The mineral deposits in the Guanajuato area are classic fissure-hosted low-sulphidation epithermal gold-silver-bearing quartz veins and stockwork. Mineralization of economic importance consists of fine-grained disseminations of acanthite, electrum, aguilarite, and naumannite with accessory pyrite, and relatively minor sphalerite, galena, and chalcopyrite. Gangue minerals include quartz, calcite, adularia, and sericite. The veins are accompanied by hydrothermal alteration consisting of argillic, phyllic, silicic, and propylitic facies. Mineral textures in this zone are typically fracture-filling, drusy, and coliform masses.

Guanajuato
At Guanajuato, Cenozoic volcanic and volcanogenic sediments unconformably overlie the Mesozoic basement rocks. In the area, the oldest Cenozoic unit is the Paleocene Comanja granite, (66 Ma – 56 Ma), this was followed by the Eocene extrusion of andesite (56 Ma – 33.9 Ma) which was sporadically deposited and contemporaneous with the deposition of the Guanajuato conglomerate in localized grabens. The Guanajuato conglomerate underlies an unconformity beneath a sequence of felsic to mafic volcanic rocks that consist of Oligocene ignimbrites, lava flows and domes (33.9 Ma – 23 Ma).

The best mineralization is often found related to bends in the Veta Madre orientation (Barclay, 2007 and Rhys, 2013) such as at San Vicente in the Rayas area, and at Cata and Santa Margarita. These structural bends may be due to changes in rock type competencies, and varying thickness of the diorite dyke. The potential to find further mineralization both laterally, and in parallel breccia structures to know precious metal mineralization zones is considered excellent.

The vertical extent of the deposits at Guanajuato spans over 700m (2,200m to 1,500m elevations and open to depth). Mineralization occurring above 2,100m elevation was termed “upper ore”, between 2,100m and 1,700m “lower ore”, and below the 1,700m elevation “deep ore”. Fluid inclusion microscope work from over 850 samples gather through the mine and in deep drilling from the Santa Margarita area, indicated boiling zones from the 2,100m to 1500m (deepest drilling at the GMC) elevations. Structural observations of up to eight stages of crosscutting brecciation, and the variable range of Ag:Au ratios indicate that the mineralization along the Veta Madre is associated with multi-phase structural activity and fluid flow.

San Ignacio
The San Ignacio property is underlain by a monotonous package of basalt (Kbas) and andesite (Kanlf) volcanic rocks belonging to the lower Cretaceous La Luz andesite (Randall R. et al., 1994; Stewart, 2006; Baker, 2012). The basalt generally has subtle to well-developed pillow structures that are locally flattened. In a few localities, inter-pillow hyaloclastite is present and is characterized by a fine breccia composed of devitrified glass shards in a fine groundmass. Primary layering and tops-up indicators are generally difficult to determine from the small outcrops typical of the property, but according to Stewart (2006), the San Ignacio property stratigraphy is not overturned.

The most important phase of mineralization in the Guanajuato district consists of epithermal silver-gold veins contained within northwest-trending, Cenozoic-age faults. La Luz structure consists of numerous mineralized fractures in a northwesterly trending orientation, which extends for a known strike of approximately 8 km long. Historically productive veins on the property include Veta Melladito, and Veta Purisima. Veins identified in the recent Great Panther drilling are the Melladito, Melladito BO, Intermediate, Intermediate 2, Nombre de Dios, Nombre de Dios 1.5, Nombre de Dios 2, Nombre de Dios 2S, Nombre de Dios 3, Melladito South, 700, Purisima, Purisima HW, Purisima Int., Purisima Bo, and Santo Nino. Mineralization is contained within tabular veins, vein stockwork, and breccias. The sixteen veins with structural continuity inferred from surface mapping and diamond drilling from surface, and now with extensive underground development, have been defined up to 2,200 meters along strike and 150 meters down dip. The Melladito and Intermediate veins(6) of the veins are very steeply dipping, the Nombre de Dios veins (5) are shallowly dipping (45-50 degrees west) and are likely off-shoots of the Intermediate veins, and the Purisima veins (5) are shallowly dipping at 45-50 degrees to the west. The veins are accompanied by hydrothermal alteration, consisting of argillic, phyllic, silicic, and propylitic facies.

Guanajuato Mine
Mining at Guanajuato predominantly comprises cut and fill stoping, with some pillar recovery in historic workings, and a few zones where ore extensions are discovered and mined over a period of a few months. Mining is generally more selective using jacklegs. However, where possible, mechanized cut and fill is utilized.

Two main shafts serve access to the active mine areas, while several other old shafts provide ventilation support. The Rayas shaft is used for transportation of personnel and supplies, while the Cata shaft, located just above the processing plant is used to transport the mineralized material for milling. These are currently de-energized and access of men and materials and egress of ore is via the Rayas ramps, San Vicente and Guanajuatito that provide the access at each end of the mine network, including for mobile equipment.

Rock integrity at Guanajuato is considered favorable, but occasionally roof support, in form of rock bolting, and very occasionally wire mesh, is required.

Mining is conducted by contractors, primarily sourced from nearby communities, utilizing equipment owned by the Company and the contractors. Mine contractors and equipment are alternated between the mines, including San Ignacio, to accommodate the mining sequencing.

San Ignacio Mine
The mining method is mechanized cut and fill, with fill provided by waste development. Jacklegs are used in stopes for vertical to 70 degree production holes, and if necessary the hanging wall can be blasted to create a 2.0 metre wide stope. Forced air ventilation uses electric fans, and sump pumps operate at 50-60 gpm removing mine water. The two electric air compressors deliver 1,000 cfm at 100 psi. The mine’s electric power is supplied by the Mexican national grid.

Mineralized material is trucked to the Cata processing plant using highway rated trucks with 20 tonne payload.

Crushing & Grinding Circuits
The ore from the 1,000-tonne capacity hopper is transferred along a 48-inch-wide belt to a 24 inch by 36-inch PettiBone jaw crusher where the 12-inch feed is reduced to less than 3-inch diameter. The feed from the jaw crusher exits along a 36-inchwide belt and feeds a 6 ft wide by 20 ft long double bed vibrating Ludowici screen. The Ludowici screen separates the feed by size with the upper bed separating material greater than 1 inch and the lower bed separating material less than ¼ inch. This ¼ inch “fine” material is then fed along a 24-inch belt to a hopper prior to grinding (currently feed on average of 88% less than ¼ to the mill). The over size from the Ludowici screen is fed to a Metso (300HP) secondary cone crusher for further size reduction which is then fed back to the Ludowici screen along a 24-inch belt to ensure the material is the appropriate size for the mill. The crushing circuit has a backup Simmons 5½ short head cone crusher that is utilized as needed.

Milling
Immediately after the crushing, the ore is stored in a series of "fines hoppers" which has a capacity of 1,800 tonnes. This material passes through chutes at the bottom of the hopper to feed three 24-inch-wide belts where the material is weighed (continuous weighing scale) and fed into three twin Denver of 7 ft by 14 ft ball-mills which are coated inside by a chromiummolybdenum alloy shield on the surface of the cylinder and natural rubber on the "heads". The grinding material used in these mills are 2.5-inch diameter high chrome alloy cast balls. The ¼ inch crushed material enters the ball mill where the movement, impacts and attrition from the balls promotes the wet pulverization of the mineral which is discharged by the mill as a "thick mineral pulp" where approximately 70% of the material by weight is solid and the remaining 30% is water. This thick mineral pulp is then diluted by adding water and feeds into 4 by 3-inch Krebs pumps where the material then feeds a series of Gmax G10 hydro-cyclone classifiers (two cyclones per mill) which carry out the classification of fines before entering the flotation circuit (75% of the material passing minus 200 meshes with automatic sampling). The average content of this material is 28% solid by weight and 72% water. The oversize material is returned to the mill for re-grinded in the closed circuit which has a "circulating load" of 350% thus ensuring the best release of the particles of interest. At this stage of grinding, reagents are added as the ore entersthe mills. This includes the addition of two specific reagents which promote the recovery of gold and silver (promoter MaxGold 900 and promoter 7310, both Cyteg brand products).

Mineral feed from both the Guanajuato Mine and San Ignacio Mine are processed at the GMC metallurgical plant at the Guanajuato Mine.

The processing plant utilized five stages as follows: crushing, milling, flotation, thickening and filtering and produces a concentrate of iron sulphide (pyrite) with high values of gold and silver which are marketed and sold as the final product?

Flotation Circuits
After grinding and conditioning by the initial reagents the material enters a 20 cubic meter capacity tank where additional reagents are added (promoter, collector and surfactant, Promoter 7310, Aerophine 3416 both Cyteg and cc-1065 SF surfactant brand PQM) and agitation incorporates these reagents into the mineral pulp. This material then enters the primary rougher flotation cells consisting of two stirred cell tanks that are 5 cubic metres each (made by Outotec) where a primary concentrate is obtained (paddled and spills over the edge of both cells where it is col ........