Imeri Gramvousa EarthCache

At the given coordinates, you are standing at the highest point of the Imeri (tame) Gramvousa, surrounded by an old fort. Please be aware, that you can only get here by boat or by swimming (dangerous!). In addition, you will need to climb on old and rocky stairs, which can be very exhausting!

Bring plenty of drinking water with you!

If you like the cache, please give us a favorite point!

On the very spot of the planet that you are now sunbathing, there was a deep sea at the time of creation. 25 million years ago at the beginning of the Miocene epoch, an incredibly powerful tectonic upheaval lifted the bottom of the sea to the surface and, thus, was born - literally from the waves - Aegeis Land, although no human was then available to call it by that name.


What was then available included huge elephants, deer, hippopotami, cave dwelling bears and various other beasts roaming undisturbed wherever they pleased. This Aegeis Land was not flat but full of jagged ranges and high peaks. The mountains of Crete were so formed (albeit not in the present shape) 25 million years ago.


The fort at Imeri Gramvousa was built in 1579 during Venetian rule over Crete to defend the island from the Ottoman Turks. The fort remained in Venetian hands throughout the prolonged Cretan War, and in the treaty of 16 September 1669, which surrendered Crete to the Ottomans, Gramvousa, along with the fortresses of Souda and Spinalonga, was retained by Venice. These three forts defended Venetian trade routes and were also strategic bases in the event of a new Ottoman-Venetian war for Crete.


The Imeri Gramvousa and the fort consist of limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera.


Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, in which water erodes the limestone over thousands to millions of years. Most cave systems are through limestone bedrock.
(Source: www.wikipedia.gr)

Now the questions:

1. Describe the surface of the stones, that were used to build the fort wall.

2. What is the color of the limestone mountains that the fort was built upon.

3. Guess the heigth of the Imeri Gramvousa mountains.

Optional: Make a nice foto of yourself or the place and upload it with your log!

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