NEWS RELEASE

MAINLAND APPOINTS MICHAEL J. NEWPORT AS CEO AND DIRECTOR

Houston, Texas - February 14, 2011- Mainland Resources, Inc. (the ?Company? or ?Mainland?) (OTCQB: MNLU, Frankfurt: 5MN) announces that effective immediately, Michael J. Newport has been appointed to the position of CEO and Director of the Company.

Mike Newport has served Mainland since 2007 as President, leveraging his success as an integral part of the Company?s initial development and later, with the sale of Mainland?s then only major asset in the Haynesville Shale Region of Louisiana.

Under Mr. Newport?s direct guidance, the Company discovered and developed a Haynesville Shale play in the East Holly Field in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. Mainland developed the field by drilling and completing five Haynesville Shale gas wells with New York stock exchange listed Petrohawk Energy Corporation. Mr. Newport negotiated a credit facility with Guggenheim Partners LLC to fund the drilling of these Haynesville wells.  As the lead negotiator, Mr. Newport also arranged the sale of Mainland?s interest in the Haynesville Shale in a single transaction for over $28 million to Exco Operating Company (a subsidiary of Exco Resources, also a NYSE listed company).

Mr. Newport negotiated 100% retention of the shallower zones in the asset sale, which included the Hosston, Cotton Valley, and Upper Bossier formations. The Company recently disclosed that Ryder Scott Company Petroleum Consultants identified Net Possible Undeveloped Reserves of 60 Bcf (Billion Cubic Feet )of gas and 226,000 barrels of condensate/oil, based on SEC guidelines and pricing as of December 2010, on the retained acreage.

Mr. Newport also initiated negotiations with Guggenheim Partners LLC of New York, which resulted in the firm?s financing of Mainland?s leases of its Mississippi acreage where its Burkley Phillips #1 well was recently drilled. He also facilitated Guggenheim Partner?s 8% direct working interest investment in the project.

Mike Newport states, ?As our first well in Mississippi enters the next phase, the Company is now preparing for what we feel is a very large project. Moving forward, I am excited to again assume the leadership position and looking forward to repeating our success.?

Mr. Newport started his career with Amoco in their New Orleans office in 1979. He was actively involved in supervising brokers and writing all forms of Land Contracts for North and South Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

He became a District Landman for Harkins & Company in their Jackson, Mississippi office and the next four years with Harkins at their Oklahoma City office, where he was responsible for assembling drilling prospects and all land activities associated with operations across the entire Gulf Coast Region.

Mr. Newport joined Greenhill Petroleum in 1989 in Houston, Texas, where he was the Land Manager in their Permian Basin Region operations. In addition to Land Management activities, he was actively involved in acquisitions and divestitures for Greenhill. Mr. Newport has also spent thirteen years managing brokers for West Texas, South Texas, East Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and North Louisiana, as well as performing all land management activities for various operators actively drilling and completing wells in these areas.

Mike Newport received a BBA in Finance in June of 1977, an MBA degree in August of 1978 and also completed hours for a Petroleum Land Management degree in May of 1979, all from the University of Oklahoma.

Nick Atencio, has tendered his resignation as CEO and as a Director of the Board, but will continue to actively serve the Company as a technical consultant. Mainland?s management and board wish to thank Mr. Atencio for his contribution to the complex process involved in successfully drilling the Burkley Phillips #1 well, now the seventh deepest well drilled on the North American continent in 2010.

About Mainland Resources, Inc.

Mainland Resources, Inc. is engaged in the exploration of oil and gas resources. The Company?s current initiatives are focused on the acquisition and development of acreage in emerging and early developing oil and gas regions with the potential for material discoveries.

For information see: http://www.mainlandresources.com
Symbol: MNLU ? OTCQB, Symbol: 5MN; Frankfurt, WKN No.: A0ND6N
Contact: Investor Relations (USA)        
Toll-Free North America +1-877-662-3668                                
Investor Relations (Europe)
Tel. +49-69-7593-8408                                        

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAINS ?FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS?, AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION 27A OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND SECTION 21E OF THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED. STATEMENTS IN THIS NEWS RELEASE, WHICH ARE NOT PURELY HISTORICAL, ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INCLUDE ANY STATEMENTS REGARDING BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS OR INTENTIONS REGARDING THE FUTURE.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM ANY FUTURE RESULTS, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. STATEMENTS THAT ARE NOT HISTORICAL FACTS, INCLUDING STATEMENTS THAT ARE PRECEDED BY, FOLLOWED BY, OR THAT INCLUDE SUCH WORDS AS ?ESTIMATE,? ?ANTICIPATE,? ?BELIEVE,? ?PLAN? OR ?EXPECT? OR SIMILAR STATEMENTS ARE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS.  RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES FOR THE COMPANY INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OIL AND GAS PROPERTY EXPLORATION AND FUNDING AS WELL AS THE RISKS SHOWN IN THE COMPANY?S MOST RECENT ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K AND ITS QUARTERLY REPORTS ON FORM 10-Q, AND FROM TIME-TO-TIME IN OTHER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION REGARDING THE COMPANY.  OTHER RISKS INCLUDE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE REGULATORY APPROVAL PROCESS, COMPETITIVE COMPANIES, FUTURE CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS AND THE COMPANY?S ABILITY AND LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR ITS EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES.  THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT THE COMPANY?S EXPLORATION EFFORTS WILL SUCCEED AND THE COMPANY WILL ULTIMATELY ACHIEVE COMMERCIAL SUCCESS.  THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE MADE AS OF THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, AND THE COMPANY ASSUMES NO OBLIGATION TO UPDATE THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, OR TO UPDATE THE REASONS WHY ACTUAL RESULTS COULD DIFFER FROM THOSE PROJECTED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY BELIEVES THAT THE BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS AND INTENTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS NEWS RELEASE ARE REASONABLE, THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THOSE BELIEFS, PLANS, EXPECTATIONS OR INTENTIONS WILL PROVE TO BE ACCURATE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER ALL OF THE INFORMATION SET FORTH HEREIN AND SHOULD ALSO REFER TO THE RISK FACTORS DISCLOSED IN THE COMPANY?S PERIODIC REPORTS FILED FROM TIME-TO-TIME WITH THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION.
THIS NEWS RELEASE HAS BEEN PREPARED BY MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY WHO TAKES FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTS. EACH OF FINRA, THE SEC AND THE BRITISH COLUMBIA SECURITIES COMMISSION NEITHER APPROVES NOR DISAPPROVES OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.  THIS NEWS RELEASE SHALL NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR THE SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY NOR SHALL THERE BE ANY SALE OF THESE SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH OFFER, SOLICITATION OR SALE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL PRIOR TO REGISTRATION OR QUALIFICATION UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY SUCH JURISDICTION.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC
THE COMPANY AND AMERICAN EXPLORATION CORPORATION INTEND TO FILE CERTAIN MATERIALS WITH THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED MERGER TRANSACTION BETWEEN THE PARTIES ANNOUNCED ON MARCH 23, 2010, INCLUDING THE FILING BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT ON FORM S-4, WHICH WILL INCLUDE A PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS AND RELATED MATERIALS TO REGISTER THE SECURITIES OF THE COMPANY TO BE ISSUED IN EXCHANGE FOR SECURITIES OF AMERICAN EXPLORATION. THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT WILL INCORPORATE A JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/ PROSPECTUS THAT THE COMPANY AND AMERICAN EXPLORATION PLAN TO FILE WITH THE SEC AND MAIL TO THEIR RESPECTIVE STOCKHOLDERS IN CONNECTION WITH OBTAINING STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL OF THE PROPOSED MERGER. THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, AMERICAN EXPLORATION, THE MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS WILL BE ABLE TO OBTAIN FREE COPIES OF THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BY THE COMPANY AND AMERICAN EXPLORATION, THROUGH THE WEB SITE MAINTAINED BY THE SEC AT WWW.SEC.GOV.  THE COMPANY?S SECURITY HOLDERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE INFORMATION AT AN APPROPRIATE TIME ON HOW TO OBTAIN THESE DOCUMENTS FREE OF CHARGE FROM THE COMPANY. IN ANY EVENT, DOCUMENTS FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC MAY BE OBTAINED FREE OF CHARGE BY CONTACTING THE COMPANY AT: MAINLAND RESOURCES, INC.; ATTENTION: MR. WILLIAM THOMAS, CFO; 21 WATERWAY AVENUE, SUITE 300, THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS 77380; FACSIMILE: (713) 583-1162.
EACH OF THE COMPANY AND AMERICAN EXPLORATION, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, ALSO MAY BE DEEMED TO BE PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE STOCKHOLDERS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION DESCRIBED HEREIN. INFORMATION REGARDING THE SPECIAL INTERESTS OF THESE DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS IN THE TRANSACTION DESCRIBED HEREIN WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

For more information, please contact:

Mainland Resources, Inc.
Tel: 1.877.662.3668                

info@mainlandresources.com
www.mainlandresources.com