In the northwestern part of Kimolos, west of the hill “Sklavos”, there is a giant stone mushroom, “Skiadi” as the residents call it. It is a true monument of nature, located in the middle of a barren plateau with wonderful views: it embraces the southwestern and the western coasts of the island (Ellinika, Mavrospilia, Athinias) and a big part of Milos. “Skiadi” owes its creation to the different rocks composing it and the strong winds that blow in the area. The softer rock on its base is affected and corroded by the wind which transfers dust and grains of sand. The result of this process, which is called “ablation”, is that the basis becomes narrower and narrower, while the top, which is harder, remains almost intact.  

As Kimolos is located in the outer zone of the Aegean’s volcanic arc, the local volcanic activity may have calmed over the centuries but left visible traces on the island, such as hot springs and irregular geological formations which make up incredible landscapes of rare beauty. A large surface of the island is covered by tuffs. This is a light rock, usually cut in rectangular parallelepiped pieces, the “poria”, used as a building material. It was once a significant source of income for the residents since it was transported by boats over long distances in and out of Greece. There are many important industrial minerals such as bentonite, pozzolan, perlite, kaolin, ferromanganese, barite, zeolites, a little sulphur and most importantly, the unique type of clay which is known since the prehistoric times as the “Kimolian earth” that took its name after the island and due to its color and texture, gave it to “kritida”, our well-known blackboard chalk. The semi-precious quartz minerals such as amethyst, agate, chalcedony, jasper, opal etc. are common on the island and can be easily found at the beaches like colorful pebbles.

* Impressive forms of erosion in pumice flows appear on the southwest part of Kimolos at the cape of Agios Georgios and Ellinika-Mavrospilia. It is a very characteristic formation with huge parts of pumice 3m in diameter and it is considered one of the biggest found worldwide. The base and the top of the formation consist of a fine-grained submarine yellowish tuff. The huge parts of pumice come from a volcanic resource between the southwest part of Kimolos and the northeast part of Milos.

The underwater caves of Kimolos, expressed in the volcanic rocks thanks to the wave activity and the wind erosion, capture the interest of every visitor. The cave of Gerakia at the northernmost end of the island is the most significant of all. You can explore the cave, walking in the shallow turquoise waters. λου και τ﷽δυτικαν τότε σε χερσαίματισμ