Building stones of the Acropolis (Athens, Greece)

As a follow-up to my post about the geology of the Acropolis klippe in Athens, Greece, and in the spirit of my post on the building stones of the Haghia Sophia in Ä°stabul, Turkey, let’s turn our attention today to the various rocks that ancient Greeks used to construct the buildings of the Acropolis, such … Read more

Santorini panorama

Here is the view north across the central caldera of Santorini, Greece: Click to enlarge to 9000 pixels wide This caldera formed during the Bronze Age, maybe as early as 1628 BCE or so, maybe as late as 1500 BCE. There are new volcanic islands rising in the center.

Santorini ashfall and Akrotiri

Santorini is an island with nice exposures of the Tethyan subduction complex, yes. But did you know there’s also a volcano there? đŸ™‚ Here’s a shot of some snorkelers, with a lovely stack of pyroclastics rising up behind them. Ash, lapilli, more ash — Santorini’s volcano has been very active over the years. This is … Read more

Boudinage in Santorini schist

While on my blueschist quest, I noticed this boudin train exposed in the trail. I’m not sure what exactly is being boudinaged here – only that it is lighter in color than the schist that surrounds it, as well as finer grained and less foliated (more massive). A tabular mass of fault gouge perhaps?

In search of Santorini’s blueschist, part 2: finding fault

As mentioned last week, I took a solo field trip north of Perissa, Santorini, Greece, in search of subducted rocks. The contact between the two main rock types (marble and schist) was prominent and visible from a great distance (see photos in previous post), but what was the nature of this contact? Did it represent … Read more