The rock pinnacles of the Meteora UNESCO World Heritage Site, Central Greece, are global geologic icons but are inadequately studied. Herein, we summarize decades of observations leading to a geohistory and geoenvironmental model of the unique conditions that were essential for their creation. Via this synthesis, we hope thus to encourage further specialized studies of the West Thessaly-Meteora region and to promote the value of updating geological research within World Heritage Sites. The Meteora rock spires owe their existence to ten critical geologic episodes spread over a period of nearly a billion years. Early Miocene sedimentary deposits that make up the rock spires are derived largely from the metamorphic core complex of the exhumed Pelagonian (~ Precambrian to Permian) continental complex and include fragments of “blueschist” derived from the Miocene exhumation of Mount Olympos (subducted Triassic-Eocene carbonate banks). The Miocene sediments are deposited as turbidite formations overlain by “Gilbert-style” deltaic conglomerates. The cobble-turbidite formations comprise submarine canyon fills. The rock spires themselves result from initiation of Pleistocene erosion into a peneplain estimated, very roughly, to ~ 700,000 years in age. This geoenvironment is similar to today’s active sedimentation ongoing off the Malibu coast of California in that the deposits include “Gilbert-style” deltas and turbidites originating from an exhuming metamorphic complex, simultaneously eroding and depositing within off-shore canyons. This comparative model requires a reinterpretation of the “consensus” interpretation of the Miocene oceanic margin south of the Meteora region to one hosting more active energetic deposition and a deeper basin.

希腊中部米特奥拉世界遗产遗址的岩石峰是全球地质标志，但研究不足。在此，我们总结了数十年的观测结果，这些观测结果导致了对其创造必不可少的独特条件的地理历史和地球环境模型。通过这种综合，我们因此希望鼓励对西萨利-迈泰奥拉地区进行进一步的专门研究，并在世界遗产地内促进更新地质研究的价值。迈泰奥拉岩石尖顶的存在归因于十个关键的地质事件，这些事件分布在近十亿年的时间里。构成岩石尖顶的中新世早期沉积沉积物主要来自发掘出的四面体（〜前寒武纪到二叠纪）大陆复合体的变质核心复合物，并且包括源自奥林波斯山中新世发掘（三叠纪-始新世）的“ blueschist”碎片碳酸盐库）。中新世沉积物是由“吉尔伯特式”三角洲砾岩覆盖的浊积岩层。卵石-浊积岩地层包括海底峡谷填充物。岩石尖顶本身是由更新世侵蚀开始形成的，估计大约有700,000年的年龄的平原。这种地质环境类似于今天在加利福尼亚州马里布海岸附近进行的活跃沉积，其沉积物包括“吉尔伯特式”三角洲和浊积石，这些三角洲和浊石源于发掘出的变质复合物，同时在近海峡谷中侵蚀和沉积。这种比较模型需要重新解释迈泰奥拉地区以南的中新世洋缘的“共识”解释，使之具有更活跃的高能沉积和更深的盆地。