The Geology of Cyprus. 391 



The Kyrenia Mountains form the northern rampart of the Central 

 Plains, and they rise abruptly to heights of over 3000 feet from the 

 plain to the south and the sea to the north. They are composed of 

 rocks tilted into a vertical position, much altered by compression 

 and intrusion, and are devoid of fossils. They are referred by 

 Prof. Gaudry to the Cretaceous Period, and are compared by him 

 with the Hippurite-Limestones of Attica. They are pierced and 

 mannorized by igneous rocks of quartz-felsite type. In some places 

 they are schistose. Similar rocks are found in the extreme south- 

 west of the island. 



The Kythraean rocks attain a great development along the 

 southern side of the Kyrenia Mountains. They are based on 

 breccias and conglomerates made up of fragments of the Trypanian 

 Limestones, and are thus probably unconformable. Xo fossils, 

 except a few small tests of Glohicjerina and a few fragments possibly 

 of shells, have been found in this Series, which consists entirely 

 of volcanic debris embedded in a calcitic matrix, like the ' Macignos ' 

 of Italy. 



The Idalian Series appears to rest conformably on the last. The 

 gypsum-beds are largely developed in the south ; the white chalky 

 marls and limestones extend over nearly one half of the island, 

 and are always conspicuous from their intense whiteness. Fora- 

 minifera are abundant, and other fossils have been found which 

 indicate that the beds are mainly of Oligocene age. 



Igneous rocks are most conspicuous in the centre of the island, 

 forming a mass of mountainous ground. They are intrusive into 

 the formations already mentioned. The rocks include augite-syenite, 

 rhyolite, liparite, olivine-dolerite, basalt, augitite, and several varieties 

 of serpentine. Considerable metamorphism and much jasperization 

 occur in association with them. 



While most of the older sediments were formed in deep water, 

 the fauna of the Xeogene rocks is that of shallow-water deposits. 

 Miocene rocks have only been recognized in the south-east of the 

 island. The Pliocene strata lie in horizontal or slightly -inclined 

 beds, resting unconformably upon all older rocks. The Pleistocene 

 rocks comprise : — (1) Littoral limestones and pebble-beds, (2) soft 

 shelly sands, (3) inland surface-conglomerates, (4) cave-earths : and 

 (5) alluvial deposits. The cave-earths have yielded Hippopotamus 

 minutus and EJephas Cypriotes to Miss D. M. Bate. An account 

 of the chief economic mineral products of the island is given, 

 including the marbles, clays, limestones, gypsum, building- and 

 paving -stones, road-metals, metalliferous minerals, pozzuolana, 

 terre-verte ; and a note on the springs, salt-lakes, and soils. 

 Descriptions of some of the rocks, a note on the Miocene rocks, 

 and a sketch of the physical history of the island are contributed 

 by Mr. Jukes-Browne. 



