Metals Creek and Benton More Than Double Newfoundland Natural Hydrogen and Helium Land Position

Metals Creek Resources and Benton Resources have significantly expanded their natural hydrogen and helium exploration footprint in western Newfoundland, more than doubling the size of both the Smoking Gun and Parson’s Pond projects within the Deer Lake Basin. The expansion increases the companies’ combined land position across two of the region’s emerging hydrogen and helium exploration districts. 

At the Smoking Gun Project, the companies expanded the property from 242 claim units to 654 claim units, covering approximately 163.5 square kilometres. The additional claims were acquired to capture favourable geological formations considered prospective for both natural hydrogen and helium accumulation. 

The expansion follows a review of historical drilling and groundwater data that identified highly anomalous helium concentrations, including readings of up to 8,900 parts per billion from water samples collected in historic drill hole 79-67. The area also contains historical reports of high-pressure gas occurrences and geological conditions that may be conducive to gas generation and trapping. 

At the Parson’s Pond Project, the companies increased their holdings from 427 claim units to 641 claim units, covering approximately 160.3 square kilometres. Historical well data from the region documented methane concentrations reaching as high as 72%, while geological features including serpentinite fragments, chromite-bearing units, thrust faults, and deep structural conduits are viewed as potentially favourable indicators for natural hydrogen generation. 

The companies have also engaged geoscientist Neil Pendock to conduct hyperspectral satellite analysis and target generation work. According to the company, reinterpretation of historical drilling data combined with modern satellite-based geochemical mapping identified anomalous hydrogen and helium signatures associated with the historic Seamus #1 and Finnegan #1 wells. 

Future work is expected to focus on soil gas surveys, fracture mapping, and target refinement to identify locations for potential drilling programs. The companies emphasize that while the geological indicators are encouraging, the presence of historical gas occurrences does not confirm the existence of commercial hydrogen or helium accumulations and additional exploration will be required. 

Full press release is attached below:

Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 1, 2026) - Metals Creek Resources Corp. (TSXV: MEK) (OTC Pink: MCREF) (FSE: M1C1) (the "Company" or Metals Creek) and Benton Resources Inc. (TSXV: BEX) (The Companies) are pleased to announce they have substantially increased its land positions in the Deer Lake Basin, more than doubling the size of the Smoking Gun Project expanding from 242 claim units to 654 claim units covering 163.5 km2. The Companies have jointly acquired through staking an additional 214 claim units at Parson's Pond, expanding the project from 427 claim units to 641 claim units, covering 160.3 km2. The additional claims were acquired to cover favorable stratigraphy that could host natural white hydrogen and or helium.

Deer Lake Basin Property Acquisition

The new mineral claims expand the Smoking Gun Project to the Southwest to connect with Mills No.1 drill hole and to the NE to connect with Claybar No. 3 drill hole (Figure 1). The Companies are excited about this new acquisition, as recent research from historical data has revealed highly anomalous helium with values up to 8,900 parts per billion (ppb) ( Table 1) in water collected from an historic drill hole (79-67). This hole is located approximately 11.8 km from drill hole (Mills No. 1) that encountered high pressure gas that flowed for a minimum of 12 months in a basin prospective for uranium-thorium. In addition, several mentions of gas is noted in Claybar No. 3 located 32 km to the NE of drill hole 79-67.
Ref: https://gis.gov.nl.ca/mods/ModsCard.asp?NMINOString?temp=n&NMINOString=012H/03/Btm002

According to assessment report 012H/0748, the Westfield-Northgate-Shell joint venture conducted deep water sampling within these historic holes. Samples of ground water were collected from 5 diamond drill holes with results determined for pH, temperature, U ppb, radon and helium content. Two samples were collected from each hole. One was hermetically sealed at the site in a special container and sent to Chemical Projects Ltd. in Toronto, where a gas sample was extracted and analysed for helium. The second sample was measured on site for pH and Radon (Rn). This sample was then sent to Atlantic Analytical Services Ltd. (Springdale, NL) for analysis of Uranium (U). Results are tabulated below.

Table 1: Water analysis for He in historic holes

Sample No | DDH No | pH | U ppb | Rn cpm | He ppb
  |   |   |   |   | 
WS-61 | 79-56 | 6.3 | 2.00 | 76 |  8.35
WS-62 | 79-57 | 7.1 | 0.70 | 30 |  139.00
WS-63 | 79-59 | 7.4 | 0.80 | 71 |  62.20
WS-64 | 79-67 | 7.5 | 0.15 | 198 |   8,900.00
WS-65 | 79-61 | 7.2 | 0.15 | 80 |  14.90

Ref: https://gis.geosurv.gov.nl.ca/geofilePDFS/Batch09/PDF/012H_0748.pdf

These new licenses all together are now named the Smoking Gun Project located within the Deer Lake Basin, which is thought to be a prospective environment for the presence Helium (He) and Natural (White) Hydrogen (H₂). Historic exploration focused mainly on uranium and hydrocarbons, but with semiconductor expansion and the global energy transition, this has resulted in increased demand for Hydrogen and Helium. A re-evaluation of the Deer Lake Basin has resulted in the identification of areas with ideal geological conditions to host gas. These conditions include thick sequences of sandstones and conglomerates containing uranium, which is necessary to generate helium. When uranium-rich minerals hosted within the sandstones interact with the high-pressure water, the water molecules are split, releasing hydrogen. The expansive presence of mudstones and shales serve as an ideal cap for trapping gas.

Hole 79-67 is located 11.8 km northeast of hole Mills No.1, which produced high pressure gas (Figure 1). With the presence of high-pressure gas in hole Mills No. 1 and highly anomalous helium from water samples in Hole 79-67, this potentially indicates an expansive system with favorable geological conditions for the generation and entrapment of gas.

At Parson's Pond, the company increased it land position to the east to cover the shallower portions of the basin and to the west to cover deeper portions of the Basin (Figure 2). Research of the historical drill logs in two holes 14.2 km apart, have observed C1 methane gas levels reaching 72%. The area is underlain by thrust faulted rocks of the Humber Arm Supergroup. Drill logs indicate unique sedimentary units composed of shales along with sandstones, containing fragments of serpentine and chrome. Of particular interest is the presence of the mineral glauconite, which, combined with these geological indicators, suggests a highly prospective environment for white hydrogen (natural hydrogen) to form within the basin. The presence of such high concentrations of methane alongside hydrogen indicators suggests a potentially active gas system within the basin. In addition, surface areas have been noted to vent gas within the project boundaries.
(Ref. NALCOR ENERGY - OIL AND GAS INC FINAL WELL REPORT For Nalcor Energy et al SEAMUS #1 https://www.gov.nl.ca/em/files/publications-energy-nalcorseamusfwr.pdf and NALCOR ENERGY - OIL AND GAS INC FINAL WELL REPORT For Nalcor Energy et al Finnegan #1 https://www.gov.nl.ca/em/files/FinniganFWR.pdf).

Neil Pendock states that "new exploration data confirms significant natural Hydrogen and Helium systems in Western Newfoundland".

An integrated re-evaluation of advanced satellite imagery and legacy drill data has confirmed highly anomalous concentrations of natural "white" hydrogen (H2) and helium (He) across the Parson's Pond area of western Newfoundland. The findings mark a major milestone for the province's emerging unconventional and clean energy sector.

The target identification program utilizes high-resolution Sentinel-2 spectral endmember mapping calibrated against legacy physical assets, notably the Seamus #1 and Finnegan #1 wells.

Key Findings From the Well Analyses:

• Seamus #1 Well: Originally drilled as a deviated wildcat to 3,160 meters, historical logs confirm this stratigraphic test intersected a highly active gas plumbing system. Modern geochemical processing shows that Seamus is highly anomalous in H2, CO2, and CH4. The hydrogen signature at Seamus is particularly intense, soaring over ten times higher than regional background levels.
• Finnegan #1 Well: Located within the same thrust-faulted complex, Finnegan exhibits a distinct, high-value noble gas and clean energy profile, measuring highly anomalous in He and H2. Finnegan's hydrogen concentrations exceed background baselines by more than threefold, paired with a distinct helium signature that suggests deep-seated basement fault connectivity.

A Multi-Gas Frontier

While western Newfoundland has long been recognized for its classic thermogenic methane (CH4) "shows" and source rocks like the Green Point Shale, this new data shifts the spotlight toward non-hydrocarbon, high-value gas exploration.

The structural architecture of the Parson's Pond area—where allochthonous sedimentary sequences are thrust over deep carbonate platforms—serves as the ideal geological engine for generating natural hydrogen through serpentinization. Simultaneously, deep conduit faults are successfully tapping into the Precambrian basement to channel helium toward the surface.

Next Steps for Exploration

The alignment of physical drill-hole gas anomalies with satellite-derived spectral endmembers allows exploration teams to rapidly deploy predictive mapping across the entire Humber Zone. Immediate field follow-up will include high-density soil gas sampling and localized fracture-network mapping around the Seamus and Finnigan corridors to identify primary drilling targets for natural hydrogen and commercial helium.

Hydrogen and Helium Demand

Hydrogen and helium have seen a significant increase in demand, with more expected in the future. Hydrogen is used as a fuel and a chemical building block, it helps create fertilizer for food, refines the gasoline in your car, and is increasingly being used to power clean trucks and ships as well as fuel for rocket propulsion for the launching of satellites. Helium is the world's ultimate cooler; its super-cold properties are essential for keeping MRI machines running and making the computer chips found in your phone and laptop. AI-driven chip manufacturing is the primary growth engine for helium. Helium keeps our most advanced technology and medical equipment functioning.

In the neighboring province of Nova Scotia, companies such as Quebec Innovative Metals Corp are having success in the search for Natural Hydrogen. This success has generated further exploration in similar geological environments to that of the projects mentioned above.

Please note that the presence of gas or methane on these staked projects or gas discovered on adjacent properties does not guarantee the presence of hydrogen or helium. Further studies are required to validate their presence.

About Metals Creek Resources Corp.

Metals Creek Resources Corp. is a junior exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario, is a reporting issuer in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, and has its common shares listed for trading on the Exchange under the symbol "MEK". Metals Creek holds a 50% interest in the Ogden Gold Property with Discovery Silver holding the remaining 50%. The Ogden Gold Property includes the former Naybob Gold mine and is located 6 km south of Timmins, Ontario and has an 8 km strike length of the prolific Porcupine-Destor Fault (P-DF).

Metals Creek also has multiple quality projects available for option which can be viewed on the Company's website. Parties interested in seeking more information about properties available for option can contact the Company at the number below.

Additional information concerning the Company is contained in documents filed by the Company with securities regulators, available under its profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Alexander (Sandy) Stares, President and CEO
Metals Creek Resources Corp
709-424-1141
MetalsCreek.com
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