The Copper Cove (A zone) occurrence is located near the shore line in Copper Cove on the northeastern end of Gambier Island in Howe Sound.

Most of Gambier Island is underlain by mafic volcanic strata and associated sediments of the Lower Cretaceous Gambier Group. Granitic rocks of the Jurassic to Cretaceous Coast Plutonic Complex underlie the southern part of the island. The volcano-sedimentary rocks generally strike northwest with steep northeast dips.

The occurrence area is underlain by rocks of the Gambier Group, dioritic rocks of the Coast Complex and related, possibly Tertiary, granitic rocks and isolated post-mineral dacite porphyry dikes. Gambier Group rocks consist of a northwest- trending series of argillites, volcanic wackes and breccias, propylitic rocks and massive andesitic rocks and related breccias, which comprise a broad zone of hydrothermally altered and hornfelsed rock. Quartz forms conspicuous phenocrysts up to 2 centimetres, enclosed by altered feldspar phenocrysts and anhedral aggregates of chlorite, sericite and quartz.

Locally, malachite stained chloritic and silicified equigranular quartz diorite hosts west-trending quartz veins, generally less than 2 centimetres wide, with pyrite, magnetite and minor chalcopyrite.

In 1972, a lone drill hole yielded 0.117 per cent copper over 248 metres (Assessment Report 7730).

In 1985, a rock sample (108W 300N) assayed 0.223 per cent copper, 0.01 per cent molybdenum, 1.8 grams per tonne silver and 0.04 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 14356).

In 1990, 14 of 32 rock samples yielded greater than 0.05 per cent copper and up to 0.40 per cent copper with 0.26 gram per tonne gold (Assessment Report 21185).

The first claim on Gambier Island was staked in 1905 and coincided with exploration and development of the Britannia mine (MINFILE 092GNW003). More recently, the area has been explored in conjunction with the Gambier Island Copper (B and C zones; MINFILE 092GNW025) occurrence to the northwest on Gambier Creek. In the early 1970s, Gaylord Mines staked the northern section of Gambier Island to cover old known copper showings and completed programs of rock and soil sampling, airborne and ground geophysical surveys and one diamond drill hole, totalling 248 metres. Their exploration work defined two anomalies: the A zone (N and J Claims) on Copper Cove and the B and C zones (Jon and Gale claims) on Gambier Creek. The property was again staked in 1978 as the MB 18 claim by 20th Century Energy Corp. During 1978 through 1980, programs of geological mapping, approximately 15 line-kilometres of ground magnetic and induced polarization surveys and a 402.0 line-kilometre airborne magnetic survey were completed. In 1984, the claims lapsed and were restaked by J.P. McGoran and R.M. Durfeld. A program of rock, silt and soil sampling was carried out in 1985. In 1987, Condorado Mines completed a program of geological mapping and rock, silt and soil sampling. During 1990 through 1993, Douglas Bay Resources completed programs of geological mapping, rock and soil sampling and a 2.0 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey on the Copper Cove (A zone) area. During 1994 through 1996, programs of rock, silt and soil sampling, geological mapping and a 1.4 line-kilometre ground magnetic survey were completed on the MB 1, 10, 11 and 18 claims. During 2010 through 2013, programs of rock and historic drill core sampling were conducted. This work confirmed previous sample assays.