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Mani peninsula, Laconia, Peloponnese, Greecei
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Mani peninsula | Peninsula |
| Laconia | Regional Unit |
| Peloponnese | Administrative Region |
| Greece | Country |
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Neighbouring regions:
Type:
Mani, a peninsula in the Peloponnese of Greece, constitutes the southern extension of the Taygetos mountain range and terminates at Cape Tainaron (also known as Cape Matapan), the southernmost point of mainland Greece. The stones of Mani, referred to as Taenarios lithos (Taenarian stone) by Strabo (Geography 8.5.7), were highly esteemed in antiquity, particularly red marble (lapis Taenarium, Pliny, NH 36.43.158) and dark gray to black stone (nigri lapis Taenarius, Pliny, NH 36.29.135). In the 19th and 20th centuries, the decorative stones of Mani were rediscovered, beginning with the research of Bory de Saint-Vincent in 1829 (published in 1836) and Siegel in 1850. The red marble of Mani was first used during the Bronze Age by the Minoans at Knossos and later by the Mycenaeans. The demand for this stone, also famous as rosso antico after the 19th century, increased during the Hellenistic period and especially the Roman times for use in decorative architectural elements. In addition to red marble, black stone from Mani (nigri lapis Taenarius) was also highly valued throughout the Roman Empire. Other varieties of Mani stone, including white and green types, though less recognized, were also widely exploited in antiquity. Numerous architectural elements and spolia found across the Peloponnese confirm the local use of these stones. However, archeological and epigraphic evidence from several sites in Greece, Italy, and beyond indicate that the decorative stones of Mani were distributed more broadly across the ancient Greek world and Roman Empire.
Mani belongs in the External Hellenides and comprises mainly semi-metamorphic carbonate rocks of the autochthonous Plattenkalk Unit, which is tectonically overlain by the allochthonous Phyllite-Quartzite Unit. Both units exhibit HP-LT metamorphism. The seven most significant areas with ancient quarries include Cape Tainaron, Kokkinogia, Mianes, and Paliros Marmari (area 1); Kyparissos, Alika, Tsikalia, Xerolakos, and Mountanistika (area 2); Profitis Ilias, Dimaristika, Lagia, Liakos, and Pahianika (area 3); Mezapos, Charouda, and Pyrgos Dirou (area 4); Kotronas, Riganochora, Himara, and Pyrrichos (area 5); Skoutari, Paganea, and Ageranos (area 6); and the Messenian Mani region, e.g., Ag. Nikolaos, Trachila, Platsa, and Lagada (area 7).
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsCommodity List
This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded from this region.Mineral List
Mineral list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities7 valid minerals.
Rock Types Recorded
Rock list contains entries from the region specified including sub-localities
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| ⓘ Albite Formula: Na(AlSi3O8) Localities: Reported from at least 16 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Antigorite Formula: Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ Calcite Formula: CaCO3 Localities: Reported from at least 25 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ 'Chlorite Group' Localities: Reported from at least 15 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Dolomite Formula: CaMg(CO3)2 Localities: Reported from at least 10 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Graphite Formula: C Localities: Reported from at least 9 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Hematite Formula: Fe2O3 Localities: Reported from at least 7 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ 'K Feldspar' |
| ⓘ 'Organic material' Localities: Reported from at least 9 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ Quartz Formula: SiO2 Localities: Reported from at least 19 localities in this region. |
| ⓘ 'White mica' Localities: Reported from at least 15 localities in this region. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ⓘ | Graphite | 1.CB.05a | C |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| ⓘ | Hematite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2O3 |
| ⓘ | Quartz | 4.DA.05 | SiO2 |
| Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates | |||
| ⓘ | Calcite | 5.AB.05 | CaCO3 |
| ⓘ | Dolomite | 5.AB.10 | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Group 9 - Silicates | |||
| ⓘ | Antigorite | 9.ED.15 | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| ⓘ | Albite | 9.FA.35 | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Unclassified | |||
| ⓘ | 'Chlorite Group' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'K Feldspar' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'White mica' | - | |
| ⓘ | 'Organic material' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| C | Carbon | |
| C | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| C | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| C | ⓘ Graphite | C |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| O | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| O | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| O | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| O | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| O | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Mg | Magnesium | |
| Mg | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Mg | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | Silicon | |
| Si | ⓘ Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| Si | ⓘ Antigorite | Mg3(Si2O5)(OH)4 |
| Si | ⓘ Quartz | SiO2 |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | ⓘ Calcite | CaCO3 |
| Ca | ⓘ Dolomite | CaMg(CO3)2 |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | ⓘ Hematite | Fe2O3 |
Fossils
There are 75 fossil localities from the PaleoBioDB database within this region.These data are provided on an experimental basis and are taken from external databases. Mindat.org has no control currently over the accuracy of these data.
| Occurrences | 75 |
|---|---|
| Youngest Fossil Listed | 0.01 Ma (Pleistocene) |
| Oldest Fossil Listed | 0.13 Ma (Pleistocene) |
| Fossils from Region | Click here to show the list. |
| Fossil Localities | Click to show 1 fossil locality |
Other Databases
| Wikipedia: | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mani_Peninsula |
|---|---|
| Wikidata ID: | Q745295 |
| GeoNames ID: | 257780 |
Localities in this Region
Other Regions, Features and Areas that Intersect
Aegean Sea PlateTectonic Plate
Eurasian Plate
- DinaridesAccretionary Complex
- Outer Aegean Non-volcanic ArcAccretionary Complex
EuropeContinent
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References
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