Mr. Stephen Stares of Benton reports

BENTON ADVISED THAT KILLICK LITHIUM PROJECT ANNOUNCES ACADEMIC RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP WITH RESEARCH GRANTS AWARDED TOTALING $1.32 MILLION OVER 3 YEARS

The Killick lithium property, jointly owned by Benton Resources Inc., Sokoman Minerals Corp. and Piedmont Lithium Inc. through Vinland Lithium Inc., will be collaborating in a total of $1,322,000 in NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) grants to conduct research studies on the Killick lithium property in southern Newfoundland. The three-year project, entitled "The origin of lithium resources in Southern Newfoundland," began April 1, 2024. The work is led by researchers from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and Memorial University of Newfoundland. Additional contributions from partner organizations will include staff and resources from Sokoman, Benton and Piedmont, as well as geoscientists from the Geological Survey (government of Newfoundland and Labrador). The grant was awarded by the NSERC Alliance Missions Grants special call for projects related to critical minerals research. To increase the supply of responsibly sourced critical minerals and support the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy, Canada's critical minerals strategy was released in December, 2022, with the intent of continuing to provide foundational support to Canada's mining sector to take advantage of existing and emerging opportunities. Among the 31 minerals that Canada considers critical, Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy identified six minerals (including lithium) which were initially prioritized for their distinct potential to spur Canadian economic growth and their necessity as inputs for priority supply chains.

A key benefit of this research will be the opportunity for research students to receive academic training and apply their knowledge to an active exploration project. The students will be trained in field methods, data collection techniques and scientific communication -- highly sought after skills required for qualified geoscientists to undertake mineral exploration and geoscience research on critical mineral systems in Canada.

Timothy Froude, PGeo, president and chief executive officer of Sokoman Minerals, states: "We are thrilled this academic collaboration was awarded this substantial amount of funding directed towards the understanding the lithium and associated critical minerals systems we discovered on the Killick lithium project. It's the type of work that rarely gets performed on mineral discoveries as most of the funds raised and spent in the normal course of the vast majority of exploration projects, is focused on delivering assays and drill results to the market. To add the in-depth research that the teams led by Dr. Donnelly Archibald at St. Francis Xavier University, Drs Eric Thiessen and David Lowe at Memorial University, in harmony with the partner organizations, will certainly aid in our search for additional lithium and associated critical minerals at Killick as well as regionally."

Stephen Stares, president and chief executive officer of Benton, states: "We are elated that such a highly skilled team of professionals will assist in advancing the understanding of our discovery through the critical metal's initiatives set forth by our various institutions. We look forward to the findings in our collective participation."

The main research objective is to better understand the geological controls on the formation of lithium-rich rocks in southern Newfoundland to better inform exploration targeting practices and promote lithium discovery. Addressing this primary objective involves a multidisciplinary investigation into (i) the processes controlling the transport of lithium from its source to host rocks, (ii) the magmatic emplacement processes that resulted in the formation of the lithium-rich rocks, (iii) the lithium source(s), (iv) structure and deformation that controls the present expression of lithium-rich rocks and (v) the character and extent of associated metamorphic aureoles. The combination of field work, mineralogy, geochronology, geochemistry, structural geology, regional geology, tectonics, sedimentology and economic geology will yield a holistic model for the evolution of lithium pegmatite systems. Taken together, the new data and interpretations coupled with the spatiotemporal relationship of regional geological context will help us to understand the petrogenesis of lithium pegmatites in southern Newfoundland.

QP (qualified person)

Mr. 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. Benton has a diversified, highly prospective property portfolio and holds large equity positions in other mining companies that are advancing high-quality assets.

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