A sizeable part of the north-eastern Tertiary Eucla Basin marine palaeomargin is being explored for possible economic buried raised beach strandline deposits of detrital rutile, zircon and ilmenite-rich heavy mineral sands (HM) that may have formed during the Eocene and Miocene in shallow marine or shoreface sand units within transgressive-regressive sedimentary sequences that underlie the Barton Ridge geomorphic feature. Prior to the grant of the three subject licences, while they were still being processed as ELA areas, an airborne magnetic/radiometric/DTM survey was flown in August 2002 as part of a much larger survey covering 2358 square km which Rio Tinto at the time had set out to reserve from competing interests under ELA status. This Barton Range survey totalled 9423 line km, and was flown along NE-SW flight lines 500 m apart using a 25 m mean sensor elevation above the ground surface. The resulting data were interpreted in-house to define linear magnetic and radiometric anomalies which could represent mineralised strandlines. Rio expected that mineral sands deposits might have a subtle linear magnetic response from detrital magnetite accumulation. Therefore aeromagnetic anomalies were highlighted using GEOSOFT’s automated “mag picks” function implemented on the line data. In addition, it was thought that outcropping mineral sands deposits could generate a thorium anomalous high if the mineral monazite is present. Therefore linear trends within the magnetic picks coinciding with linear trends within the thorium picks would be a potential mineral sands target. Work completed during the first year of the project consisted initially of the commissioning of a consultant to interpret aerial photographs and satellite remote sensing imagery for identifying prospective geological structures and potential HM trap sites; this was followed in October 2005 by a field reconnaissance visit during which shallow hand auger sampling and surface sand sampling was done, to obtain 13 samples of Quaternary regolith material to send for heavy mineral analysis including SEM mineralogy and grain size determinations performed by the CSIRO. In May 2005, Rio had organised obtaining Aboriginal heritage work area clearances from Traditional Owners of the area that covered five targets which it planned to drill. A Declaration of Environmental Factors for the proposed aircore traverse drilling programme was prepared and submitted to DMITRE for approval.This first phase of drilling was to involve putting in vertical holes to depths of ~80 m alongside the Wilkinson track that passes through the central parts of ELs 3321 and 3319. Drilling was also planned to be done along the part of the Emu Road which passes through the western portion of EL 3320. Holes would be nominally sited at intervals of 1 km, but there was a provision in the proposed programme to infill to 500 m hole spacing if needed. During Year 2 of the project, in August-September 2006, Rio drilled 48 RC aircore vertical holes for a total penetration of 2183 m along one regional traverse of the Barton Ridge which extended into a western section that crossed the Paling Range, and undertook heavy liquid separation of the HM fraction in 722 selected drill cuttings samples. 106 samples containing significant amounts of HM had their concentrates submitted for SEM modal mineralogy determinations. The two sections of the drill traverse are separated by an area of gypsiferous salt lakes at a lower elevation (155 m to 200 m) than either the Paling Range (200 m to 235 m) or the Barton Range (200 m to 260 m). Promising results were obtained from the western, Paling Range section, in which low to moderate levels of HM were encountered. Best intercepts were made in hole BD042 with 3.0 m @ 2.1% HM from 15 m (10.6% zircon, 49.3% altered ilmenite, 0.3% ilmenite, 8.0% leucoxene and 1.3% rutile), plus 3.0 m @ 2.3% HM from 21 m (25.5% zircon, 47.2% altered ilmenite, 5.9% ilmenite, 6.0% leucoxene and 1.7% rutile), and in hole BD014 with 4.5 m @ 2.3% HM from 22.5 m (6.8% zircon, 53.4% altered ilmenite, 22.4% ilmenite, 3.0% leucoxene and 0.6% rutile). Fines are generally low at between 1.3% to 8.2%. Results of the drilling across the Barton Range were rather disappointing, with only trace levels (mostly 95% TiO2) may not be possible with the Paling Range mineral sand. This is due to incomplete liberation of the Ti-bearing grains. The Ti grains that are liberated are highly oxidised and are likely to contain elevated levels of impurities. The oxidation results in reduced separation efficiencies due to reduced SG and weaker conductive and magnetic properties. Fine particle size is also an issue, meaning that lower than typical loadings for gravity separation equipment may be required in order to achieve optimum performance. Late in 2008, having considered the implications of these findings, Rio decided to divest the project tenements. Third party bids for the asset were assessed by the company, and it was anticipated that a full form sale and purchase agreement would be entered into with the successful bidder by mid 2009.