Northern Minerals (ASX:NTU) said five diamond drill holes, co-funded through Western Australia's exploration incentive scheme, were completed beneath the high-grade Dazzler deposit's heavy rare earth element mineral resource at its Browns Range heavy rare earths project in Western Australia, according to a Tuesday Australian bourse filing.

An improved litho-structural model developed from the drilling results provides increased geological confidence expected to support an update to the inferred mineral resource estimate, while providing geological context for exploration.

The firm's shares jumped 10% on market close.