The mountains of Central Greece covered by this site until now are, in alphabetical order:
Mt Giona N38°38'690" E22°15'060"
Mt Giona lies to the west of Mt Parnassos, and there are many
similarities between the plant
communities of both. The main substrate is limestone, only in
some parts of the surface flysch
and conglomerate deposits occur. There are many karstic
formations, and even bauxite
intercalating in the limestone.
There are 3 main crests converging to the highest peak, being
Mt Pyramidis at 2510m, the
most important being the 13km long crest to the south. On
both sides of the crest a ravine
occurs, Reka to the east and Lazorema to the north. The Reka
ravine is some 12km long and is
characterized by large steep slopes and seasonal torrents.
Lazorema is 4km long with high
slopes. In addition to this, many plateaux and conglomerate
areas exist.
From 800-1800m Abies cephalonica is the dominant species,
above this limit grazing areas
occur. In the rocky formations and conglomerates adapted
plant associations occur.
Endemism is quite a common phenomenon on this mountain, a
species strictly endemic to
Mt Giona is Arenaria gionaea. The presence of a great number
of endemic or important
species in this range, especially in the rocky formations of
its summits and steep slopes of the
ravines makes the area of great ecological importance.
On the other side does the existence of significant
quantities of the mineral bauxite and its
intense open cast mining have a negative impact on the whole
ecosystem.
Mt Parnassos N38°32'100" E22°37'270"
Parnassos, the sacred mountain of Apollo and the Muses, lies
nearest the sea. Seen from the
south its a massive dome shaped group of peaks, about 25km
long, with Liakoura at 2455m
being the highest summit.
The climate is more continental with relatively cool yet dry
summers, a rainy autumn and
mostly heavy winters with up to 4m of snow which can last for
at least 2 months.
There are high alpine pastures, bare rocks and screes, and an
impressive Abies cephalonica
forest. Since 1938 part of Parnassos is a National Park,
unfortunately it has been facing a
lot of problems the most important being the lack of a
periphery where some basic
restrictions will ensure its better protection.
Mt Parnassos Photo Album Updated 23-01-2008
Mt Vardousia N38°40'780" E22°08'570"
The Vardousia mountain range is divided into 3 groups
according to their peak arrangement,
the highest being Korakas at 2495m. The northern group has
the smoothest relief while the
southern and western consist of abrupt crests and saddles. In
the northern part flysch
dominates in the lower parts and limestone in the higher
areas. In the south concrete
limestone dominates. These factors result in the formation of
an extended plateau, especially
in the northern part, while steep slopes and conglomerates
occur in the south.
The presence of flysch contributes to the creation of many
torrents and streams.
The vegetation is dominated by Abies cephalonica, and in some
areas Abies borisii regis
In the lower parts there are stands of Quercus coccifera,
Quercus ilex, Arbutus unedo and
Erica arborea. Along streams Platanus orientalis together
with Salix alba and
Populus alba are prevalent.
Above the forests extensive grazing land occurs, together
with well adapted plant
associations on the rockier parts.
Mt Vardousia Photo Album Updated 24-01-2008