Πόλγη Βαλσαμάτων

Polje of Valsamata

Useful Information

Location:	Valsamata. (38.17190, 20.58535)
Open:	No restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Polje Ponor Kefalonia-Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Efthimios Karymbalis, Dimitris Papanastasiou, Kalliopi Gaki-Papanastassiou,Konstantinos Tsanakas and Hampik Maroukian (2011): Geomorphological study of Cephalonia Island, Ionian Sea, Western Greece, Journal of Maps, 2013. researchgate DOI
Address:	Polje of Valsamata, Tel: +30-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The Πόλγη Βαλσαμάτων (Polje of Valsamata) is the largest polje of the island Kefalonia. A polje is a valley which has no outflow, a depression which is surrounded by hills. If the rock were impermeable it would fill with rain water and form a lake. In karst areas this kind of structures is quite common, the river springs on one side through one or numerous springs, flows across the plan or down a valle, sometimes even forms a (seasonal) lake, and finally vanishes in one or numerous river sinks. There are numerous such structures in Greece and all over the world. This one is exceptional so we list it here.

First of all, it is a geosite of the Kefalonia-Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark. And the reason is not only that it is the biggest polje of the island, also that it is part of the karst system of the kathavothres, which is unique. The Kathavothres at Argostoli swallow seawater, the rain from the Polje of Valsamata provides sweet-water, the resulting brackish water flows through Melissani cave to Karavomilos spring. This geological feature is so special, it is actually unique, the only seawater swallow holes of the world.

The polje does not have a river, but it has sinkholes located in its northwestern part, which are connected to the underground cave system. During periods of high rainfall it is periodically turned into a small lake, which is less than 2 m deep.

Classical poljes in the Dinaric karst are a result of tectonic movements. They are bordered by thrusts, and the rock in the polje is impermeable. That's the reason why the water is forced above ground, and it returns underground when it reaches the fault and karstified limestone. While this polje is also a result of convergent crust movements, tectonic events, as well as climate changes during the Pleistocene. The plain is impermeable, but as a result of the infilling of the basin with clastic material deriving from the erosion of the neighboring limestone rocks.

The Polje of Valsamata is Geosite No 18 of the Geopark Kefalonia-Ithaca UNESCO Global Geopark.