SKETCH OF sEGINA AND ME THAN A. 797 



tical direction as they recede from the latter. These oblique 

 columns are divided transversely by a tertiary joint system, cut- 

 ting them about at right angles to their direction. The effect of 

 these three systems of cracks is to give to the rock mass a 

 "feather-like" columnar structure. As one goes farther to the 

 northwest along this cliff the andesite is seen to be more and 

 more disintegrated, till finally it becomes a pulverulent andesitic 

 mass, resembling tufa, forming a low saddle running toward the 

 limestone of Mt. Kokkalaki. The south slope of the eastern 

 part of Mt. Kokkalaki is flanked by a mass of gray andesite, like 

 that of the "feathered" cliff. Though covered with vineyards, 

 it has the appearance of being a lava stream which flowed from 

 the Stavro Centre and was hemmed in by the limestone ridge on 

 the north. 



The hill of Palaeochora (Ancient Village), about 300 m. 

 above the sea, is a striking feature of the landscape ; rather con- 

 ical in shape, with slopes of about 30 , it is covered with the ruins of 

 an old town dating from about the end of the sixteenth century, 

 which was built during the period of Turkish occupation as an 

 inland refuge from the numerous pirates that then infested these 

 seas. 1 It is a picture of desolation ; the old house walls, built of 

 the gray andesite, still standing though roofless, and interspersed 

 among the houses are numerous chapels, the largest of which, 

 that of St. Cyriacus, containing some interesting frescoes, is still 

 in use. The lower part of this hill is mainly an andesite con- 

 glomerate, but the upper part is compact andesite, though 

 cracked and split into a roughly columnar structure. 



Immediately to the southeast of this hill, partly resting on its 

 flank, is one of the most remarkable geological features of the 

 island, the so-called Spasmeno Vouno (Broken Mountain). 

 This is a volcanic dome 300 to 400 m. in diameter, and rising 

 from 50 to 60 m. above the valley to the south of it, which 

 was originally well-shaped, of an almost hemispherical form, 

 with gently curving sides, whose average slope varies from 20° to 

 30 . It is entirely composed of a coarse breccia of light horn- 



'Lacroix. lies de la Grece. Paris, 1881. p. 513. 



