South Australia Ludi Mining Pty Ltd (“SALM”) acquired Exploration Licence 4619 in the vicinity of Coward Springs to explore it for large Mesoproterozoic copper/gold/uranium deposits analogous to Olympic Dam, which is located approximately 120 km to the south. The licence area is situated near the interpreted northern edge of the Stuart Shelf, but the Precambrian basement geology in the area is very poorly known, and the nearest such outcrops lie some 60 km to the east. Geophysical data that it obtained from government and industry sources had suggested to SALM that potential for finding major IOCG deposits exists in this region. No previous exploratory drilling for deeply buried deposits of IOCGU type had been undertaken within the EL area; the nearest deep drillhole was located some 20 km south of the south-western corner of the tenement. This previous hole (Newmont SR 17/2, completed late in 1979) penetrated 1460 m of Neoproterozoic sediments beneath 40 m of Cretaceous Bulldog Shale, and did not reach the underlying Mesoproterozoic target. Work on the licence began with two ground reconnaissance visits made in December 2010 and January 2011. A detailed ground gravity survey was acquired over the entire tenement area during August and September 2011, when a total of 3427 new gravity stations were read over a regular 250 m x 250 m grid. An additional 63 existing PACE Northern Olympic Domain Gravity Survey station sites located within the Pound Creek survey area were also re-read to assist in merging the new data with existing regional data. The licensee's subsequent interpretation of all of the available gravity data and the existing magnetic data indicated a number of residual anomaly and 1VD anomalies of interest, but which required further definition to determine if they could be drill targets. Exploration during the second year of tenure comprised the conduct of further geophysical data interpretation, an ongoing review of historic exploration data, an Aboriginal heritage site clearance survey, acquisition of a deep sounding dipole-dipole IP survey covering a total of 30 line km across two prospect areas, and the completion of procedural and on-ground preparations for drill rig access. In May 2012, SALM was advised by DMITRE that, pursuant to its application for receiving a collaborative exploration drilling subsidy which had earlier been submitted to the SA Government, a grant of PACE Initiative Year 7 funding of $65,000 had been approved under Project DPY7-01. Consequently, late in 2012 a diamond drill rig was mobilised to site in preparation for deep drill testing of two priority targets. Based on gravity data models and IP chargeability profiles surveyed down to 1 km depth along five traverses, these targets had been selected from five under consideration as having the best IOCG mineralisation potential, in top-of-basement settings ranging between 600 and 800 m depth depending on the degree of block-faulted structural uplift. During the third licence year, exploration comprised the drilling during December 2012-February 2013 of a groundwater supply bore and then two deep vertical, RC precollared and HQ3/NQ3 diamond cored exploratory holes, plus the conduct of downhole wireline geophysical logging and assaying of selected drill core sampling intervals, along with the later rehabilitation of drill sites, tracks and campsite (for the final report on this PACE-assisted drilling operation, see Env 12620). At site A1, hole CS001 revealed a thin (74 m) sequence of Mesozoic clays and sands (Bulldog Shale, Cadna Owie Formation and Algebuckina Sandstone) overlying flat-bedded Neoproterozoic sediments (Angepena Formation of the Umberatana Group). The targeted Mesoproterozoic rocks were not reached, despite this hole being drilled to a total depth of 1164 m. At site D1, Umberatana Group shale and limestone metasediments were encountered in hole CS002 beneath just 27 m of Mesozoic Bulldog Shale. Flat-lying red/brown and grey shales, sandstone and carbonates (limestone and dolomitic limestone) extended from this depth to end-of-hole at 1167 m. Once again, the targeted Mesoproterozoic basement was not reached. Both drillholes were geophysically wireline logged to 1046 m only (the entire cable length capacity of the logging unit) for gamma ray, short and deep spaced induction, short and deep focused resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and hole trajectory drift (azimuth and inclination) responses. No anomalous formation radiation responses were recorded by the gamma ray tool. Mineralisation seen in the drill cores of both holes consists only of rare small aggregates, fine veins and single crystals of fine pyrite and chalcopyrite, most commonly in limestone or greyish reduced sandstones. In hole CS002, a sinuous fine (1-2 mm) sulphide vein of chalcopyrite, bornite and pyrite is present between 818.07 and 818.10 m core depth in limestone ascribed to the transition between the Yankaninna Siltstone and Tapley Hill Formation. Core through the limestone interval (815-823 m) was cut and half core samples were sent off for multi-element analysis. Because its drilling had demonstrated that the Mesoproterozoic basement might generally lie at around twice the depth indicated by the company's former geophysical data modelling, all drillhole and geophysical data for the region of EL 4619 was next reviewed by SALM to establish if any Mesoproterozoic IOCG targets could potentially occur at acceptable depths. The company arrived at the view that, both near to and in its holes, the targeted gravity anomalies are probably caused by dense sediments (probably dolomites) rather than basement crystalline rock sources, while the matching IP chargeability responses were now attributed to near-surface conductive coupling, possibly due to graphite present in reduced Neoproterozoic sediments, and perhaps also being influenced by saline groundwater. No further work was undertaken on the licence during Years 4 through 7 inclusive, before the decision was made to allow tenure to lapse.