The Cous Creek prospect is located 9.4 kilometres southwest of Port Alberni, 4.6 kilometres south of the east end of Stirling Arm on Sproat Lake.
The area is underlain by a narrow band of limestone of the Upper Triassic Quatsino Formation (Vancouver Group) which strikes northwest under a saddle, between Karmutsen Formation (Vancouver Group) andesite on the northeast and Bonanza Group volcanics on the southwest. A few exposures of Parson Bay (Vancouver Group) sedimentary rocks occur between the Quatsino and Bonanza rocks. Dioritic to granodioritic intrusions of the Jurassic Island Intrusions are exposed to the north and east.
Locally, the limestone is intruded by irregular bodies of andesite which has been locally altered to garnet-epidote skarn. Several types of mineralization occur within Karmutsen volcanics irregular alteration to skarn and irregular mineralization consisting of chalcopyrite, lesser bornite and superficial malachite and azurite. Pockets and disseminations of chalcopyrite and bornite occur in skarn and limestone in an area where the limestone is intruded by andesite. Massive magnetite appears, midway along the ridge flank, containing bands and pockets of pyrrhotite with some chalcopyrite. The most common are veins, pods or lenses of massive sulphides, up to 1 metre wide and at least 6 metres in length, containing mainly massive pyrrhotite and pyrite, with lesser amounts of chalcopyrite and bornite.
Assay values from these range from 0.01 to 3.95 per cent copper and 1.36 to 55.20 grams per tonne silver (George Cross News Letter).
In 1976, Cous Creek Copper Mines Limited completed a ground magnetometer survey on the area as the Fosselli Creek Group. In 1977 and 1978, Bethlehem Copper completed programs of ground electromagnetic surveys, geological mapping, geochemical sampling and 2 percussion drill holes, totalling 213.4 metres, on the area as the Cous Creek property. A sample (4M1-278K) assayed 12 grams per tonne silver, 3.58 per cent copper and 0.06 per cent zinc (Assessment Report 6393).
In 1984, Cous Creek Copper completed a prospecting program on the A, B and D claims. In 1986 and 1987, Alta Management completed programs of geological mapping, a ground magnetometer survey, trenching and geochemical sampling on the Skarn claim. A sample (R-20) of sulphide rich material from a trench assayed 17.2 grams per tonne silver and 7.78 per cent copper, other samples assayed up to 1.2 grams per tonne gold (Assessment Report 16918).
In late 1987 and 1988, Veto Resources completed a program of rock and soil sampling, geological mapping and a ground magnetometer survey on the area. In 1989 and 1990, Simplon Resources completed a program of rock sampling and geological mapping on the Foss 1-2 claims. A 1.2 metre chip sample (R238) from trench 6 yielded 23.7 grams per tonne silver and 5.44 per cent copper, other select samples assayed greater than 10 per cent copper (Assessment Report 20303).
Aquila Energy Corp. entered into a 4-year, 70 per cent interest option agreement in May 2002.
In 2006, Ashworth Explorations prospected the area as the Arrow claim group. In 2009 through 2011, G4G Resources completed programs of geological mapping and rock and soil sampling on the area as the Macktush Copper property. During 2012 through 2014, Nahminto Resources Ltd. completed exploration programs including limited prospecting, rock sampling, geological mapping and a satellite remote sensing survey and analysis on the Macktush group. A similar prospecting, geological mapping and rock sampling program was conducted on areas of the Macktush property for World Organics Inc. in 2015.
