Marble quarries in Delos Island (Greece): a geological characterization

Abstract

Traces of extraction in Delian marble quarries attest their exploitation during Antiquity. A preliminary non-destructive provenance study confirmed the presence of indigenous marble in Delos constructions. In contrast, Delos marble quarries have not been geochemically described so far. Therefore, a detailed (1/5000 scale) geological mapping and cross-sections were performed in the four Delian marble quarries in order to better determine their dimension and to estimate the volume of extracted marble. The surface of the quarries was revised into up to six times larger areas, increasing the extracted volume estimations. Quarries were sampled and studied with mineralo-petrographic (optical and electronic microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction) and isotopic (δ13C and δ18O) characterization. Three categories were observed, i.e., a coarse whitish to bluish marble, a fine yellowish dolomitic marble and marble with giant white and blue calcite crystals. The Maximum Grain Size associated with oxygen and carbon isotopic ratios showed a good potential to distinguish Delian marbles from most of the main Mediterranean marbles used during Antiquity. However, geochemical elemental analyses such as trace elements analysis could supplement Delian marble characterization which will benefit future provenance studies.