The CQ occurrence is located approximately 0.5 kilometre west of the southwestern end of McClinchy Lake.

The region is underlain to the west by the Coast Crystalline Belt and to the east by Mesozoic and Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks. A hybrid zone along the eastern margin of the Coast Crystalline Belt contains elements of both terranes. In this zone, Mesozoic rocks have been incorporated into the plutons and are overlain by Tertiary volcanic rocks. The degree of metamorphism and deformation of the Intermontane Belt supracrustal rocks increases towards the Coast Crystalline Belt.

The showing occurs within the hybrid zone, where volcanic rocks, probably part of the Jurassic Hazelton Group, have been intruded and metasomatized by diorite, quartz monzonite and quartz feldspar porphyry. This assemblage is intruded by dikes of varying compositions ranging from leucogranite to intermediate to mafic dikes.

At least five diatreme breccia zones have been recognized in the area and have associated chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite and minor molybdenite. Detailed work on one of the diatremes indicates that most of the sulphide mineralization is associated with late quartz veining. Alteration accompanying sulphide mineralization ranges from propylitic (chloritic) to local phyllic and argillic assemblages.

In 1983, rock samples from the Breccia 1 zone assayed up to 0.75 per cent copper and 7.2 grams per tonne silver (Sample CQ001; Assessment Report 11596).

In 1972, Cardwell Resources completed 10.5 line-kilometres of a combined airborne electromagnetic survey on the area as the McClinchy property. In 1983, Western Horizons Resources completed a program of rock sampling and geological mapping on the area as the Copper Queen claim. In 1994, Trans Atlantic Resources prospected the area. In 2011, Seaborne Minerals completed a 901.0 line-kilometre airborne geophysical survey on the area. In 2013 and 2015, minor programs of soil sampling and prospecting were completed.