Paphos Life

While researching for new places to visit, we stumbled across references to a Quartz Mine in Eledio, a village not far from Polemi. This sort of thing is right up our alley, so we packed our camera and set off in the trusty Pajero...

Read the article and chat about it below...
 

Very interesting and really enjoyed this blog. Thanks.

In my opinion the very deep hole could have been an ancient gypsum roasting kiln to extract certain minerals or to produce building materials...

copy from Cyprus geological heritage:

"Gypsum has been used as a construction material for centuries. Archaeological excavations in the western part of the island (Ambelikou village) as well as in the eastern part of the island (Salamis) revealed that gypsum was used since 4000 BC. Its original treatment (roasting) was done in primitive kilns. Gypsum has a variety of uses including ceiling and wall decorations, heat insulation, medicine, dentistry, art, agriculture, metallurgy etc. After 1950, an industrial unit was formed in Cyprus producing gypsum boards. This unit lasted for less than 10 years because there was a prejudice at that time against gypsum. Gypsum is produced today in Cyprus in the form of plaster and filler. A significant amount of gypsum is also used for the production of cement. It is mechanically excavated from open pits and transported to the factories by truck for further processing. The raw gypsum for calcinations and the cement additive is then crushed and ground."

and not to forget to thank Dominic for this nice blog, finding out always things which are new for me, living so many years in that area...

Max

Are you saying you think that hole is man made?

Why not? Look at the caves from Hellenic time at Agios Georgios, one of my blogs https://www.paphoslife.com/blog/cape_drepanum and the many caves everywhere one can find, also partly vertical... and as Gypsum is one of the softest materials I believe it could be done. To built the pyramids in Egypt they used long ladders....

Max

A very interesting blog I’m learning more and more about the Paphos area from your fabulous blogs.......I must do more exploring myself

cyprusmax47 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 22, 2018 3:31 pm Why not? Look at the caves from Hellenic time at Agios Georgios, one of my blogs https://www.paphoslife.com/blog/cape_drepanum and the many caves everywhere one can find, also partly vertical... and as Gypsum is one of the softest materials I believe it could be done. To built the pyramids in Egypt they used long ladders....

Max

There's a big difference between partly vertical and a deep well though! What would be the point? It isn't as if gypsum is a rare commodity in the area. It is everywhere. Why bother digging such a deep hole when they can just expand sideways?

Plus, there's a big sign up there saying they are sink holes, in two languages. I'm sure if there was any way they could have spun it to suggest an ancient civilisation, they would have done so.

Yes you are right Dominic, there is plenty of gypsum around the area, that's why my theory is, as mentioned already, it is a gypsum roasting kiln to use the material to change it into building materials or extract minerals. (read my earlier post!) I sink holes don't look that accurate.

Max

I did read your post. I don't see why they would dig down what must be a good 10 - 15 metres to make a kiln.

Great blog, thank you - fascinating variety of geological features in a very small area! Really lends itself for geological excursions - and not just up the Troodos to see the ophiolite sequence that we discussed earlier.

The pic is looking very much like a sink hole - in a course that I sometimes teach to well engineers ('drillers') I always cover sink holes as one of the main geohazards. They often belittle my stories of where we lost all drilling fluids or had a drill string drop a few feet until I show them some (extreme) sink hole pics like this one from China.


Sink holes are very common here in the Middle East, with some of the largest in Oman:



And this one is just 20 min from my house in Doha.

(more of a karst feature - but same principle)


A.

I'm not going to argue the Sink Hole theories, Dom, as a geoligist I'm NOT!

But what a smashing little village you've found there in Eledio (which I've driven through at 30mph many times on the way to Amargeti and back). Apart from all those beautiful Gypsum outcrops (also evident around Amargeti) you found, I think what amazed me the most was the TLC that the Eledio villagers have given to their beautiful little community for ongoing generations...

That smashing walkway, the solar-powered lamps along it, the viewpoint. Not to mention the views themselves, plus the signage. Class act! Thanks for the photos!

AL

On the topic of sink holes - this one just appeared on the other side of the planet:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace ... 6350bc1113

A.