Exploration for possible economic deposits of chrysotile asbestos, carried out across the Miltalie Hills and surrounding hinterland near Cowell, has consisted of detailed 1:12,000 scale geological mapping of the outcropping metamorphosed bedrock, in particular examining all magnesia-rich serpentinised dolomite units to assess the quality of any fibrous minerals encountered. Besides checking the four already known asbestos occurrences described in past SA Department of Mines' records, many new small occurrences of asbestiform minerals were found, and one of the more extensive of these was trenched with a bulldozer across strike. However, no asbestos occurrences could be identified which might have significant commercial potential. The mapping inspections showed that the often only partly exposed asbestos - mineralised beds appear to be magnetite - free, and therefore it was thought that ground magnetic surveying would be of little use for tracing them beneath the widespread Recent cover.