Episode Details

Interview with Stephen Stares, President & CEO of Benton Resources Inc.

Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/benton-resources-tsxvbex-drilling-impossible-high-grade-holes-in-a-new-major-copper-district-5031

Recording date: 4th April 2024

Benton Resources (TSXV:BEX) offers investors a compelling opportunity to gain exposure to a high-grade copper discovery in the world-class mining jurisdiction of Newfoundland, Canada. The company's flagship Great Burnt project boasts an existing resource of 1.1 million tonnes grading  with recent drilling confirming a higher-grade core to the system.

Highlight intercepts from Benton's 5,000m drill program include 18.2m @ 7.18% Cu and 25.4m @ 5.5% Cu, pointing to the potential for a significant high-grade resource. Importantly, the mineralization remains open in all directions, intersecting 5m @ 1.75% Cu a full 50m down-plunge from the previous drilling.

Benton is fully funded to aggressively grow the Great Burnt resource in 2023 following a recently arranged $3 million placement. This summer's program will focus on step-out drilling to expand the main zone at depth and along strike, as well as testing another six historically drilled targets on the property. These include the South Pond copper-gold zone which hosts a historical resource of 250,000 tons @ 1.5% Cu and 1.5 g/t Au. Low-cost exploration methods such as trenching and sampling will quickly assess the potential of these regional prospects.

Preliminary metallurgical testing by former partner Spruce Ridge demonstrates the potential for strong copper recoveries at Great Burnt, with initial work achieving 83-86% recoveries via standard flotation. While early-stage, these results bode well for the future economics of the project as Benton advances and de-risks the asset.

Copper's critical role in the green energy transition is expected to drive unprecedented demand growth in the coming years, with the market forecast to tip into structural deficit by the late 2020s. This supply gap is creating a compelling opportunity for developers of high-quality copper projects in stable jurisdictions. Benton's Great Burnt checks both these boxes, with a central location, high-grade mineralization, and a major exploration upside.

As Benton delivers drill success and expands the high-grade resource in a rising copper price environment, the project is well-positioned to benefit from growing interest among strategic acquirers seeking long-term copper supply. With a market capitalization below C$20 million, Benton Resources provides a leveraged play on a developing high-grade discovery in a Tier 1 jurisdiction. Positive exploration results in 2024 could quickly put Great Burnt on the map as one of Canada's most exciting new copper projects, making Benton a company to watch for investors seeking outsized copper exposure.

View Benton Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/benton-resources-inc

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