Exploration for possible economic buried iron oxide - associated copper-gold (IOCG) deposits in two areas located approximately 100 km south-east of Coober Pedy has sought to delineate and test a number of linear and elliptical geophysical anomalies which may represent IOCG mineralising systems. Regional prospectivity scoping assays undertaken on stored drill core samples from previous, 1977-drilled hole Warriner Creek 1 returned anomalous rare earth element concentrations (1600 ppm Ce, 650 ppm La), plus up to 1050 ppm Pb and 1.84% Ba, which when taken together, all constitute typical geochemical pathfinders to Olympic Dam style mineralising systems. Reprocessing and merging of aeromagnetic datasets was undertaken next, as well as field checking of certain aeromagnetic anomalies by ground magnetic traverses, and then the acquisition during June 2000 by contractor Fugro Geophysics of a regional and infill gravity survey across the licence (751 stations read at 2 km x 2 km grid spacing, closing to 400 m x 400 m over features of interest). Two main, semi-coincident magnetic/gravity anomalies were delineated in the northern half of the licence that warranted further investigation (the Warriner Creek and Mount Purvis anomalies). Both lie along a major northeast-southwest trending basement structure crossing the eastern side of the Mount Woods Inlier. The Warriner Creek residual gravity anomaly has a magnitude of about 3 mGal, and is associated with a 600 nT aeromagnetic anomaly. Gravity data models indicated a depth to top of source of about 600 m, while models of the aeromagnetic data showed that two bodies were contributing to the magnetic anomaly, one having a depth to its top of 600 m, and the smaller, less magnetic body having a depth to top of 520 m. The Mount Purvis residual gravity anomaly of 6 mGal is associated with a 200 nT aeromagnetic anomaly. Here gravity data models also indicated a depth to top of source of around 600 m, while modelling of the aeromagnetic data suggested that the probable depth to top of the magnetic source is about 700 m. It became evident late in 2002 that further infill gravity profiling would be necessary over each of these anomalies to confidently resolve depths to source and to allow more precise 3-D inversion modelling, so a semi-detailed survey of 101 gravity stations read at 500 m intervals along twelve north-south, 1 km spaced lines was acquired during March 2003. The resulting data was merged with existing gravity data, and a revised 3-D model for the Mount Purvis gravity anomaly then indicated a target depth of approximately 700 m to the top of the dense body. Based on this model, a 750 m deep exploratory drillhole was proposed for the prospect, to test the peak of the gravity anomaly and identify the nature of the basement at a location ~ 5 km east of Warriner Creek 1. After PACE Initiative Year 1 subsidy funds were able to be obtained to assist with the drilling, vertical diamond drillhole WC05D001 was eventually completed on EL 3302 during June 2005 to a total depth of 849.75 m; earlier, an RC precollared and fully cased uphole (designated WC04R001) had been taken to 220.7 m depth during November 2004. The actual depth to basement proved shallower than anticipated, while the variously differentiated but condensed strata of the cover sequence seem to be consistent with the drillhole being located on a significant basement topographic high. However, this high was not considered sufficient to explain the target gravity anomaly. A sequence of Pre-Palaeozoic sediments was encountered at 214 m depth, and crystalline basement was penetrated at 649 m depth. The cover sequence, in ascending stratigraphic order, includes older units comprising a basal sandstone (139 m thick), dolomitic siltstone (244 m thick) and basalt (52 m thick) (these constituting a possible Neoproterozoic succession), along with 146 m of Carboniferous-Permian sediments and 68 m of Mesozoic sediments. The crystalline basement rocks are of assumed Palaeoproterozoic age, and consist predominantly of garnetiferous quartz-feldspar-biotite paragneiss and quartz-feldspar pegmatite, with lesser, foliated granitoid, chlorite-amphibole skarn and biotite-cordierite schist. Garnet is abundant in all of these rocks, as coarse crystals up to 5 cm in diameter. Haematitic alteration and haematite-rich breccias, typical of the Mount Woods basement inlier's Prominent Hill copper-gold deposit, are not present in this drillhole, whilst also missing is any pervasive regional hydrothermal alteration. No anomalous drill sample assay values were returned. Furthermore, Minotaur Exploration concluded that the lithological variations observed within the drill core cut from Palaeoproterozoic crystalline basement at depths of between 450 and 500 m below ground level, and the corresponding measured core densities averaging ~2.8 g/cc, could adequately account for the Mount Purvis gravity anomaly. These facts considerably down graded the potential for discovering IOCG-style deposits within basement rocks likely to occur across the northern portion of the tenement, and therefore it was decided that the exploration focus should be redirected further south-east, closer to the Bulgunnia Fault. A gravity survey incorporating 1386 new stations was undertaken for Minotaur by Haines Surveys during July 2006. Data were collected mainly at 500 m intervals over the main regional gravity anomaly (called Trumpeter) centred on EL 3302 and also over a secondary anomaly (Trumble) located on EL 3545, along with three detailed traverses at 200 m intervals. Some regional gravity data were also collected at 1 km intervals, to complete such coverage over both tenements. The Trumpeter Bouguer gravity anomaly has an amplitude of ~8.5 mGal, is very broad at ~10 km across, and straddles the tenement boundary between EL 3302 and EL 3545. Superimposed on it are several prominent NW-trending features (?faults). To the south-east, closer to the Bulgunnia Fault, are several smaller discrete anomalies, as illustrated by the Trumble anomaly which has an amplitude of ~3 mGal. Modelling of the two anomalies, assuming an average surrounding rock density of ~3 g/cc, indicates a probable depth to basement of ~600 m. There are no significant magnetic anomalies positioned coincident with or near the Trumpeter and Trumble gravity anomalies, based on 52.25 line km of ground magnetic data which Minotaur acquired along three profiles across these gravity anomalies. Nevertheless, it was recommended that both the Trumpeter and Trumble gravity anomalies be drill tested to appraise their potential to reflect either Prominent Hill or Manxman style IOCG-style mineralisation. A single vertical RC precollared, NQ cored diamond hole WC07D01 was drilled to 1137.5 m total depth during October 2007 to test the crest of the Trumpeter gravity anomaly. This hole encountered a thick sequence of Neoproterozoic basalt and sedimentary rocks from 297 m depth, probable Mesoproterozoic Pandurra Formation from 817.6 m depth, and high metamorphic grade Palaeoproterozoic basement gneisses from 1065 m to end of hole. Because the basement was found to lie so deep here, it is believed that the target gravity anomaly probably reflects the presence of garnetiferous gneisses (with an average density of 2.8 g/cc) within a palaeotopographic high in the basement. The absence of Mesoproterozoic strata (e.g. Gawler Range Volcanics) and lack of any significant alteration in WC07D01 was thought to indicate very low potential for finding classic Mesoproterozoic IOCG-style mineralisation in the immediate vicinity. Some disseminated native copper mineralisation occurs within a Neoproterozoic basalt unit intersected over the depth interval 297-575.3 m, with some marginal mineralisation present in the adjoining dolomite-dominated sedimentary unit. The underlying sandstone unit and Pandurra Formation appear to be devoid of mineralisation, while rare chalcopyrite is associated with pyrite in the high grade metamorphic basement. Assaying of the copper-mineralised basalt returned an average grade of 200 ppm Cu, with a peak value of 2020 ppm over a 1 metre thick interval. Petrological studies of selected basement core samples showed them to be a coarse-grained heterogeneous granofels containing variable proportions of K-feldspar, plagioclase, cordierite (13-41%), sillimanite, biotite and minor iron oxides, quartz and garnet. Minor opaque grains (partly degraded ilmenite), together with rutile and rare olive-green spinel, grains and aggregates of monazite, as well as pyrite ± marcasite and rare chalcopyrite were documented in descriptions of a polished section of a core sample taken from 1099.7 m depth. The pyrite-marcasite aggregates may represent former pyrrhotite. The consultant petrologists Purvis and Pontifex suggested that the basement samples may be of similar metamorphic grade to rocks in the Christie Domain, such as those found in and adjacent to the Challenger gold mine. They also suggested that there is a similarity between the native copper association in the basalt intersected by WC07D01 and native copper occurrences in prehnite-pumpellyite facies altered basalts of the Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan, North America. In this part of the United States the mid-continent rift valley has been filled with a combination of extrusive volcanic rocks with minor amounts of intrusive igneous rocks and sediments derived from the igneous rocks. The Greenstone Flow unit associated with the Keweenaw Peninsula copper mineralisation is substantial. It can be mapped for 90 km along the peninsula and is also found on Isle Royale, 90 km to the NW on the other side of the rift valley. It has a thickness of up to 400 m, and a volume estimated to be between 800 and 1500 cubic km of lava. Other flows on the peninsula can be mapped for lengths up to 160 km. It was reported by Minotaur that a favourable geological comparison can be drawn with the ~300 m thickness of vesicular basalt intersected in drillhole WC07D01. The basalt occurs within the lowermost Neoproterozoic strata formed during the initial rifting of the Adelaide Geosyncline. From Minotaur's geophysical data interpretation it was evident that regional scale faults occur in close proximity to the WC07D01 drillsite and the proposed Trumble anomaly drillsite at Sugarloaf Well. It was inferred that these NW-trending faults controlled the basaltic volcanism found in the drillhole at Trumpeter, and therefore could be the focus for Neoproterozoic copper-bearing fluids in the manner displayed by the Keweenaw Fault of Michigan. It was proposed that these faults should be the focus of future exploration on the subject licences. Mineralization of this age, style and tectonic setting has not previously been explored for in the Gawler Craton. Minotaur regarded the Trumpeter copper occurrence's proximity to major crustal faults as being very important in the genetic model, because these structures are conduits for mineralising fluids. Prominent NW-trending faults occur 3.3 km and 6.3 km to the south-west, and the regionally significant NE-trending Bulgunnia Fault occurs 6.4 km to the south-east. The basalt lava flows intersected in WC07D01 are interpreted to have flowed at least several kilometres, since the nearest fault / possible eruptive fissure is at least 3 km away. Despite the large distance for the lava to have flowed, a copper concentration of up to 0.2% Cu has still remained within it. Hopefully, greater concentrations of native copper should occur right at the interpreted regionally significant fault fissures, which would have been tectonically active during the Neoproterozoic. The most prospective example of such a structure is likely to be the NW-trending linear gravity low seen 3.3 km SW of the Trumpeter drill site. It was intended that future investigations, possibly including deep EM geophysical surveys, should target these interpreted faults. After the public release in September 2007 of regional gravity data from PIRSA's 2007 PACE Northern Olympic Domain Gravity Survey, Minotaur undertook reprocessing and further modelling of its now much augmented gravity dataset for the eastern Mount Woods Domain, using as controls the petrophysical information obtained from its systematic specific gravity and magnetic susceptibility measurements made on the drill core from WC07D01. The intent was to try to identify fresh IOCG targets, to outline areas with potential for harbouring native copper deposits associated with Neoproterozoic basalts and major fault structures, and to interpret the locations of possible sedimentary uranium - prospective palaeochannels. Discussions about setting up a joint venture on ELs 3302 and 3545 to explore the latter opportunity took place with new industry entrant U Energy over a long period, but were ultimately unfruitful. No further field exploration activities were conducted by Minotaur or its spin-off uranium search joint venture affiliate Toro Energy during the fourth and fifth years of the subject licences, owing to the abrupt removal of land access permissions for the Woomera Prohibited Area by a decision of the Commonwealth Department of Defence made in August 2008. Negotiations to regain access onto the licences' ground were not successful, and consequently, on 15/3/2010 Toro withdrew from its joint venture with Minotaur, and shortly afterwards Minotaur withdrew from its Lake Eyre JV Project with BHP Billiton, electing to transfer all of its earned share in the project to that company. BHP Billiton subsequently intended to continue exploring alone on the tenements, but at the licences' anniversary in April it re-assessed its position and chose to allow their tenure to lapse.