The Cow 12 showing is located on the ridge separating Chipman Creek to the north and the Chemainus River the south. The showing has been explored in conjunction with the Pogo (MINFILE 092C 074) occurrence.

The area is underlain by Mississippian to Pennsylvanian Fourth Lake Formation (Buttle Lake Group) cherty argillite and by Upper Devonian McLauglin Ridge Formation (Sicker Group) volcaniclastics. These rocks are intruded by granodiorite and quartz diorite of the Early to Middle Jurassic Island Plutonic Suite and Triassic gabbro (informally called the Mount Hall gabbro).

Locally, several mineralized shears hosted in northwest trending fine-grained sediments of the Fourth Lake Formation are exposed along a road. These define a 100 metre wide zone of sporadic mineralization. The shears are up to 0.20 metres wide, gougy, limonitic and contain up to 5 per cent each of pyrite and chalcopyrite.

In 1964, E. M. Wilson staked the original Pogo 1-4 claims and completed a program of geological mapping, prospecting and geochemical sampling. From 1985 through 1987, JBL Resources completed programs of geological mapping, prospecting, geochemical sampling, ground geophysical surveys and two diamond drill holes, totalling 99.5 metres, on the area as the Cow 12-16 claims. In 1985, a sample of altered, baked argillite assayed 4720 parts per million zinc, 1250 parts per million copper and 8.0 parts per million silver (Assessment Report 14462). In 1986, sampling of pyrite and chalcopyrite bearing shear zones adjacent to gabbroic rocks assayed weakly elevated gold values, up to 28 grams per tonne silver and greater than 0.99 per cent copper (Assessment Report 16097).