Newmont Mining used a ground magnetic survey, an IP survey and a soil geochemical survey to select sites at the Mutooroo Ridge copper prospect for its subsequent drilling during May and October 1977 of 2 inclined, percussion precollared diamond cored holes (total penetration 660.1 m, including 404.8 m of NQ coring). However, this deep drillhole targeting of the interpreted high grade central portion beneath some previously defined low grade Cu-Ag mineralisation in Boucaut Volcanics, which is localised in a dacitic tuff unit at the contact between andesite and altered rhyolite, in what is considered to be a volcanogenic footwall stringer zone, provided disappointing results. Diamond drillhole M10 intersected a best value of 975 ppm Cu over 4 m below 231 m hole depth, as trace chalcopyrite within a 17 m thick disseminated pyrite-mineralised interval, which lies 100 m vertically beneath the more copper-enriched, oxidised ore occurrence intersected by Longreach Metals in their earlier drilling of DDH M7 on SML 551.