Two contiguous areas located south of the Gawler Ranges, between Buckleboo and Franklin Harbour, were taken up primarily to explore the Early Proterozoic metasedimentary sequence for possible Broken Hill type economic stratiform / hydrothermal base metal sulphide mineralisation of inferred sedimentary-exhalative style, similar to known small lead-zinc-silver mineral occurrences that have been historically mined in the district. The discovery of the large Menninnie Dam zinc-lead-silver deposit in early 1990 within Early Proterozoic metasediments on the licensee's adjoining Wilcherry Hill EL 1825, about 2 km south of the edge of the Gawler Ranges outcrop, necessitated a temporary focus of the company's attention on this separate ground, where almost $1.8 million was spent during 1990-1991 on conducting appraisal drilling. By contrast, mainly office-based studies took place to progress exploration on ELs 1567 and 1568 at this time. After collating and performing a critical review of past exploration data for the region, and reprocessing the available aeromagnetic data to allow image interpretation of magnetic anomalies thought to reflect prospective basement structures, e.g. growth faults, Aberfoyle initially undertook surface sampling of known lead mineral occurrences to try to determine from the composition of their Pb isotopes whether the contained mineralisation is syngenetic or has been remobilised. The analysis results did not show lead isotope ratio signatures consistent with Early Proterozoic stratiform origins, and they also indicated that the lead is highly radiogenic, thus implying that the mineralisation has a later epigenetic origin, possibly of Middle Proterozoic or Adelaidean age. Fieldwork commenced on EL 1568 in August 1991, with surface prospecting and geochemical rock chip sampling being carried out over selected magnetic anomalies at Bittali Dam, Nankivel Dam and Peter Pan Dam. Gold and base metal - anomalous ironstones were located at the Death Adder prospect near Bittali Dam, outcropping along a 4.5 km strike length within Lower Middleback Jaspilite / Katunga Dolomite equivalent strata. Maximum trace metal values returned from 33 rock chip samples collected along the magnetic trend were 1150 ppm Cu, 1220 ppm Pb, 820 ppm Zn, 6 ppm Ag and 140 ppb Au. Also of note were P to 4000 ppm, V to 1400 ppm and As to 200 ppm. Lead isotope determinations performed on outcrop samples gave nearly characteristic stratiform Pb isotope ratios, giving encouragement for extra work. Following the conduct of 3 traverses of scout RAB drilling across this prospect during November 1991 (26 vertical holes for a total penetration of 1338 m), which yielded maximum downhole assay values of 1.28% Pb and 0.32% Zn from amphibolitic metasediments over the depth interval 38-40 m in hole RO-01-0010, Aberfoyle did trial soil sampling along two of the drilling traverses (177 samples collected), using a variety of mesh sizes and soil media, and for comparison collected 40 pisolite samples along one traverse. Multi-element assaying and statistical assessment of the results showed that sampling of magnetic pisoliths was well able to identify underlying base metal mineralisation, with the anomalous elements found in the pisoliths matching those in the RAB drill cuttings (i.e. Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag, As, Sb, Bi, Cd and Mo). By contrast, the soil sample media were clearly far less reliable, with the minus 1 mm soil fraction displaying the best accuracy, particularly as to Pb and Mo. Further lead isotope determinations were made on four high lead content samples taken from the RAB drill cuttings, and these also returned Pb 206/204 ratios falling within the signature range for syngenetic lead. It was observed that the values of lead and zinc increase upwards through the host amphibolitic metasedientary unit, to maximum levels occurring just below its contact with overlying biotite schist. In addition, a northerly vector towards mineralisation was apparent when the significant base metal values were contoured in plan. The Death Adder prospect lies in an area of low relief, with a lateritic weathering profile which in places extends to >60 m below the surface. The bedding at the mineralised position dips at 40 degrees to the west, and the contained mineralisation appears to be in situ, with the base metals existing as oxide phases after sulphides. Outcrops sampled at the other magnetic anomaly locations did not return significant base metal geochemical anomalies. However, an intensely silicified carbonate breccia, which has associated with it a sinter and some Au-Pb rich epithermal quartz veins, was found by scout RAB drilling carried out at Nankivel Dam during November 1991 (27 vertical holes for 573 m) : this unexpected occurrence was regarded as representing a new kind of exploration target. Gossanous carbonate correlated with the Katunga Dolomite had returned rock chip sample assay results of up to 1.53% Pb and 770 ppb Au from a 10-15 m wide, NNE trending anomalous zone. However, the later RAB drilling and further surface sampling gave only slightly anomalous results (Pb to 270 ppm and Au to 80 ppb) - it appears that the epithermally altered, highly silicified zone, which is approximately 700 m long and 75 m wide, is only lead and gold anomalous along its northern margin. At Olympic Hill, immediately to the east of the Death Adder trend, additional rock chip sampling undertaken in 1992 returned best assay results of 34 ppm Ag, 3250 ppm As, 1320 ppm Pb and 440 ppb Au from gossanous epigenetic vein mineralisation developed in the Warrow Quartzite over a limited strike extent. Aberfoyle considered that this occurrence, which is geochemically strongly analogous to the mineralisation of the Nankivel Dam gold prospect, has a probable volcanic epithermal genesis, quite different to the Death Adder stratiform Pb-Zn-Ag style mineralisation. Several of the RAB drillholes at Death Adder penetrated highly graphitic schists. Samples taken from holes 6 and 23 were analysed for total graphitic carbon, disclosing 8 m @ 7.5% C in hole 6 and 10 m @ 4.2% C, including 4 m @ 8.7% C, in hole 23. Three composite drill cuttings samples were then sent off for further laboratory investigations to obtain information about flake size, gangue mineralogy and host petrology. The results were disappointing, since the flake size is very fine, and the flakes are in part contaminated by pyrite. In early field work performed on EL 1567, surface prospecting was done during January 1992 at Balumbah, located ~10 km south-west of Kimba, that identified a 1.3 km long x 60 m wide surface exposure of coarsely crystalline graphitic Lincoln Complex gneiss, containing up to 12% carbon as graphite. The graphite occurs in steeply east-dipping beds 0.5-3 m wide that are close to a contact between granite gneiss and undifferentiated gneiss, and is believed to represent thermally remobilised original sedimentary organic material. Several old base metal mines in the Mount Olinthus - Mount Millar area were sampled for lead isotopes and for trace metal geochemistry. The lead isotope data suggested that this area has a probable post-Hutchison epigenetic style of lead mineralisation origin. However, probable stratiform sulphides recognised at the Miltalie mine, and a massive gossan evident in outcrop at the Davey prospect, were considered to justify a continuation of exploration in this area for the modelled stratiform lead-zinc mineralisation.