Uranium Equities, the licensee parent and operator of the seven Marla Project tenements, is exploring them with the aim of discovering economic iron oxide - associated copper–gold±uranium (IOCGU) deposits, that it considers may have given rise to a number of significant size and amplitude coincident magnetic and gravity features which the company has identified within a west-northwest trending structural corridor situated along the northern margin of the Gawler Craton. Top-of-basement depth data obtained by past seismic surveys show that the target potential field anomalies sit within a structurally elevated portion of the Nawa Domain of the Gawler Craton, which is called the Bitchera Ridge. Previous exploration undertaken in this fairly remote region has been quite sparse to non-existent, with no basement-penetrating drillholes in existence within the subject area. To fulfil the licensee's approved PACE 2020 Discovery Drilling 2012 project designated DPY7-21, which was substantially subsidised by DMITRE to promote company high-risk high-reward mineral exploration within South Australia, a programme of 4 vertical, rotary mud precollared diamond cored holes totalling 1562.1 m, including 850.9 m of NQ coring, was completed during October-December 2013 to test 3 separate geophysical targets in the Marla Project ELs 4657 and 4658. Hole MMD001 targeted the Rochdale prospect, which comprises a 3 km long east – west trending gravity high of about 2 mGal with no coinciding magnetic anomaly, located in an area of strong north – south magnetic gradient. Prior to drilling, the top of source of the gravity high was interpreted to be 300–500 m deep at the eastern and western ends respectively, but it could be as shallow as 220 m in the central part. This hole was abandoned short of its planned total depth due to ongoing difficult drilling conditions and some drilling equipment failures. The interpreted geology which MMD001 drilled through is as follows: 0–40 m Tertiary sands 40–78 m Bulldog Shale clays 78–133 m Cadna-owie/Algebuckina sands 133–197.6 m (EOH) Basement - fine grained metasediments having trace to 1% pyrite and occasional minor thin breccia zones. Hole MMD002 tested the Bacup prospect, which was interpreted as an apparent ring shaped magnetic and gravity anomaly displayed within Proterozoic basement, that partly surrounds a lower density body, perhaps reflecting a contact metamorphic alteration aureole around a granitic intrusion. Inversion modelling showed that the residual gravity high could be generated by a large, nearly vertical dipping tabular body that was likely to start about 300 m below the ground surface. The interpreted geology which MMD002 drilled through is as follows: 0–44 m Tertiary sands 44–84 m Bulldog Shale clays 84–96 m Cadna-owie/Algebuckina sands 96–396 m (EOH) Basement - fine grained metasediments having minor magnetite and trace pyrite. MMD002 reached its target depth, and initial density and magnetic measurements made on the drill core indicated that the combined gravity and magnetic anomalism might be explained by the moderately dense, possibly carbonate-altered metasiltstone. The gravity residual anomaly would in part be a result of edge effects arising along interpreted Adelaidean graben faults. Hole MMD003 targeted the Todmorden prospect, which is a large, circular high intensity magnetic feature located at the intersection of regional north-west and north-east trending structures. Gravity data show that dense, non-magnetic bodies exist within this magnetic feature, focussed around the junction of intersecting structures within the magnetic alteration. This hole encountered steeply dipping metasediments having minor carbonate alteration, trace pyrite and scarce chalcopyrite and bornite. There was no evidence of breccias and/or haematite alteration, so the coincident magnetite and gravity anomalies are not believed to be part of an IOCGU mineralised system. Instead, the magnetic material in the metasediments most likely explains both the magnetic and gravity anomalies. The metasediments are steeply dipping and appear to form a steep-sided dome. The interpreted geology which MMD003 drilled through is as follows: 0–66 m Tertiary sands 66–180 m Bulldog Shale clays 180–227 m Cadna-owie/Algebuckina sands 227–509.5 m (EOH) Basement - fine to medium grained metasediments containing minor magnetite and trace pyrite. A follow-up hole at the Todmorden prospect, MMD004, was designed to test the base of the magnetic metasedimentary sequence, before penetrating underneath into the non-magnetic core of the dome/anticline. The interpreted geology which MMD004 drilled through is as follows: 0–68 m Tertiary sands 68–162 m Bulldog Shale clays 162–192 m Cadna-owie/Algebuckina sands 192–459.0 m (EOH) Basement - fine to medium grained metasediments containing minor magnetite, and including some thick zones where 10–15% white vein quartz occurs, associated with traces of chalcopyrite and pyrite held within thin quartz veinlets. Drillholes MMD002 – MMD004 encountered magnetite-altered basement metasediments which could explain the targeted magnetic anomalies, but the likely causes of the gravity anomalies are less certain. It was surmised that many of the gravity highs may be related to abrupt bulk density contrasts created at fault block edges or corners, rather than denoting a unique dense source body. While the company achieved its proposed greenfields objective of testing unknown basement rocks concealed beneath extensive cover sequences, no significant IOCGU-style mineralisation and/or alteration systems were encountered. However, encouragment for further exploration was derived from the drilling of hole MMD004, where the basement metasediments contain intervals of quartz veining carrying chalcopyrite and sparse amounts of specular haematite. The metallogenic setting of the basement in hole MMD004 must differ from that encountered in the other PACE drillholes, because chalcopyrite, rather than pyrite, is the dominant sulphide mineral present. Some of the veins logged in the MMD004 drill core have distinct sericite alteration halos, and towards the bottom of the hole there are zones of bleaching of the medium to coarse grained metasediments, accompanied by moderate sericite alteration. Uranium Equities believes that this evidence indicates that a chalcopyrite±haematite vein-hosted mineral generative system has formerly been active in the region.