Mr. Stephen Stares reports

BENTON CONTINUES TO EXPAND THE GREAT BURNT COPPER DEPOSIT, DISCOVERS NEW COPPER-GOLD ZONE AND IDENTIFIES NEW 2 KM LONG GOLD IN SOIL ANOMALY

Benton Resources Inc.'s phase 3 diamond drill program continues to intercept massive sulphide, expanding the deposit approximately 150 metres downplunge and along strike to the south at the Great Burnt deposit. The company has now completed 3,840 metres (m) in 10 holes, with seven of the 10 holes intersecting massive sulphide.

The company has also received preliminary gold assays for the South Pond area, where new well-mineralized zones have been trenched with exciting gold (Au) grades up to 9.91 g/t (grams per tonne) Au and 5.19 g/t Au, with base metal results still pending. As a result of the exciting new gold grades, extensive channel sampling is currently under way.

In addition to these exciting new targets, the company has received its first set of soil sampling results, which have identified a new two-kilometre-long trend of anomalous gold in soil, which will be immediately followed up on. Base metal values for the soils are also expected soon.

Highlights from the continuing phase 3 exploration program are:

• Drill testing the down plunge of the Great Burnt main deposit has been very successful, with multiple new massive sulphide intercepts, up to 11.5 m;
• Regional soil geochemical sampling has identified a new unexplored gold trend;
• Trenching, washing, mapping and channel sampling a portion of the South Pond deposit have been completed, with assays pending;
• Trenching, washing, mapping and channel sampling on an extensive number of regional targets, with early new results up to 9.91 g/t Au and 5.18 g/t Au in grab samples;
• New massive sulphide zones have been discovered in bedrock, with sampling under way;
• Continuing interpretation of historic and new geophysical data to generate targets for additional work.

Highlights from the Benton's first two phases at the Great Burnt deposit include:

• GB-23-02: 13.0 m of 8.31 per cent copper (Cu), including 3.0 m of 12.80 per cent Cu
• GB-23-04: 26.87 m of 7.18 per cent Cu, including 11.16 m of 10.28 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-07: 12.30 m of 7.20 per cent Cu, including 7.0 m 10.60 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-12: 25.42 m of 5.51 per cent Cu, including 1.0 m of 8.77 per cent Cu, 82.0 g/t silver (Ag) and 4.43 g/t Au;
• GB-23-15: 22.59 m of 5.03 per cent Cu, including 0.50 m of 20.0 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-16: 13.67 m of 5.80 per cent Cu, including 1.0 m of 20.60 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-18: 8.17 m of 4.22 per cent Cu, including 7.05 m of 4.11 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-21: 24.0 m of 5.81 per cent Cu, including 7.0 m of 11.47 per cent Cu;
• GB-23-22: 21.68 m of 3.59 per cent Cu, including 2.0 m of 15.3 per cent Cu;
• GB-24-23: 7.0 m of 2.02 per cent Cu, including 4.0 m of 3.01 per cent Cu;
• GB-24-32: 11.29 m of 3.10 per cent Cu, including 6.63 m of 5.57 per cent Cu;
• GB-24-33: 20.92 m of 2.26 per cent Cu, including 2.98 m of 4.17 per cent Cu;
• GB-24-37: 18.10 m of 1.99 per cent Cu, including 4.50 m of 7.24 per cent Cu.

Note that the widths quoted are true core length; true widths are estimated at approximately 70 per cent of core lengths.

QA/QC (quality assurance/quality control) protocols

Core and rock samples, including standards, blanks and duplicates, are submitted to Eastern Analytical Ltd., Springdale, Nfld., for preparation and analysis. All samples were acquired by sawcut (channels/drill core), with one-half submitted for assay and one-half retained for reference, or hand (rocks) and delivered, by Benton personnel, in sealed bags, to the Springdale lab of Eastern Analytical, which is an accredited assay lab that conforms to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Samples are analyzed using Eastern's Au (fire assay) at 30 grams (g) plus ICP-34 method, which delivers a 34-element package utilizing a 200-milligram (mg) subsample totally dissolved in four acids and analyzed by ICP-OES analytical technique. Overlimits are analyzed with Eastern's atomic absorption method, using a 0.200 g to 2.00 g of sample, digested with three acids. All reported assays are uncut. Eastern achieved ISO 17025 accreditation in February, 2014.

Qualified person

Stephen House (PGeo), vice-president of exploration for Benton, 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 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. Whenever possible, Benton retains net smelter return (NSR) royalties with potential long-term cash flow.

Benton is focused on advancing its high-grade copper-gold Great Burnt project in central Newfoundland, which has a mineral resource estimate of 667,000 tonnes at 3.21 per cent Cu indicated and 482,000 at 2.35 per cent Cu inferred. The project has an excellent geological setting covering 25 km of strike and boasts six known Cu-Au-Ag zones over 15 km that are all open for expansion. Further potential for discovery is excellent given the extensive number of untested geophysical targets and Cu-Au soil anomalies. Phase 1 and phase 2 drill programs returned impressive results, including 25.42 m of 5.51 per cent Cu, including 9.78 m of 8.31 per cent Cu and 1.0 m of 12.70 per cent Cu.

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