately beforehand, another three inclined diamond drillholes totalling 540.3 m had been completed during June-July 1995 at the Kingston North prospect. These tests were directed at two areas of historically worked copper mineralisation, which Renison Gold had recently found to have substantial rock chip copper anomalies in outcropping haematitic breccia, plus locally aanomalous ground magnetic responses suggesting ~ 10% magnetite in their sources. Here the diamond drilling results proved disappointing, with hole KNDH001 giving the best mineralised intercept of 6 m @ 0.31% Cu from 104 m depth, besides 1 m @ 0.29 g/t Au from 110 m depth. A cataclastic breccia, representing the major regional faulted unconformable contact between the Palaeoproterozoic basement and the Adelaidean inlier, was intersected at 110.4 m depth, more shallowly than expected. Downhole EM geophysical logging using the Crone three-component system was next carried out in all four of the completed open drillholes. No strong proximal or off-hole conductors were detected at the Kingston North prospect; however, the result from the Davenport Creek prospect hole was more uncertain, due to a blockage at 330 m depth preventing logging below it down to the hole's TD. Nevertheless, from the EM log data recorded just above that limiting point the contractor observed a positive signal trend in the z component late-time record, which arguably suggested that the probe had been heading towards a natural conductor of some kind. During April 1996 the licensees flew a detailed aeromagnetic/radiometric survey across parts of both licences (comprising 4800 line km at 100 m flight line spacing and 60 m sensor height) over the Spring Hill area of concealed shallow basement on the eastern side of the Margaret Inlier, which forms part of the West Lake Eyre Magnetic Complex. The intent was to enhance scant geological knowledge about buried fault and fold structural controls coinciding with magnetic signatures, and thereby assist with target generation. An initial interpretation of the new airborne geophysical data gave rise to 23 magnetic targets, some being multi-peaked and ridge-like, and others being of bullseye type. Nine diamond drillholes totalling 1550.5 m (involving 711 m of rotary mud precollaring plus 839.5 m of NQ diamond coring) were completed on various styles of magnetic target within the West Lake Eyre Magnetic Complex during mid June to mid August 1996. Proterozoic basement was encountered at depths of up to 149 m, and consists of differing age amphibolites, felsic volcanics, gneiss, and magnetic granitoids containing minor haematitic 'ironstones'. Alteration consisting of varying degrees of magnetite, haematite replacing feldspar, and silicification, is present, and later epidote/actinolite alteration and quartz-carbonate, quartz-epidote veining occur. Minor pyrite-chalcopyrite-bornite is associated with later veining. The core sample assay results were disappointing, the best mineralised intercepts obtained being 1 m @ 0.17% Cu from 155 m depth in hole SHDH002, and 1 m @ 0.18% Cu from 64 m depth in hole SHDH009. The target magnetic anomalies were explained by the varying magnetite content of the rocks cored. Downhole EM logging was again performed in six of the drillholes during late October 1996, but only hole SHDH001 produced a moderate conductive response over the depth interval 160-180 m, coinciding with a granite that contains trace amounts of chalcopyrite. A petrographic study performed on selected Spring Hill prospect drillhole samples indicated that at least two periods of sodic alteration have affected the Proterozoic basement rocks. Albitised metasediments from the first alteration period are now clearly recrystallised, denoting a pre- or syn-metamorphic origin, whereas products of the second albitisation period post-date the high grade metamorphic event. Potassium-argon radiometric dating by Mark Fanning of three samples of biotite selvedge alteration products associated with the mineralisation found in drillcore from Davenport prospect DCDH001 suggested an age of about 470-480 Ma (Delamerian Orogeny) for the magnetite-rich host breccias, the first indication of a mineralising event of this age found in the project area. When this information was considered by RGC in conjunction with the data obtained from drilling at the Kingston North prospect, it was apparent that late movement along this structure's north-west trending, steeply dipping fault, which separates downthrown Adelaidean sediments to the east from older Peake Metamorphics to the west, may have contributed to the formation of weak copper mineralisation there. Consequently, RGC believed that it would be useful to target other such 'late' structures which have associated anomalously high magnetic characteristics. After the completion of the Spring Hill drilling programme, Renison Gold re-interpreted the 1992 detailed gravity data acquired by CRA Exploration in this area, and uncovered gravity evidence of many structural trends and faults, mostly associated with granite intrusions, which are much more numerous in the subsurface than had been suspected prior to drilling. The granitic rocks have highly variable magnetic petrophysical properties, rendering the initial magnetic interpretation inaccurate. One sample taken from the core of Davenport Creek DCDH001 was sent to the CSIRO Div. of Exploration & Mining for measurement of its unusual magnetic characteristics. It was found to have a high magnetic susceptibility (7.99), intense magnetic remanence (0.896) of a moderate negative (i.e upward) inclination, a Koenisberger ratio substantially greater than unity, and high magnetic anisotropy. A geological reconnaissance was undertaken during the third quarter of 1996 in geochemically anomalous areas which the licensees felt had not been adequately followed up by earlier active companies, but the results were disappointing. A total of 71 rock chip, 61 soil and 86 stream sediment samples were taken. A 10 ppm Au rock chip result reported by SADME in the Douglas Well Bore area was investigated, and a zone of quartz-veined, haematite altered volcanics containing malachite and traces of arsenopyrite was identified over a 500 m x 150 m area. Here a minus 2 mm BCL stream sediment sample returned 4.46 ppb Au. An adjacent rock chip assayed 2.94% Cu and 0.144 ppm Au. However, soil sampling over the anomalous rock chip location did not give any encouragement. It is believed that the mineralisation is possibly due to small scale metamorphic sweats within the Cadlareena Volcanics. Rock chips and streambed float samples taken from watercourses draining the Ordovician Bungadillina Monzonite returned weaky anomalous silver (0.5-1.0 ppm Ag) and manganese (2800-5800 ppm Mn) from quartz-carbonate-magnetite-haematite veins. The outcrops sampled show cross-cutting relationships with late Adelaidean sediments, which is thought to relate to nearby Ordovician faulting. Rock chip samples taken from old copper workings in the Peake Siding and Peake Overland Telegraph Station Ruins areas were found to contain up to 2.79% Cu and 0.076 ppm Au. The mineralisation generally consists of narrow quartz-haematite-carbonate-malachite-chalcocite stringers within silicified mafic rock.