An area centred ~215 km north-west of Ceduna was taken up by Southern Coal Holdings (SCH), together with another tenement located immediately adjacent to the west, to assess the development potential of locally extensive, previously known Tertiary lignite deposits, and also to evaluate the potash potential of alunite-bearing clays known to occur in the vicinity of Lake Ifould. In Australia, locally sourced potash is a valuable fertiliser commodity. Furthermore, the company was aware that alunite is also a prominent alteration mineral that is associated with high sulphidation epithermal gold deposits. During the first licence year, SCH planned a campaign of appraisal drilling of slimline vertical aircore holes for assessing the Pidinga area. This drilling was designed to follow up recorded potash mineral intercepts that had been made in the SA Department of Mines' drilling done as far back as 1948. Considerable delays were experienced in obtaining stakeholder approvals for allowing this on-ground work to progress. During licence Year 2, because it proved too difficult to obtain work area clearances for the Pidinga Lakes drilling area from Native title claimant groups, SCH decided to abandon its alunite exploration plans and to allow tenure of both EL 4671 and 4631 to lapse at expiry.