Mr. Stephen Stares reports

BENTON'S PROSPECTING AND TRENCHING PROGRAM RETURNS HIGH-GRADE COPPER AND GOLD RESULTS AT THE SOUTH POND ZONE WITHIN THE GREAT BURNT PROJECT

Benton Resources Inc.'s first pass trenching and prospecting program has returned multiple high-grade copper and gold zones at surface, up to 14 kilometres north from the Great Burnt Main zone, all part of the company's recently acquired Great Burnt copper-gold project in Newfoundland.

Multiple surface grab samples located on or near airborne electromagnetic (AEM) conductors have outlined three significant mineralized areas near the north end of the project, approximately 14 km north of the main Great Burnt Main zone. The surface zones were uncovered by new trenching in the vicinity of 1970s drilling that previously identified copper mineralization. Highlights of selective individual grab samples from three zones were as follows:

• Zone 1 graded up to 5.51 per cent copper (Cu), 5.03 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au), 14.6 g/t silver (Ag) and 0.076 per cent cobalt (Co), and 5.67 per cent copper, 2.65 g/t gold, 12.6 g/t silver and 0.063 per cent cobalt.
• Zone 2, approximately 40 metres southeast in the same trench, graded 2.74 per cent copper, 6.34 g/t gold, 10.4 g/t silver and 0.02 per cent cobalt, and 4.86 per cent copper, 1.64 g/t gold, 11 g/t silver and 0.030 per cent cobalt.
• Zone 3, approximately 35 m south, graded 1.64 per cent copper, 5.92 g/t gold, two g/t silver and 0.023 per cent cobalt.

Several other samples have identified highly anomalous copper zones along a four-kilometre trend, with grades up to 1.26 per cent copper.

See the table entitled "Samples from prospecting/trenching" for significant results from the three exposed zones. The company will proceed to enlarge the exposures of selected mineralized zones to permit geological mapping and channel sampling as much as possible, as weather permits.

The company has also increased its continuing drill program from 4,000 metres to a minimum of 5,000 metres and continues its extensive compilation of historical data, prospecting and soil geochemical sampling to the north of the Great Burnt Main zone.

Drilling from 2016 to 2023 at Great Burnt copper-gold project

The Great Burnt Main zone has a National Instrument 43-101-compliant resource prepared in 2022 for Spruce Ridge Resources Ltd. by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. of 667,000 tonnes (47.2 million pounds (Mlb)) Cu at 3.21 per cent (indicated) and 482,000 tonnes (25 Mlb) Cu at 2.35 per cent (inferred) contained within mining lease 211 (10210M). The Copper resource remains open to the south and at depth. Highlights of the previous drill programs and previously released results from the current program include:

• GB20-05: 27.20 m of 8.06 per cent Cu, including 7.75 m of 16.88 per cent Cu;
• GB20-20: 22.75 m of 6.89 per cent Cu, including 12.55 m of 10.59 per cent Cu;
• GB18-05: 20.94 m of 6.21 per cent Cu, including 6.98 m of 10.71 per cent Cu;
• GB18-06: 9.97 m of 7.45 per cent Cu, including 5.03 m of 11.42 per cent Cu;
• GB16-08: 7.50 m of 9.45 per cent Cu, including three m of 19.30 per cent Cu;
• GB16-09: 5.75 m of 6.68 per cent Cu, including 1.50 m of 11.70 per cent Cu;
• GB23-01: 3.25 m of 4.13 per cent Cu and 4.30 m of 8.01 per cent Cu (Benton 2023 drill hole);
• GB23-02: 13 m of 8.31 per cent Cu, including three m of 12.80 per cent Cu (Benton 2023 drill hole).

Exploration at the South Pond zone has identified potential for both copper and gold along several kilometres of strike. Highlights of the 2021 drill program include:

• SP21-01: 1.69 g/t Au over 51 m, including 3.19 g/t Au over 11 m, within 10 m of surface;
• SP21-03: 2.36 g/t Au over 15 m, including 11.33 g/t Au over one m;
• SP21-08: 1.75 g/t Au over 21.20 m, including 2.82 g/t Au over 10.20 m;
• SP21-11: 1.34 g/t Au over 17.60 m, including 2.48 g/t Au over 4.20 m;
• SP21-14: 2.06 g/t Au over 21 m;
• SP21-16: 1.72 g/t Au over 10 m.

Note: Widths quoted are core length, true widths are estimated at approximately 70 per cent of core lengths.

Qualified person

Stephen House, PGeo, vice-president of exploration for Benton Resources, the qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical disclosure in this news release, and prepared or supervised its preparation.

About Benton Resources Inc.

Benton Resources is a well-financed mineral exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol BEX. Following a project generation business model, Benton has a diversified, highly prospective property portfolio of gold, silver, nickel, copper, platinum group elements and, most recently, lithium and cesium assets. In addition, it currently holds large equity positions in other mining companies that are advancing high-quality assets. Whenever possible, BEX retains net smelter return (NSR) royalties with potential long-term cash flow.

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