Minerals: the gifts of the earthquakes and the volcanoes in Aegean
by Vasilios Melfos, Assistant Professor
School of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Mineral raw materials are crucial for the development of the modern societies, the environmentally friendly technologies and the Hi-Tech industrial products. Without them, there wouldn’t be any smartphones, laptops, or cars. They are extracted from large open pits or underground mines. Greece has a very unique geological history! The subduction of Africa beneath Eurasia is one of the most important geological phenomena in the world accompanied by volcanoes and earthquakes. Volcanoes in Aegean did not bring only disasters. Their action caused numerous mineral deposits, which have been used by the inhabitants since the Prehistoric times. Many Aegean islands were very wealthy thanks to the mineral raw materials.
There was three distinct activities: a working visit to the Chemistry University of Bucharest(where the students determinated protein in plant products vs animal products), circular economy activity (Waste water filtration, biodegradable PET, recyclable paper, recovery tin…) and a textile-staining workshop using traditional procedures using natural pigments extracted from plant products(coloring T-shirts with natural pigments from onion leaves .Traditional fashion!)