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LANDFORMS

1. Mavro Mouri Tafoni

Tafoni are impressive landforms caused by erosion, created in conglomerates and sandstone of the Miocene by wind and coastal humidity, which destroy the connecting materials in the rocks, creating cavities of various dimensions and shapes. An accessible dirt road, which converges with the country road shortly after Toplou Monastery on the way to Sitia, leads to the location. The hill that is home to these landforms is called Mavro Mouri.

2. Agioi Pantes Rock Formations

In the small gorge of Agioi Pantes to the west of the city of Sitia, impressive rock formations and shapes appear as a result of the intense erosion of the Miocene rocks of the area, by the water and the wind. The intense yellow color of the rocks in combination with the various colors of the rock oxides, create beautiful aesthetic images. At the same time, several species of marine fossils are hosted, mainly bivalves and sea urchins.

3. Limestone Sculptures

It includes natural sculptures chiseled by the weather and erosion in the Tripolitsa limestone rock formations, and which can be found on the footpath leading from Epano Zakros to Skalia. These processes create strange rock forms that look like statues, and with a little imagination one can make out familiar silhouettes from the animal kingdom!

4. Quartzite Walls

This geotope is to the northwest of Karydi and includes the residual quartzite layers that have been revealed by erosion of the softer rock formations around them. These layers are tectonized, they present discontinuities within them, and, therefore, they create strange landforms that look like castle battlements.

5. Kastri Hill

Kastri hill is between the two inlets of Kouremenos and Chiona in Palekastro. It is made up of rock formations from the Miocene period, which create impressive geometric forms. The sandstone stratigraphic horizon that is at the top of the hill has protected it from erosion and that is why it is still around to today!

6. Gypsum Sculptures