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TORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Canadian mineral explorer Noront Resources leaped 17 percent on Monday, after the company announced the highest grade nickel drilling results so far from its Double Eagle project in northern Ontario, and said it had also found notable gold levels within the samples.

The company's shares have risen tenfold since August, when Noront announced high-grade nickel and copper mineralization at the property, located in the remote James Bay region of northern Ontario, about 900 km (560 miles) from Toronto.

Noront said on Monday it had uncovered nickel grading 7.91 percent along a 35-metre zone of hole 27, the highest concentration yet from its drilling program, along with 3.45 percent copper and 3.87 grams per tonne of gold.

"This hole is quite significant as it contains high gold values within the massive sulphide zone not seen in earlier holes," Noront said in a release.

At mid-afternoon, the company's stock was up 58 cents at $4.03 on the TSX Venture Exchange.

The results last year prompted other explorers to rush in and stake claims, and have driven up shares of other players with properties in the region. Their stocks also shot higher on Monday.

MacDonald Mines was up 11 percent at 61 Canadian cents, Spider Resources rose 15 percent to 11.5 Canadian cents, and KWG Resources was up 13 percent at 9 Canadian cents, with all trading at several times normal volume.