** Shares of Encounter Resources ENR.AX rise as much as 19.1% to A$0.405, their highest levels since Nov 21
** The mineral explorer reports thick high-grade niobium mineralisation at its Aileron project in West Arunta, Western Australia
** Says drilling results establish vast potential for further discoveries along key mineralising faults in West Arunta
** More than 2.2 mln shares change hands, 3.1 times the 30-day avg volume of 696,000 shares
** Stock up 26.7% YTD, including current session's moves
(Reporting by Nikita Maria Jino in Bengaluru)
((Nikita.Jino@thomsonreuters.com;))