Ongoing exploration of abandoned historic mine workings and the surrounding area at the Mountain of Light prospect, located approximately 2 miles east of Copley, was aimed at delineating an economic copper oxide/carbonate - mineralised orebody and any primary hypogene sulphide mineralisation. Work consisted of gridding, geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys, plus rotary percussion and diamond drilling (totals 5295 m + 510 m). This successfully defined a resource of 747,000 tonnes of 1.22% Cu near-surface secondary ore at the Paltridge North lode, situated on the south-eastern margin of the Copley Diapir: however, this orebody was not considered to be of viable size, being only one-sixth of the amount required to make extraction worthwhile. Zones of primary copper sulphide mineralisation in Tapley Hill Formation diapir rim rocks, found by appraisal drilling previously carried out south of Paltridge North (in PDH 38 and DDH 39), were unable to be further investigated by drilling because of mineral lease access problems and wet weather. However, orientation soil auger sample geochemistry surveys carried out here demonstrated that cobalt could be a useful pathfinder element for detecting buried primary copper mineralisation in this district. Examination of two other nearby historic copper showings in diapiric sediments near the Leigh Creek Coalfield and at Sunday Well Outstation, through geological mapping, the cutting and logging of costeans, and auger geochemical soil sampling, did not suggest the presence of significant buried mineralisation because of a lack of coherent metal anomalies and well-developed gossan features. During the latter part of the tenure period the licensee conducted research into the feasibility of open-cut mining the Paltridge North orebody and extracting the copper metal by a sulphuric acid heap leaching process. A mining lease, to allow for trial bulk sampling of the ore using a Caldwell drill rig to excavate large cores, was taken out on 4 December 1975, preparatory to carrying out laboratory scale leaching pilot studies at Amdel.