Mining History of the island of Milos...Adamas, 848 01 Milos, Greece, tel. +30 22870 22481 fax +30 22870 23984 Text: Talk by Professor of Athens Technical University Mr. John N. Economopoulos,

Sponsored by: S&B Industrial Minerals S.A., www.sandb.com - May 2008/c-3000

The sea floor assumed this formapproximately180 million years ago ( in the early Mesozoic era)and maintained it for another 150 million years un-til the Oligocene. In this inconceivably long periodof time, the two trenches filled with sediment fromthe weathering of far-off mountain masses or fromshells of marine animals and remains of microor-ganisms, which fell like everlasting rain as theydied and settled on the sea floor.Meanwhile, 140 million years ago, in the early

Cretaceous, a major orogenic event elevated theso-called Pelagonian range, a narrow strip of landincluding the northernmost part of Macedonia(Pelagonia), Mt. Olympus, Eastern Thessaly andNorthern Euboea, above sea level. The so-calledAttic-Cycladic mass, including Attica, SouthEuboea and most Cycladic Islands, is regardedas the extension of that mountain range.Thirty five million years ago (late Eocene),

when the Pindos trench had already filled up, areal cosmogony occured in the depths of theGreek earth, caused by the violent convergenceand collision of continental plates (the African andthe Eurasian plates). Following a mighty upwardpush, the trench sediments materials folded androse, forming the impressive Pindos ridge. Alpinefolding also occurred during this period.Millions of years went by. After the Pindos

trench, the Ionian trench filled up in its turn,mainly with weathering products, while in theearly Miocene (15million years ago), another tec-tonic event caused the emergence of the largestpart of Western Greece. Thus, Aegeis came upfrom the bottom of the sea as a solid and undi-vided land mass covering approximately thepresent area of Greece from the Ionian sea toAsia Minor and to the south of Crete.Three million years ago (middle-upper

Pliocene) explosive volcanic activity occurred asa result of a new collision of continental plates,which -through its various stages- created theminerals mainly mined in Milos today.At the end of the Pliocene (two million years

ago), the Mediterranean waters began to move.This was the beginning of the formation of theAegean sea.As the centuries passed, the sea moved in-

land, slowly but surely. The land mass of theAegeis became fragmented in some places, andsubmerged in others. Huge lakes were formed.The final stage was completed during the

Pleistocene (2 million - 10,000 years ago), bywhich time, following a series of land submersionsfrom sea transgressions, the land of Greece hadessentially assumed its final form, while the vol-canic activity had subsided 100,000 years before.

The Mining History

of the Island of MilosThe genesis ofthe greek land

Hundreds ofmillions ofyears ago,

the land ofGreecewascovered by thesea. The sea floor,from the Ionian Seato AsiaMinor, had apeculiar morphology,which formed thebasis for the creationof the greek peninsulawith its high centralmountain ranges.In the location of thePindosmassif, therewas a deep submarinetrench - the Pindostrench. The Ioniantrenchextended fartherwest, while a highwall-the Gabrovoridge - separated thetwo trenches.

The exploitation ofthe mineral wealth of Milos

Following liberation from Turkish rule, theGreek state begins to deal in a rathermore or less systematic way with mines,

some 30 years after its establishment.On August 24, 1861, the first law “Onmines

and quarries” is published in the GovernmentGazette. Until then, only small quantities of lig-nite, emery, Thera earth, gypsum and millstoneswere mined.In 1862, the first Concession is issued in the

name of Vas. Melas concerning the exploitationof sulphur at the site of Palioremma on Milos.This concession was subsequently extended toother sites. It has to be noted that a few years lat-er, developments concerning the exploitation ofthe Laurionminesbegan, that led to the notoriousLaurion Affair (1871-73) which resulted in theresignation of two governments.To return to Milos, the sulphur mines were in

full production by 1890, turning out some 15,000tons annually. Production was stopped in 1905.In 1886, the “Sifnos-Euboea Company”

mined galena for lead and silver in the area ofTriades, after three years of previous mining ac-tivity for related minerals in the same area.The extraction of a manganese (pyrolusite)

deposit at the site of Vani began in 1890. Thisactivity was permanently discontinued in 1928.In 1899, the importance of the Kaolin found

onMilos was revealed. Kaolin production in the1960’s amounted to 100,000 tons annually.The Klonaridis plant, built in 1925 as a Kaolinprocessing plant, was recently renovated bythe ORYMIL Company to serve as a centre forcultural events.In 1934 the Silver & Baryte Ores Mining

Co. S.A. acquired the rights to mine barite andestablished itself onMilos, in the area of Voudia.A serious effort began to ensure industrial

production of Milos mineral products. The com-pany gradually grew to an impressive size andis now a leading producer of bentonite and per-lite.In 1952 the G. Bourlos company settled on

Milos and began mining and selling kaolin andbentonite. G. Bourlos was a chemical engineerand a pioneer in the study of Greek bentonitesince a considerable part of our knowledgeabout this mineral is due to his efforts.In 1952, the Svoronos brothers with the

Zannos brothers and H. Triantis establishedthe company known as “Milos Sulphur MinesS.A.” Jas. Svoronos had taken out a patent ona process for extracting sulphur from sulfate-containing rocks in 1938.In 1953, MYKOBAR settled on Milos and

started mining bentonite. In 1955 the first ben-tonite shipments were exported and a little later,in 1957, the first perlite shipments followed, afterthe great importance of perlite had been recog-nised in 1954.In 1955 the company known as “M. Pa-

pamicail S.A.”, an affiliate of TITAN CEMENTS.A., acquired 50% of EMCHE, which was es-tablished on Milos since 1947, and started min-ing kaolin. In 1956, the quarrying of millstoneswas discontinued.In 1958, SulphurMines S.A. failed and a little

later (1961), Eleusis Bauxites S.A. of the Skalis-tiris Group purchased the Milos Sulphur Mines.Still later (1978) these passed to M.B. & N. En-terprises S.A.In 1988, “Lava” S.A., an affiliate of AGET, a

greek cement producing company, becameestablished on Milos and started mining poz-zolan from 1990 on.

In 1992, following an international tender, Silver& Baryte Ores Mining Co. S.A. acquired relevantmining rights and started prospecting for de-posits of epithermal gold on Milos.Finally, to complete the story, we must

mention the efforts extended by the PublicPower Corporation to exploit geothermal energy.After a leakage in the facilities of the geothermalfield and the resulting problems, the work whichhad been started a few years earlier in associa-tion with MITSUBISHI of Japan was suspendedindefinitely. Also, the Milos salt pans, a state-owned enterprise and an old state monopoly,were conceded for exploitation to GreekSalines S.A. in 1985.At present, Milos is the greatest production

and processing center for bentonite and perlitein the European union. Seven hundred thou-sand tons of bentonite and 450,000 tons ofperlite are mined and undergo the first stage ofprocessing on Milos. More than 90% of thesequantities is exported. Apart from these twobasic minerals, Milos exports kaolin, pozzolaneand silicates and continues to produce smallquantities of baryte.This is the mining history of Milos. To avoid

making its presentation too tedious, I have triedto vary it by the addition of some geological andhistorical data. Still, I believe that even lay personsmust realize that Milos contains such a large va-riety of rocks, ores and minerals that they makethe island itself a great mining museum.I think that the intention of the founding

company, Silver & Baryte Ores Mining Co.S.A., in establishing the Mining Museum wasindeed to create a miniature of that far greaterone and to present it not only to the inhabitantsof Milos but to all the Greeks, as the first mu-seum dedicated solely to mining in the country.The absence of a mining museum in Greecewas certainly inconsistent with such a rich andincomparable mining history going back to theremotest antiquity. A museum of this nature iscertainly to inspire admiration by the wealth ofits exhibits and of the information presented.

General conclusion

Ever since the Neolithic period, Milos haslargely relied on mining, processing andtrading obsidian. Now, ten thousand

years later, Milos still relies largely for its eco-nomic growth and the improvement of the livingstandard of its inhabitants, on the exploitationof its mineral wealth.

Adamas, 848 01 Milos, Greece,tel. +30 22870 22481fax +30 22870 23984

www.milosminingmuseum.com

Text: Talk by Professor of Athens Technical University Mr. John N. Economopoulos,at the opening of Milos Mining Museum. May 23, 1998

Mining History of the Island of Milos:Mining History of the island of Milos 9/25/08 4:33 PM Page 1

The principal volcanoes of Greece -those ofAegina, Methana, Milos, Kimolos, Polyaigos,Folegandros, Thera, Nisyros and Kos- formed a220 km long volcanic belt extending along the bor-ders of a submerged land mass and became“laboratories” of valuable minerals, which man hasused ever since prehistoric times.All these cosmogenic events, which we have at-

tempted to describe in an extremely abbreviatedform, resulted in shaping the geographic and tec-tonic features of the land of Greece, consisting ofsix main and several secondary geotectonic zones,which contain a great variety of igneous, sedimentaryand metamorphic rocks including an equally widevariety of ores and minerals.There is no doubt that there exists a causal re-

lationship between the genesis of minerals and cer-tain geologic activities, such as magmatic activity,sedimentation, weathering and dynamic metamor-phism of rocks. These activities have played a de-termining role in the formation of Greece during thevarious geologic periods. The result of these com-plex processes are a variety of deposits, as alreadymentioned, some of which occur in considerablequantities compared with the size of the country.It was only natural that this great variety of use-

ful rocks, ores and minerals should give rise to asignificant mining history in Greece, which goesback to remotest times and whose beginning arelost in the haze of legend.

The evolution of mankind -The first men on Cycladesislands

Unquestionably, man or even the anthro-poids preceding man have been insepa-rably linked to the earth since they first ap-

peared on this planet, and they were greatly de-pendent on mineral materials. After an extremelyslow process of evolution of the species, whichlasted hundreds of thousands of years, the variouskinds of pithecanthropus primates made their

presence felt on earth: Pleiopithecus, Dryopithe-cus, Oreopithecus, Australopithecus. They allstruggled to survive, and it is truly amazing thatthey succeeded in an extremely unfavourable andhostile environment, characterised by climaticchanges hardly bearable to living organisms, andcataclysmic tectonic events.During the unceasing succession of centuries,

they evolved morphologically and mentally. Thus,some 500,000 years ago, the first man to stand upright (homo erectus) appeared, followed, about100,000 years ago, by the Neanderthal man, and fi-nally, 35,000 years ago, by homo sapiens, intelli-gent contemporary man.Primitive man, recognising the useful proper-

ties of hard stones, used them to make his firsttools and weapons, and these remained the samefor a very long period of time. The Paleolithic era isconsidered to occur almost contemporaneouslywith the appearance of homo erectus and it lasts toabout 8000 B.C., i.e. for 500,000 years at least. Inthe ensuing middle and then the Neolithic, whichlasted at least, as far as Greek pre-history is con-cerned, for more than 5,000 years or from 8000 to2800 or 2700 B.C., tools are perfected and someare polished for use, among other things, in theprocessing of wood. At the end of the Neolithic,man stands at the dawn of a new era, known forthe introduction and then general utilization ofmetals: the Bronze Age.Skulls and other finds from beings who lived in

the Paleolithic have been discovered in many partsof the world: In Transvaal, Tanzania, Zambia, China,Algeria, Belgium, France, Italy, Russia, Greece, etc.This is not of particular consequence: what is signif-icant is the history and the culture of the variousgroups who lived in specific geographical areas.The oldest traces of human habitation located

in the Cyclades date back to the end of the 5th mil-lenium B.C. The mild Cycladic climate favouredearly settlements and the strategic geographic lo-cation of the islands supported the developmentof one of the earliest civilizations in Europe.

Due to its volcanic origin, the subsoil of Mi-los contained considerable quantities of obsidi-an, a smooth and hard, grey-to-black rock,which lent itself to making tools and weapons.This obsidian was of extraordinary quality andMilos was the only source of supply. Smallquantities of obsidian, most probably comingfrom Milos, recently found in the Greek main-land were examined by geochronology meth-ods and part were dated to the 11th milleniumB.C., namely to the upper Paleolithic, and partto 7250 B.C., the Mesolithic period.These findings indirectly point, not only to the

existence of themost ancient knownnavigation inthe world, but also to the presence of humanbeings onMilos as early as the late old stone age,that is earlier than any of other Cycladic islands.However that may be, it is certain that by Ne-

olithic, when commerce had begun to flourish inthe Aegean, Milos exported obsidian to Creteand to other Aegean islands, tomainlandGreeceand to Asia Minor. A significant piece of informa-tion is that stonework containing large quantitiesof obsidian from Milos was discovered in a veryancient pre-ceramic settlement at Knossos dat-ing from the 7th millenium B.C.Later, beginning in the old palace period

(down to 1400 B.C.), a trading station for obsidi-an operated in the town of Phylakopi, whichflourished throughout the 2nd millenium B.C. Allthis leads to the conclusion that unlike the otherCycladic islands, the inhabitants of Milos discov-ered and exploited obsidian, an inexhaustiblesource of island wealth, at a fairly early stage.Increasing requirements for the manufacture

of more sophisticated stone tools for all kinds ofuses before, but also after, the advent of copperin the Aegean (3000 B.C), could only be satisfied

by the use of flint and obsidian. Thus, the de-mand for Melian obsidian led part of the popula-tion to work in quarrying and processing therock and in the organisation of its trade, whichwas undertaken principally by the second townof Phylakopi, built around 2000 B.C. It can besaid, therefore, that obsidian played an importantpart in the economic growth of the island duringthe above-mentioned periods.

The everlasting importanceof the Greek mineral wealth

If we attempt a more general review of min-eral exploitation in Greece during the 3rdand 2nd millenia B.C., we must note that

there was no noteworthy mining activity in thisearly period. There were however, fairly largequantities of native and alluvial gold in NorthernGreece (Macedonia, Thrace, Thassos), the ex-ploitation of which is associated with the firstmines in Greek territory. The sources of metalsthat were used subsequently, in the period be-tween 1125 and 800 B.C. is unknown. Onemust bear in mind that there are no ancient writ-ings referring specifically to minerals and mines,with the exception of “on Stones” by Theophras-tus whowas born in Eressos, Lesbos in the year372 B.C., though occasional or fragmentary ref-erences to mining, metal processing and metal-lurgical activity occur in several ancient writers,historians and geographers, such as Hesiod,Aristotle, Strabo, Diodorus, Herodotus,Xenophon, Pliny, Plutarch, and others.However, beginning during the period of

Greek antiquity, which includes the last eightcenturies B.C., Rhodopi, Mt. Pangaeon, Thas-sos, Laureotica, Kythnos, Serifos, Sifnos etc.

grew into important mining centres, while Miloshad developed mining and trade of a variety ofminerals for special uses, which will be referredto in what follows.There is no doubt that Laurion is the lead-

ing site of ancient Greek mining activity. Whensilver production started there is unknown,possibly in 1500 B.C. or even earlier. Xenophonwrote in 355 B.C: “It is clear that the activity isvery ancient but when it started, no one canattempt to say”.The fact is that in ancient Greek times, from

the 8th down to the 1st century B.C., 3,500tons of silver and 1,400,000 tons of lead wereproduced in Laurion. It is well known that Lauri-on silver played a significant role in the history ofthe ancient city-state of Athens. That role wasimmeasurably important and decisive at certainhistorical moments not only for Athens but forGreece in its entirety. Increased silver productionthree years prior to the sea-battle of Salamis en-abled the Athenians to defeat the Persians. Irre-spective of that, Laurion developed an ad-mirable mining andmetallurgical technique overthe centuries.

The minerals of Milos

The subsoil of Milos did not contain suf-ficient quantities of minerals fromwhich metals could be extracted.

However, it did include a variety of minerals forspecialised uses. The following were minedand traded:Sulphur: Large quantities of sulphur were

mined in Milos in the ancient Greek era. It wasused for disinfecting, antiseptic and religiouspurposes.

Porous stone: Used in what were then con-sidered large buildings and public edifices.Trachyte: Large quantities of this mineral

were quarried in Milos. It was used to make mill-stones used in the grinding of cereals or hardermaterials. It was possibly exported to Laurion tobe used in ore crushing.Kaolin: Used by painters to produce white

paint. Also used in pottery.Pumice:Used in polishingmosaics, skins, etc.Alunite (alum): Used in the preparation of med-

icines as an activematerial or an ingredient of drugs.In addition, some quartz sands and various

composite siliceous minerals were undoubtedlyused for some applications.Even in the ensuing centuries of decline in the

Aegean islands, during the Roman and the earlyByzantine periods, quarrying continued in Milos.For reasons which are beyond the scope of this

presentation, the Romans prohibited the operationof all Greekmineswith only some limited-timeexcep-tions. Quarries were not included in the ban. Quarry-ing products and minerals of use to building, archi-tecture, sculpture, medicine and other arts and sci-ences were abundant in Greece and of incompara-ble quality. So, thanks to its mineral products, whichwere unique and highly prized throughout the Ro-man empire, Milos experienced considerable eco-nomic prosperity under the Roman rule. Productionof trachyte, sulphur, alunite, and pumice, used forpolishing the famous Roman mosaics, continued.Alunite was a product in short supply as it was

considered the best in the empire. Sulphur arrivedin Roman ports on board special vessels, while ar-meniac bole, another much sought-after Melianmineral, a coagulate of silicamanganese hydroxidesand a slightly reddish-tainted iron was used inmedicine for the arrest of bleeding.From the beginning of the Byzantine era on-

wards, millstones were much in demand and theywere exported as far away as Egypt and Italy. Infact, a “Kommerkion” or customs house for miner-als was set up in Milos.

It is well known that the Byzantine administra-tion failed to realize the importance of rational ex-ploitation of the abundant and varied mineralwealth in the Empire as a means of enhancing itspower. Its interest was limited mainly to gold, silverand precious stones. This tragic mistake in combi-nation with its indifference to the development ofall sectors of the economy, eventually led to chaosand to its pitiful end in 1453 A.D.The mistake was repeated by the Ottoman

Empire and led it to the same end as Byzantineera. During the period of Turkish rule, only a fewsmall mines operated in Greece: Thassos, Euboea,Sifnos and Thrace, and even these operated atrudimentary level. The only efficient and productivemines were in Chalkidiki, the famous “mademo-choria” (metal villages).In Milos, the inhabitants avoided intensive

mining, otherwise the Turkish rulers would onlyincrease their taxation. It should not be over-looked that the inhabitants of the Cycladic islandlived for a considerable part of the Turkish ruleunder a regime of triple domination: Turks,Latins and pirates. Indeed after the unprece-dented assaults of Barbarossa in the 16th centu-ry, few islands, including Milos, remained inhab-ited. Nevertheless, Milos with its spacious port,continued to export sulphur, alum and salt fromits famous salt pans, alongside a number of agri-cultural products. The Melians also made hand-mills which they exported to Contstantinople,Egypt, the Peloponnese, Zante, Cephallonia andAncona.Between 1600 and 1700 A.D. the island had

brisk commercial activity, possibly due to thebuying and selling of the pirates’ loot.

Bentonite

Kaolin

Sulphur

Perlite

QuartzSilica

Barite

Gypsum

Manganese Ore

Obsidian

A panoramic view of the Voudia bay first installations of Silver & Baryte Ores Mining Co. S.A (today S&B Industrial Minerals S.A.)



The sea floor assumed this formapproximately180 million years ago ( in the early Mesozoic era)and maintained it for another 150 million years un-til the Oligocene. In this inconceivably long periodof time, the two trenches filled with sediment fromthe weathering of far-off mountain masses or fromshells of marine animals and remains of microor-ganisms, which fell like everlasting rain as theydied and settled on the sea floor.Meanwhile, 140 million years ago, in the early

Cretaceous, a major orogenic event elevated theso-called Pelagonian range, a narrow strip of landincluding the northernmost part of Macedonia(Pelagonia), Mt. Olympus, Eastern Thessaly andNorthern Euboea, above sea level. The so-calledAttic-Cycladic mass, including Attica, SouthEuboea and most Cycladic Islands, is regardedas the extension of that mountain range.Thirty five million years ago (late Eocene),

when the Pindos trench had already filled up, areal cosmogony occured in the depths of theGreek earth, caused by the violent convergenceand collision of continental plates (the African andthe Eurasian plates). Following a mighty upwardpush, the trench sediments materials folded androse, forming the impressive Pindos ridge. Alpinefolding also occurred during this period.Millions of years went by. After the Pindos

trench, the Ionian trench filled up in its turn,mainly with weathering products, while in theearly Miocene (15million years ago), another tec-tonic event caused the emergence of the largestpart of Western Greece. Thus, Aegeis came upfrom the bottom of the sea as a solid and undi-vided land mass covering approximately thepresent area of Greece from the Ionian sea toAsia Minor and to the south of Crete.Three million years ago (middle-upper

Pliocene) explosive volcanic activity occurred asa result of a new collision of continental plates,which -through its various stages- created theminerals mainly mined in Milos today.At the end of the Pliocene (two million years

ago), the Mediterranean waters began to move.This was the beginning of the formation of theAegean sea.As the centuries passed, the sea moved in-

land, slowly but surely. The land mass of theAegeis became fragmented in some places, andsubmerged in others. Huge lakes were formed.The final stage was completed during the

Pleistocene (2 million - 10,000 years ago), bywhich time, following a series of land submersionsfrom sea transgressions, the land of Greece hadessentially assumed its final form, while the vol-canic activity had subsided 100,000 years before.

The Mining History







and quarries” is published in the GovernmentGazette. Until then, only small quantities of lig-nite, emery, Thera earth, gypsum and millstoneswere mined.In 1862, the first Concession is issued in the

name of Vas. Melas concerning the exploitationof sulphur at the site of Palioremma on Milos.This concession was subsequently extended toother sites. It has to be noted that a few years lat-er, developments concerning the exploitation ofthe Laurionminesbegan, that led to the notoriousLaurion Affair (1871-73) which resulted in theresignation of two governments.To return to Milos, the sulphur mines were in

full production by 1890, turning out some 15,000tons annually. Production was stopped in 1905.In 1886, the “Sifnos-Euboea Company”

mined galena for lead and silver in the area ofTriades, after three years of previous mining ac-tivity for related minerals in the same area.The extraction of a manganese (pyrolusite)

deposit at the site of Vani began in 1890. Thisactivity was permanently discontinued in 1928.In 1899, the importance of the Kaolin found

onMilos was revealed. Kaolin production in the1960’s amounted to 100,000 tons annually.The Klonaridis plant, built in 1925 as a Kaolinprocessing plant, was recently renovated bythe ORYMIL Company to serve as a centre forcultural events.In 1934 the Silver & Baryte Ores Mining

Co. S.A. acquired the rights to mine barite andestablished itself onMilos, in the area of Voudia.A serious effort began to ensure industrial

production of Milos mineral products. The com-pany gradually grew to an impressive size andis now a leading producer of bentonite and per-lite.In 1952 the G. Bourlos company settled on

Milos and began mining and selling kaolin andbentonite. G. Bourlos was a chemical engineerand a pioneer in the study of Greek bentonitesince a considerable part of our knowledgeabout this mineral is due to his efforts.In 1952, the Svoronos brothers with the

Zannos brothers and H. Triantis establishedthe company known as “Milos Sulphur MinesS.A.” Jas. Svoronos had taken out a patent ona process for extracting sulphur from sulfate-containing rocks in 1938.In 1953, MYKOBAR settled on Milos and

started mining bentonite. In 1955 the first ben-tonite shipments were exported and a little later,in 1957, the first perlite shipments followed, afterthe great importance of perlite had been recog-nised in 1954.In 1955 the company known as “M. Pa-

pamicail S.A.”, an affiliate of TITAN CEMENTS.A., acquired 50% of EMCHE, which was es-tablished on Milos since 1947, and started min-ing kaolin. In 1956, the quarrying of millstoneswas discontinued.In 1958, SulphurMines S.A. failed and a little

later (1961), Eleusis Bauxites S.A. of the Skalis-tiris Group purchased the Milos Sulphur Mines.Still later (1978) these passed to M.B. & N. En-terprises S.A.In 1988, “Lava” S.A., an affiliate of AGET, a

greek cement producing company, becameestablished on Milos and started mining poz-zolan from 1990 on.

In 1992, following an international tender, Silver& Baryte Ores Mining Co. S.A. acquired relevantmining rights and started prospecting for de-posits of epithermal gold on Milos.Finally, to complete the story, we must

mention the efforts extended by the PublicPower Corporation to exploit geothermal energy.After a leakage in the facilities of the geothermalfield and the resulting problems, the work whichhad been started a few years earlier in associa-tion with MITSUBISHI of Japan was suspendedindefinitely. Also, the Milos salt pans, a state-owned enterprise and an old state monopoly,were conceded for exploitation to GreekSalines S.A. in 1985.At present, Milos is the greatest production

and processing center for bentonite and perlitein the European union. Seven hundred thou-sand tons of bentonite and 450,000 tons ofperlite are mined and undergo the first stage ofprocessing on Milos. More than 90% of thesequantities is exported. Apart from these twobasic minerals, Milos exports kaolin, pozzolaneand silicates and continues to produce smallquantities of baryte.This is the mining history of Milos. To avoid

making its presentation too tedious, I have triedto vary it by the addition of some geological andhistorical data. Still, I believe that even lay personsmust realize that Milos contains such a large va-riety of rocks, ores and minerals that they makethe island itself a great mining museum.I think that the intention of the founding

company, Silver & Baryte Ores Mining Co.S.A., in establishing the Mining Museum wasindeed to create a miniature of that far greaterone and to present it not only to the inhabitantsof Milos but to all the Greeks, as the first mu-seum dedicated solely to mining in the country.The absence of a mining museum in Greecewas certainly inconsistent with such a rich andincomparable mining history going back to theremotest antiquity. A museum of this nature iscertainly to inspire admiration by the wealth ofits exhibits and of the information presented.

General conclusion







N

Μilos Isl.

Voudia

Fyropotamos

Adamas

Xylokeratia

RalakiChalakas

Triades

Vani

Embourio

Trachilas

Kanava

Apollonia

Demenegaki

Palioremma

Nychia

Alykes

Phylacopi

Tsigrado

Aggeria & Agia Irini


The sea floor assumed this formapproximately180 million years ago ( in the early Mesozoic era)and maintained it for another 150 million years un-til the Oligocene. In this inconceivably long periodof time, the two trenches filled with sediment fromthe weathering of far-off mountain masses or fromshells of marine animals and remains of microor-ganisms, which fell like everlasting rain as theydied and settled on the sea floor.

Meanwhile, 140 million years ago, in the earlyCretaceous, a major orogenic event elevated theso-called Pelagonian range, a narrow strip of landincluding the northernmost part of Macedonia(Pelagonia), Mt. Olympus, Eastern Thessaly andNorthern Euboea, above sea level. The so-calledAttic-Cycladic mass, including Attica, SouthEuboea and most Cycladic Islands, is regardedas the extension of that mountain range.

Thirty five million years ago (late Eocene),when the Pindos trench had already filled up, areal cosmogony occured in the depths of theGreek earth, caused by the violent convergenceand collision of continental plates (the African andthe Eurasian plates). Following a mighty upwardpush, the trench sediments materials folded androse, forming the impressive Pindos ridge. Alpinefolding also occurred during this period.

Millions of years went by. After the Pindos

trench, the Ionian trench filled up in its turn,mainly with weathering products, while in theearly Miocene (15million years ago), another tec-tonic event caused the emergence of the largestpart of Western Greece. Thus, Aegeis came upfrom the bottom of the sea as a solid and undi-vided land mass covering approximately thepresent area of Greece from the Ionian sea toAsia Minor and to the south of Crete.

Three million years ago (middle-upperPliocene) explosive volcanic activity occurred asa result of a new collision of continental plates,which -through its various stages- created theminerals mainly mined in Milos today.

At the end of the Pliocene (two million yearsago), the Mediterranean waters began to move.This was the beginning of the formation of theAegean sea.

As the centuries passed, the sea moved in-land, slowly but surely. The land mass of theAegeis became fragmented in some places, andsubmerged in others. Huge lakes were formed.

The final stage was completed during thePleistocene (2 million - 10,000 years ago), bywhich time, following a series of land submersionsfrom sea transgressions, the land of Greece hadessentially assumed its final form, while the vol-canic activity had subsided 100,000 years before.

The Mining History







and quarries” is published in the GovernmentGazette. Until then, only small quantities of lig-nite, emery, Thera earth, gypsum and millstoneswere mined.

In 1862, the first Concession is issued in thename of Vas. Melas concerning the exploitationof sulphur at the site of Palioremma on Milos.This concession was subsequently extended toother sites. It has to be noted that a few years lat-er, developments concerning the exploitation ofthe Laurionminesbegan, that led to the notoriousLaurion Affair (1871-73) which resulted in theresignation of two governments.

To return to Milos, the sulphur mines were infull production by 1890, turning out some 15,000tons annually. Production was stopped in 1905.

In 1886, the “Sifnos-Euboea Company”mined galena for lead and silver in the area ofTriades, after three years of previous mining ac-tivity for related minerals in the same area.

The extraction of a manganese (pyrolusite)deposit at the site of Vani began in 1890. Thisactivity was permanently discontinued in 1928.

In 1899, the importance of the Kaolin foundonMilos was revealed. Kaolin production in the1960’s amounted to 100,000 tons annually.The Klonaridis plant, built in 1925 as a Kaolinprocessing plant, was recently renovated bythe ORYMIL Company to serve as a centre forcultural events.

In 1934 the Silver & Baryte Ores MiningCo. S.A. acquired the rights to mine barite andestablished itself onMilos, in the area of Voudia.A serious effort began to ensure industrial

production of Milos mineral products. The com-pany gradually grew to an impressive size andis now a leading producer of bentonite and per-lite.

In 1952 the G. Bourlos company settled onMilos and began mining and selling kaolin andbentonite. G. Bourlos was a chemical engineerand a pioneer in the study of Greek bentonitesince a considerable part of our knowledgeabout this mineral is due to his efforts.

In 1952, the Svoronos brothers with theZannos brothers and H. Triantis establishedthe company known as “Milos Sulphur MinesS.A.” Jas. Svoronos had taken out a patent ona process for extracting sulphur from sulfate-containing rocks in 1938.

In 1953, MYKOBAR settled on Milos andstarted mining bentonite. In 1955 the first ben-tonite shipments were exported and a little later,in 1957, the first perlite shipments followed, afterthe great importance of perlite had been recog-nised in 1954.

In 1955 the company known as “M. Pa-pamicail S.A.”, an affiliate of TITAN CEMENTS.A., acquired 50% of EMCHE, which was es-tablished on Milos since 1947, and started min-ing kaolin. In 1956, the quarrying of millstoneswas discontinued.

In 1958, SulphurMines S.A. failed and a littlelater (1961), Eleusis Bauxites S.A. of the Skalis-tiris Group purchased the Milos Sulphur Mines.Still later (1978) these passed to M.B. & N. En-terprises S.A.

In 1988, “Lava” S.A., an affiliate of AGET, agreek cement producing company, becameestablished on Milos and started mining poz-zolan from 1990 on.

In 1992, following an international tender, Silver& Baryte Ores Mining Co. S.A. acquired relevantmining rights and started prospecting for de-posits of epithermal gold on Milos.

Finally, to complete the story, we mustmention the efforts extended by the PublicPower Corporation to exploit geothermal energy.After a leakage in the facilities of the geothermalfield and the resulting problems, the work whichhad been started a few years earlier in associa-tion with MITSUBISHI of Japan was suspendedindefinitely. Also, the Milos salt pans, a state-owned enterprise and an old state monopoly,were conceded for exploitation to GreekSalines S.A. in 1985.

At present, Milos is the greatest productionand processing center for bentonite and perlitein the European union. Seven hundred thou-sand tons of bentonite and 450,000 tons ofperlite are mined and undergo the first stage ofprocessing on Milos. More than 90% of thesequantities is exported. Apart from these twobasic minerals, Milos exports kaolin, pozzolaneand silicates and continues to produce smallquantities of baryte.

This is the mining history of Milos. To avoidmaking its presentation too tedious, I have triedto vary it by the addition of some geological andhistorical data. Still, I believe that even lay personsmust realize that Milos contains such a large va-riety of rocks, ores and minerals that they makethe island itself a great mining museum.

I think that the intention of the foundingcompany, Silver & Baryte Ores Mining Co.S.A., in establishing the Mining Museum wasindeed to create a miniature of that far greaterone and to present it not only to the inhabitantsof Milos but to all the Greeks, as the first mu-seum dedicated solely to mining in the country.The absence of a mining museum in Greecewas certainly inconsistent with such a rich andincomparable mining history going back to theremotest antiquity. A museum of this nature iscertainly to inspire admiration by the wealth ofits exhibits and of the information presented.

General conclusion



Legend

Bentonite

Kaolin

Zeolites

Barite

Perlite Obsidian

Pozzolan

Silica

Sulphur

Millstones

Mangαnese Ore




Documents

Mining History of the island of Milos...Adamas, 848 01 Milos, Greece, tel. +30 22870 22481 fax +30 22870 23984 Text: Talk by Professor of Athens Technical University Mr. John N. Economopoulos,