The Ash copper-molybdenum prospect is situated on the north side of McBride Creek, 2 kilometres west of the Ashnola River and 32 kilometres southwest of Hedley.

An extensive area northwest of the Ashnola River, between McBride Creek and Cool Creek, is underlain by Middle to Late Cretaceous felsic intrusions that may be subvolcanic equivalents of the Spences Bridge Group. These intrusions are in turn cut by small stocks and dykes of quartz porphyry and quartz diorite to quartz monzonite in the vicinity of McBride Creek. The various intrusives are cut by dacite and andesite dikes.

The country rock in the immediate vicinity of the deposit consists of porphyritic rhyolite containing up to 2 per cent phenocrysts of quartz, albite and potassium feldspar. This unit is intruded by an irregular northeast-trending stock of the Lightning Creek series (?), 600 metres long and 180 metres wide. The stock varies from quartz diorite to quartz monzonite and is zoned. The plug exhibits a coarse-grained, porphyritic core containing quartz, feldspar (andesine), and biotite phenocrysts in a matrix of anhedral, fine-grained quartz and plagioclase, and an outer margin of slightly porphyritic dacite and sugary-textured quartz microgabbro.

Several distinct alteration assemblages are present in the stock and enclosing rhyolite, occurring in concentric zones centred about a magnetite-rich core lying northwest and adjacent to the stock. Magnetite occurs as disseminations and stringers over a 200 by 250 metre area in the core zone. The core is rimmed by an annular zone of phyllic alteration, 4 kilometres wide, consisting of fracture-controlled sericite and quartz. Small zones of argillic alteration and pervasive to fracture-controlled silicification are contained within the phyllic alteration envelope. Weak potassic alteration, in the form of hydrothermal biotite, occurs in the core area and locally throughout the rest of the deposit.

Mineralization consists of pyrite, chalcopyrite and molybdenite in a gangue of quartz, with lesser sericite and sporadic carbonate. Supergene chalcocite and covellite occur in minor amounts. Two distinct phases of sulphide mineralization comprise this deposit. The temporal relationship between these two phases remains uncertain. One phase, enriched in copper and molybdenum, is centred on the quartz diorite stock, occurring within the stock and the surrounding rhyolite. This phase exhibits quartz-pyrite-sericite veins commonly containing chalcopyrite and molybdenite. Chalcopyrite and molybdenite occur as small veinlets in which one or the other or both predominate. Disseminations of pyrite and rare chalcopyrite are also present.

A second phase of copper mineralization is centred about the magnetite-rich core and is characterized by a pyrite-rich halo with an inner diameter of 1.6 kilometres and an outer diameter of 3.2 kilometres. This horseshoe-shaped halo is open to the east and forms an incomplete cylinder with a vertical to near-vertical axis. The halo is situated in the inner part of the phyllic zone, and contains between 2 to 5 per cent pyrite, locally to 10 percent, as disseminations and stringers with minor quartz. Chalcopyrite and minor sporadic molybdenite occur as fracture coatings within the inner phyllic zone, inside the pyritic halo. Total sulphides increase outward across the phyllic zone from 1 to 5 per cent, with pyrite to chalcopyrite ratios increasing outward from 2:1 to 50:1. Better copper grades occur in strongly silicified rocks within the inner phyllic zone, external to the magnetite core. The mineralization and associated alteration are believed represent the upper levels of a porphyry copper system.

A post-mineral diatreme, previously mapped as a lithic tuff, cuts the eastern portion of the deposit, resulting in the characteristic horseshoe-shape of the various zones of sulphide mineralization and alteration. The diatreme outcrops over an elongate area up to 800 metres wide trending north-northwest for 1800 metres, and contains angular to subangular fragments of porphyritic rhyolite up to 10 centimetres in diameter. The clasts are mineralized with chalcopyrite and molybdenite as disseminations and fracture coatings. The enclosing matrix contains only disseminated pyrite.

Diamond drilling over various parts of the deposit has encountered grades of up to 0.18 per cent copper and 0.05 per cent molybdenum over narrow widths (Assessment Report 7827, page 5). A hole drilled in 1968 averaged 0.092 per cent copper and 0.011 per cent molybdenum over 143 metres (National Mineral Inventory card). One of six holes drilled in 1972 averaged 0.17 per cent copper over 152 metres (Assessment Report 4379, page 8). The elevated copper values tend to occur in a zone up to 300 metres wide, trending north-northwest for 1000 metres along the inner edge of the pyritic halo. Five holes drilled in this zone to depths of up to 120 metres averaged 0.1 per cent copper (Assessment Report 5610, page 15). Drilling to depths of 547 metres has shown that copper grades decrease with depth and molybdenum grades increase with depth (Assessment Report 7827).

The Ash prospect was discovered by Kennco Explorations (Western) Ltd. in 1960. Kennco conducted an exploration program consisting of geological mapping, soil geochemical and geophysical surveying, and 914 metres of drilling in nine diamond drill holes. In 1966, the area was restaked by Meridian Exploration Syndicate. Work that year consisted of stream sediment, soil and geophysical surveying, mapping, trenching and approximately 213 metres of diamond drilling. Later, in 1968, Quintana Minerals optioned the property and completed geological mapping and 899 metres of drilling in six drillholes. Prism Resources Ltd. held the property from 1970 to 1978. In 1970, Prism expanded on the geochemical and geophysical surveying conducted by Meridian, as well as geochemical soil sampling, trenching and linecutting. The property was optioned to Getty Mines in 1972, Craigmont Mines in 1973 and E&B Explorations in 1978. In 1976, a geologist from Quintana Minerals examined the property and recommended further geological exploration. Getty completed two trenches and drilled approximately 23 drillholes, only some of which were successful. Three drillholes, totalling 1567 metres, were completed by E&B Explorations in 1979. That same year, Prism Resources carried out an orientation rock geochemical study using samples from existing drillcore. Between 1960 and 1979, up to 5976 metres of drilling was completed by various companies.

In 1988, International Prism Explorations Ltd. carried out geochemical sampling on 95 rock and 7 stream sediment samples in order to assess the deposit for precious metals. A composite sample of old drillcore from an unknown drillhole at the south end of the claim group was also sampled, but no further exploration was recommended. In 1991, Renning and Baldys conducted a small biogeochemical and soil geochemical survey along the north bank of Cat Creek.

Norman L. Tribe staked 32 claims on the Ash, CU (MINFILE 092HSE189) and Cool Creek (MINFILE 092HSE190) showings in July 2003. Between 2004 and 2007, Tribe completed outcrop mapping over a 6 kilometre traverse. In 2011, Tribe optioned the property to Charlotte Resources Ltd. Later that year, Rich River Exploration Ltd. conducted a field exploration program consisting of prospecting and rock, soil and silt sampling.