Benton Resources Inc. and its 50% joint venture partner, Metals Creek Resources Corp., have identified four new hydrogen and helium soil gas anomalies across the Smoking Gun and Parson's Pond projects in western Newfoundland.

The preliminary findings stem from a regional soil gas sampling program involving 710 samples collected over a two-week period. The field work was overseen by Rudy Willick of Rudiger Re-Chem and analyzed for hydrogen, helium, neon, carbon dioxide, and C1 to C4 hydrocarbons.

At the Parson's Pond property, the program delineated two significant hydrogen soil gas anomalies within the central portion of the project. Values reached up to 900 parts per million hydrogen, with sampling in the Parson's Pond Lake area identifying hydrogen concentrations above 400 parts per million in soils near historical subsurface gas occurrences.

The Smoking Gun property yielded two broad anomalies in the Deer Lake Basin, returning hydrogen values up to 600 parts per million and helium values up to 7.7 parts per million. The joint venture partners noted that several samples exhibited a strong spatial association between hydrogen and helium, pointing toward a potentially common source.

The two properties are held through a 50% joint venture, forming part of Benton Resources Inc.’s broader corporate focus on advancing hydrogen and helium assets on the west coast of Newfoundland alongside its Dominion, Victoria West/South, and Stoney Caldera projects. The partners also expanded the Smoking Gun project in September 2026 by staking an additional 262 claim units in the Deer Lake Basin.

Following the compilation of the soil gas results, Benton Resources and Metals Creek plan to design an inaugural drill program at the Smoking Gun project to test the newly identified targets. The partners also intend to conduct further exploration and potential passive soil gas sampling to the north and south of the Parson's Pond area to further delineate potential gas sources.

Read the full announcement: Benton and Metals Creek Announce Anomalous Concentrations of Hydrogen-Helium Soil Gas at Smoking Gun and Parson's Pond Projects, Newfoundland