The subject licence, located immediately south of Oodnadatta, was selected as an area with the potential to host economic iron oxide - associated copper-gold (IOCG) mineralisation similar to that discovered at Olympic Dam and Prominent Hill. Geologically it is situated on the northern margin of the Gawler Craton, adjacent to the northern tip of the Peake and Denison Inliers. Outcrop is limited to small exposures of Proterozoic bedrock which are surrounded by extensive expanses of Mesozoic sediments that comprise the Great Artesian Basin. The surface geology is dominated by extensive areas of flat-lying Mesozoic Bulldog Shale, which in the north of the tenement is overlain by remnants of a much more extensive Tertiary land surface comprising pisolitic and ferruginous sand and sandy conglomerate of the Doonbara Formation. In the south-eastern part of the tenement, at Mount Dutton, the Neoproterozoic Curdimurka Subgroup outcrops as siltstone, sandstone and dolomite, while 15 km away to the south-east, at Algebuckina Hill, an unnamed Palaeoproterozoic sequence comprising schist, gneiss, quartzite and pegmatite outcrops. The prospectivity criteria that were used to select this particular piece of ground included its proximity to craton - scale structures, to discrete coincident magnetic and gravity highs, to the margins of 'magnetically active' domains, and to regional scale alteration. External geoscientific consultants were contracted to assist in the drilling target selection stage, and to provide ongoing analysis of results generated. Two potentially IOCG mineralised geophysical prospects were chosen for priority early drilling. The Toondina Dam target is situated approximately 15 km south-west of Algebuckina Hill, while the Ockenden target is situated approximately 6 km south of Mount Dutton. Initial work done at each target comprised the acquisition of detailed ground magnetic and gravity surveys during June-July 2002 (the total for both surveys being 1127 gravity stations read at 50 m intervals along lines spaced 100 m apart, and 56 line km of magnetic readings taken every 10 m along the survey lines). This was followed by the successful drilling of 3 RC precollared vertical diamond core holes during September 2002, for a total penetration of 558.5 m. Artesian groundwater flow pressures of up to 37 psi were recorded from the aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin. The magnetic component of the IOCG model for the targets was explained by the presence of flat-lying basaltic andesites correlated with the Mesoproterozoic Cadlareena Volcanics, which occur between 108 and 250 m depth below the surface. The source of the gravity highs could not be adequately explained. However, the bottom-of-hole ?Palaeoproterozoic rocks that were encountered consist of a mixture of 'pink' granite and amphibolite, with the amphibolite having a mafic to ultramafic precursor and so possibly representing a body of rock which is denser than the other Palaeoproterozoic lithologies. The unmetamorphosed Cadlareena equivalent mafic volcanic rocks, which unconformably underlie the GAB sediments, consist of a series of lava flows up to 25 m thick, with several flow top breccias. Petrographic and scanning electron microscopic studies were conducted on 22 selected basement core samples taken from the two Toondina Dam drillholes, confirming the existence of an upper basement sequence comprising Mesoproterozoic andesite and minor arenite, unconformably overlying a ?Palaeoproterozoic lower sequence consisting of 'ortho-amphibolite' and intrusive 'granodiorite' present in equal proportions. Both sequences have undergone propylitic style alteration. The colour of the granodiorite is believed to be caused by potash metasomatism and haematite dusting on the feldspars. Cored contacts between the amphibolite and granodiorite units are sharp. The granodiorite is much jointed. A pervasive near-vertical gneissic fabric can be seen in both older rock types. Minor chlorite/carbonate veins occur, containing trace pyrite-chalcopyrite and bornite within a haematite selvedge. The downhole assay results, obtained from 313 drill core samples taken at roughly 1 metre depth intervals, were generally disappointing. Weakly elevated Cu and Fe values recorded within the andesite are associated with trace sulphides occurring in chlorite-calcite filled vesicles in the upper parts of flow units. A few slightly elevated, >1 ppm U values also came from the amphibolite/granodiorite sequence, and these have been attributed to the high proportion of potash alteration minerals in the granodiorite. Following the discovery of sporadically distributed iron and manganese - rich Bulldog Shale bedrock float in the dry bed of a creek situated between holes TNA001 and TNA002, selective rock chip sampling (25 samples) and sampling of TNA002 precollar drill cuttings was carried out late in 2002 to investigate the surface geochemistry at the Toondina Dam prospect. Anomalous zinc (to 0.2% Zn) was detected in the rock chips but was not evident in the corresponding subsurface samples, leading to the conclusion that the trace metal enrichment seen is related only to low temperature supergene processes acting over a limited extent. During March-April 2003 the licensee acquired a third detailed gravity survey in the vicinity of Borthanna Dam (811 stations read at 60 m intervals along east-west lines spaced 300 m apart, plus 2827 ground magnetic readings taken every 20 m along these lines) to delineate a newly discerned coincident gravity and magnetic anomaly target. No further field work took place in the period from mid-2003 until mid-2006. A proposal for PACE Initiative part-funding of a single 450 m deep vertical exploratory drillhole at the Borthanna prospect was submitted in early 2006, and approval was given by PIRSA for project DPY3-16 to be subsidised. ReLODE then commenced drilling hole BOD001, but the drilling had to be aborted in mid-September 2006 before reaching crystalline basement and the IOCG target. The hole was terminated at a depth of 335.5 m when still within Permian ?Stuart Range Formation carbonaceous shales, owing to insurmountable drilling difficulties caused by collapse of unconsolidated sediments in an uncased section of the drillhole at around 260 m depth, which had led to two broken drill strings and the exhaustion of the drilling budget. During mid-2006 the licensee (now renamed Integra Mining) carried out a semi-detailed 800 m x 800 m grid gravity survey over the northern portion of the recently renewed licence (EL 3835). Subsequent magnetic and gravity data modelling of the basement 'Allandale Complex' revealed a number of discrete large residual gravity anomalies on the margins of this composite magnetic feature, which is located at the intersection of a regional north-east trending structural zone and the north-west trending G2 crustal lineament corridor. On 28/11/2006 international major Barrick Gold farmed into the Oodnadatta Project, agreeing to earn up to an 80% interest in the project licences by sole funding all exploration commitments, including those made for EL 3835 up until 11/7/2008. For the project overall this represented a $3 million outlay over five years. Barrick Gold elected to immediately test two of the Allandale survey gravity anomalies, and set about drilling 2 vertical rotary mud precollared, HQ/NQ2 diamond cored drillholes, BOMRD0001 and BOMRD0002, which attained total depths of 430 m and 961.2 m respectively (including an aggregate 739 m of rotary mud drilling and casing with steel pipes in the GAB interval) during October-December 2007. The first of Barrick's drillholes failed to reach crystalline basement, and had to be terminated at the precollar stage within fine-grained Permian carbonaceous sediments of the ?Mount Toondina Formation, without explaining the source of its target gravity anomaly. The second drillhole penetrated further, but was stopped within Cambrian ?Cootanoorina Formation sediments, after passing through an unexpectedly thick package of Mesozoic, Permian and older basinal sediments. No significant mineralisation was found in either drillhole, and the sediments are unaltered. Density measurements made on the drill core from BOMRD002 suggest that the relatively dense older basin fill materials may be creating the second targeted gravity anomaly, by occupying an uplifted horst block that is surrounded by younger, less dense sediments. Barrick Gold undertook more exploratory drilling of IOCG targets lying to the north-west of Mount Dutton during September-December 2008, completing vertical rotary mud precollared, HQ/NQ2 diamond cored drillholes BOMRD0003 and BOMRD0004 to total depths of 902.7 m and 804.3 m respectively. Hole BOMRD0004 was intended to investigate the gravity target not penetrated in BOMRD0001. Both of the holes were fully cased over their 905.5 m in total precollared sections, to control expected GAB and older aquifer sand incursions. Hole BOMRD0003 encountered a thick sequence of basinal sediments which include the Bulldog Shale, Cadna-owie Formation and Algebuckina Sandstone (Eromanga Basin), before intersecting quartzite, with interbedded minor siltstone to dolomictic mudstone and shale (Neoproterozoic ?Duff Creek Beds). Underlying this sedimentary succession are andesitic volcanic rocks (?Cadlareena Volcanics) which include thin, rare quartz+feldspar porphyry intrusions. These rocks display patchy to pervasive hematite-chlorite+/-sericite-carbonate alteration throughout, with rare zones of earthy hematite overprinting. Only rare occurrences of trace sulphides (pyrite + trace chalcopyrite) were logged in this hole. Only one significant mineralised intercept was recorded (2 m @ 7.95 g/t Au from below 768 m depth), that is possibly associated with a narrow carbonate-chlorite vein visible at 768.5 m depth within altered porphyritic andesite. Hole BOMRD0004 was positioned approximately 20m from BOMRD0001, and encountered a thick succession of basinal sediments which include the Bulldog Shale, Cadna-owie Formation and Algebuckina Sandstone (Eromanga Basin), plus the Mount Toondina and Stuart Range Formations (Arckaringa Basin), before penetrating a thick sequence of Cambrian ?Cootanoorina Formation sediments containing dacitic porphyry intrusions. Rare occurrences of trace pyrite were logged throughout this hole. Twenty selected drill core samples were examined petrologically, and petrophysical property measurements (density, effective porosity, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, galvanic resistivity, IP chargeability, acoustic impedance and ultrasonic p-wave velocity) were also made on another four pieces of half-core taken from the deepest rock units encountered by hole BOMRD0003. After reviewing the disappointing results of its drilling programme, in which the target basement Palaeoproterozoic rocks were not penetrated, Barrick Gold withdrew from the Oodnadatta Project Joint Venture agreement on 31/3/2009. Licensee Integra Mining did not conduct any more work, but attempted unsuccessfully to attract a new joint venture partner, before deciding to allow its exploration tenure in the Oodnadatta region to lapse.