chrissi island rocks and soil

Rocks and soil

The basic rocks of Chrissi were created by the solidification of lava, ejected by an underwater volcano millions of years ago.

While walking around the island, visitors will be impressed by the colors of the rocks (reddish brown, greenish gray and black). The larger part of the island is covered by sand. On the flat areas the ground is relatively solid and consists of fine reddish sand, mainly covered by moss and lichens. At the areas where there are sand dunes, the sand is yellow and course. The sand is mainly supported by the complex underground roots of the cedars and their leaves, which actually touch the ground.

The fossils

All the fossils (49 different species) found on the island are marine. They are set on the volcanic rocks 350.000 to 70.000 years ago, while Chrissi was still covered in water... The northern coasts are full of shells. Especially along the eastside of the northern beach, the number of shells is huge, making it one of the most spectacular attributes of the island.