{"id":2930,"date":"2025-09-24T10:54:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T10:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextdigital-demos.info\/gewparko\/?page_id=2930"},"modified":"2026-02-24T08:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T08:41:03","slug":"%cf%84%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%ae-%cf%84%ce%b1%ce%bb%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%af%cf%89%ce%bd-%ce%bf%cf%81%ce%ad%cf%89%ce%bd","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/psiloritisgeopark.gr\/en\/%cf%84%ce%bf%ce%bc%ce%ae-%cf%84%ce%b1%ce%bb%ce%bb%ce%b1%ce%af%cf%89%ce%bd-%ce%bf%cf%81%ce%ad%cf%89%ce%bd\/","title":{"rendered":"TALEA ORI SECTION"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TALEA ORI SECTION<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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A. Talea Ori Section: A 250-million-year journey into the past
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The Kouloukonas Mountain (also known as the Talea Ori) forms the northern extension of the Psiloritis Natural Park. Only in this specific region of Crete can one find the oldest rocks belonging to the \u201cPlaty Limestones\u201d unit, and remarkably, they appear in reversed stratigraphic order\u2014meaning the older rocks overlie the younger ones. This phenomenon is the result of intense pressure exerted on these formations millions of years ago, which is now evident in the countless
folds and fractures that mark the terrain.
By following a route from the island\u2019s northern coast toward the inland valley of Mylopotamos, visitors embark on a conceptual journey through approximately 250 million years of Crete\u2019s geological history. Along road cuts, mountain slopes, and narrow ravines, the entire sequence of rocks belonging to the Platy Limestones unit becomes visible, including folds, faults, fossils, and a wealth of natural and cultural features.<\/p>

A1. The high-pressure fossils of Fodele\u00a0<\/p>

On the slopes along the Heraklion\u2013Chania national road, within metamorphosed dolomites, some of the oldest fossils in Crete are preserved in nearly perfect condition. These include fossils of corals, bryozoans, and brachiopods, dating back approximately 300 million years. The rocks in which they are embedded were, around 23 million years ago, buried more than 30 kilometers deep within the Earth\u2019s crust, where they underwent metamorphism and turned into marble.<\/p>

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A2. Fossils of Permian age in Bali<\/p>

The oldest rocks of the Plattenkalk unit appear around the coastal village of Bali. These are mainly dark schists and dolomites, in which, at several locations, fossil remnants from the Permian period (around 300 million years ago) have been found. The fossils include trilobites, corals, crinoids, and gastropods.<\/p>

A3. Talea Ori Section\u00a0<\/p>

The Kouloukonas mountain range (Talea Ori) is entirely composed of various rocks of the Plattenkalk unit. It is the only area on the island where both the oldest rocks of the unit (such as those of Fodele) and nearly the entire stratigraphic sequence are exposed.
The winding road that climbs from the village of Sisses on the northern slopes of Kouloukonas and descends into the Mylopotamos valley offers a unique journey of 250 million years into the geological past.
From the dolomitic marbles of Fodele (approx. 300 million years old) found along the Northern Road Axis, the road passes through the white marbles of Sisses (approx. 250 million years old), then the banded and rare stromatolitic dolomite (approx. 220 million years old), the white marbles and grey dolomites of the mountain ridges (approx. 180 million years old), and finally reaches the typical platy marbles with siliceous layers in the Mylopotamos valley, dated between 150 and 50 million years old.
What makes these rocks particularly unique is that, due to the immense pressure they were subjected to around 23 million years ago, they were intensely folded and completely overturned, so that the younger rocks are now covered by the older ones. Also noteworthy is the presence of stromatolitic dolomite, which formed through the activity of cyanobacteria in oxygen-poor environments
These organisms\u2014just like those that lived two billion years ago and those still found today on the coasts of Australia\u2014trap and deposit iron oxides while releasing oxygen through photosynthesis. This process results in banded dolomites, with reddish, folded bands of iron deposits alternating with grey dolomite layers.<\/p>

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A4. Vosakos Folds\u00a0<\/p>

Along the route from the village of Kato Doxaro to the Monastery of Vosakos, various rocks of the Plattenkalk unit are exposed, including typical platy marbles, the yellow schists of \u201cGigilos\u201d, and the white massive marbles with stromatolites. Among these, the platy marbles showcase some of the most impressive folds in the rocks of Crete.
The enormous pressures exerted on these rocks around 23 million years ago created a great variety of folds in both form and scale, clearly visible along a one-kilometre stretch of road cuttings. From folds a few centimetres across to those measuring several metres, and from slight bending to complete crumpling, the Vosakos folds warp the rocks\u2014and with them, the very shape of the landscape.\u00a0
The contrast between white siliceous layers and grey marble makes these folds even more striking, and in many cases, they are accompanied by dramatic faults.
The beautiful landscape of the Geropotamos valley, with the picturesque village of Doxaro, the traditional mitata (stone shepherd\u2019s huts), threshing floors, and the impressive rock formations, can be explored via a hiking trail that climbs toward the slopes of Kouloukonas, eventually meeting the Vosakos road.<\/p>

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A5. Submarine Springs of Bali\u00a0<\/p>

The carbonate rocks that dominate the Psiloritis region can transfer water across great distances, from the high mountain zones directly to the sea. A striking example of this phenomenon occurs in the small coves of Bali, where submarine springs emerge from underwater karstic caves.\nThese springs are particularly interesting due to their bidirectional behaviour. During the winter and spring, they discharge freshwater, while during the rest of the year, they draw in seawater.
Scientific studies have shown that part of the freshwater reaching these submarine springs originates from the high plateaus of Psiloritis.<\/p>

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