Collecting on Cyprus

I would be very grateful for any information about minerals & collecting on Cyprus. Accessable mines/tips.
I am especially interested in the zeolite areas.
Any help would be much apprecited,
thanks,
Brian Robin,

Brian, Look at Volker Betz's zeolite website. He has an excellent page on Cyprus, and lovely photos of zeolites - he was of tremendous help when we visited, and we came home with beautiful specimens. Be sure also to drive up to the Troodos, and have a close look at the other ophiolite layers.
A good tourist map - and a Mindat search - will show you where old mines are. A few are closed (the old chromite mine, which is now a military base), and some are just north of the "green line", so be cautious. Zeolites were easily collected just north of Larnaca. Good luck! Becky

Thanks Becky, I did look at Volker's site and that's partially what inspired my to head to Cyprus (don't tell the wife)
Just looking for that wee bit extra info.from those who have colected there.
many thanks , Brian.

Brian,
If you are lucky, you will find someone here who has the experience in the mines of Cyprus, but it has been my experience that when going to places like this, no one you are going to be able to talk to here is going to be of much help. My advice would be, when you get there, go to the local university, there must me one, and talk to a geology or mineralogy professor and tell him what your objectives are and ask if he can recommend some likely spots to collect minerals. Ask to see their mineral collection. Even if it is only a teaching collection of local material it will likely be informative. Ask if he knows of any private or institutional collections that you could look at and ask if he knows any local collectors or old miners that could guide you around and show you things. Do you feel comfortable going underground?

Rock Currier
Crystals not pistols.

Brian, Do you have a good Cyprus map? (I used an "Insight Travel Map".) Just north of Larnaca (or Larnaka), there is a small, un-numbered road north to the small town of Avdellero. Along that short road, you will see a series of roadcuts on both sides, which cut through pillow basalts from the ophiolite. Zeolites are abundant in those cuts.

On the main road (Rt. 8) heading north from Limassol (or Lemesos), in the Troodos, there is a small village called Amiantos, and the Amiantos Mine (disused asbestos) is nearby and marked on my map. Like many old mines on Cyprus, this is opencast, and you do not have to go underground. The rock here is serpentine (abundant antigorite), with related ophiolitic rocks.

Just west of Polis (on the NW coast), are a couple of old mines (Limni, and another unnamed on my map.), where we found nice Pyrite.

Just east of Limassol is a small coastal village of Maroni - very narrow roads! There is an old Gypsum quarry, which was simply FULL of selenite in huge sheets, masses, and lovely fishtail crystals. North of this village is the old Kalavasos mines, where Pyrite was found.

I hope this helps a bit. If your time is limited, go to the road north of Larnaca, and to Maroni. You cannot miss!

Rock, it is because of people on Mindat that we have had great collecting adventures on Cyprus and elsewhere. The problem with Cyprus is that so many minor roads are unnumbered, and it is difficult to give directions. Becky

Hi R.C.

that all make good sense, find the local experts.
many thanks

Brian

Thanks Becky for taking the trouble to write all those details, I hope to put them all to good use.
I have a friend who lives in Pahpos for 10 years (not interested in mins) with a 4x4 so I will put him to good, use hoping he knows all the wee roads on the island.
again thanks,

Brian.

Good hunting, Brian! We had no trouble on the roads I've mentioned with a small rental car. Becky

Don't forget the name 'copper' is derived from the name of the island! That is also the reason why the alchemistst linked copper to the planet Venus (= Afrodite in Greek, born from the seafoam in a bay in Cyprus)