Benton Resources Inc. and Metals Creek Resources Corp. have expanded the Smoking Gun Hydrogen-Helium Project in western Newfoundland by acquiring an additional 262 claim units through staking in the Deer Lake Basin.

The 50% joint venture partners previously more than doubled the Smoking Gun project in June 2026 to 654 claim units covering 163.5 square kilometres, part of an active land accumulation strategy across prospective Newfoundland sedimentary basins that also includes the Parson's Pond project.

The partners are currently awaiting analytical results from a recently completed regional soil gas sampling program at Smoking Gun and Parson's Pond. That sampling work was overseen by Rudy Willick of Rudiger Re-Chem from Neuanlage, Saskatchewan.

Once the soil gas results are compiled and evaluated, Benton Resources and Metals Creek plan to design an inaugural drill program to test favourable targets for natural hydrogen and helium within the basin.

Both projects sit within prospective sedimentary basins that have historically seen minimal exploration for hydrogen and helium. The Deer Lake Basin is interpreted as a favourable environment to host both elements, featuring porous sandstones and conglomerates capped by mudstones and shales.

In addition to sedimentary traps, the presence of chrome and serpentine alongside associated groundwater provides the chemical mechanism required to produce natural hydrogen, while regional fault structures offer the necessary migration pathways for gas to reach structural traps.

Further studies remain necessary to validate the presence of hydrogen or helium at the project. The companies note that the presence of gas or methane on staked ground, or gas discoveries on adjacent properties, does not guarantee the presence of hydrogen or helium.

Read the full announcement: Benton and Metals Creek Acquire an Additional 262 Claim Units at Smoking Gun Hydrogen-Helium in Newfoundland, Awaiting Final Results from the Gas Sampling Program