Geosite 4, Kato Moni, Nicosia District, Cyprusi

Regional Level Types
Geosite 4	Outcrop (Inferred)
Kato Moni	Village
Nicosia District	District
Cyprus	Country

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This section is a characteristic exposure of basaltic lava flows with columnar jointing, which is a geological structure of a regular array of a polygonal prisms of columns created during lava contraction due to its abrupt cooling.

The section is a characteristic exposure of basaltic lava shet flows with columnar jointing, which dominate the slope along the west bank of Peristerona river.

These sheet lava flows formed from continious submarine low viscosity lava eruptions onto the seafloor of the Neothethys ocean, exactly as it is happening today in ocean spreading centers. At modern seafloor spreading centers, most lava eruptions occur from a narrow fissure zones, whereas others erupt from off-axis vents up to a few km away from the spreading center. Some lavas fllows reach as far as 1-2 km or even more from eruptive center. However, many lava flow for only a few hundred meters, due to low temperature of the seawater at the bottom of the ocean (approximately 2 degrees Celsius) developing smalll scale lava flows. The lava flow thickness and morphology, vary according to the eruption rate and temperature, the distance from the eruptive center and the preexisting topography of the seafloor.

In some sheet lava flows, sets of intersecting closely spaced parallel vertical fractures are observed, resulting in the formation of a regular array of polygonal prisms resembling natural columns (columnar jointing). These columns were created during lava contraction from abrupt cooling. It is an impressive geological process that mainly characterizes sheet lava flows of basaltic composition.

These sheet lava flows are part of the Lower Pillow Lavas of the Troodos Ophiolite Complex, that were created along the spreading centre of the Neotethys ocean, which existed in the area approximately 92 to 82 million years ago.