Exceptional Crystals from Konia area

[Dominic]

This was from Polemi a few years ago. I had much younger feet in those days.

crystal.jpg (211.93 KiB) Viewed 2874 times

Once I have posted my blog on the tulip festival, I need to do a non Polemi blog lest I be accused of bias. However, after that I will do one on the crystal hills, as the cache referred to it. Meantime Max, I will send you a PM...

[cyprusmax47]

This was from Polemi a few years ago. I had much younger feet in those days.

crystal.jpg

Once I have posted my blog on the tulip festival, I need to do a non Polemi blog lest I be accused of bias. However, after that I will do one on the crystal hills, as the cache referred to it. Meantime Max, I will send you a PM...

Dominic, please move it to Photo section...
Thank you
Max

[Dominic]

Ta

[Lofos-5]

This is the most important rock known in Cyprus of twinned swallowtail crystals (3-4 m high) near Elediou towards Amargeti on the bit of the old road. Unfortunately people come with tools to knock pieces off. It is Selenite Gypsum (formed 6 mio years ago.)

After having seen this outcrop myself now (thank you!) I also now understand why you gave the very accurate age estimate of 6 million years.

It has to do with the isolation of the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean and the evaporation of Mediterranean sea water.

The deposition of the evaporites (gypsum and other minerals) started in the Upper Miocene (Messinian, 7 Ma).

The formation is called the Kalavasos Formation and is composed of gypsum and gypsiferous marls that cover extensive areas.

Gypsum occurs in four types: sugary (crystalline), laminated (‘marble’), selenite (transparent with large twin crystals) and alabastre (massive semitrasparent).

See: http://www.moa.gov.cy/moa/gsd/gsd.nsf/d ... enDocument

Re the Messinian salinity crisis (which occurred across the whole Med area):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messinian_salinity_crisis

Cyprus really is a geologist's treasure trove!

A.