Gorges
There is no doubt that the action of water has played a decisive role in the creation of the gorges of Lefka Ori. Nonetheless, there is disagreement over exactly how they were created. Some argue that the tectonic movements created cracks, which were expanded further by the action of the water and other factors. A second and more convincing interpretation argues that the combination of the rising land and the weathering action of the water created the gorges. The gorges of Lefka Ori today have streams with a seasonal or occasional character. A primary factor in the evolution of a stream is the place where it ends. In most of the gorges, the water washes out in the sea, which constitutes the so-called base level, i.e. the level at which the action of the water cannot erode the rock. The base of a river basin (the lowest point of the stream) is also the starting point of erosion, which continues up to the higher levels. The key to interpreting the creation of the gorges is to be found in the changes in the base level due to the rising land and is caused by cracks going across the direction of the stream. As the land was rising, then, the powerful erosive action of the water resulted in the deepening of the basin. The effect of the change in the sea level and the subsequent erosion are visible even today to visitors to Samaria gorge as the traces of an old basin can still be seen a few meters higher than today. This riverbed was created when the sea level (in relation to the dry land) was located at a higher level than today. Most gorges in Lefka Ori are located in the Province of Sfakia, where most of the gorges as well as the largest can be found along a length of just a few kilometers. Each of these gorges is unique, however, and differs from the others both in appearance and its flora, fauna, and vegetation and in how they vary.
Plateaus
Karst erosion is the most important factor in the formation of plateaus. Karst forms vary and differ in size too. Their dimensions may be limited by the level of small grooves on the rock surface as far as the level of the depressions, with a diameter of several millimeters. Among the most common and impressive surface karst formations in Lefka Ori are dolines, uvulas, and poljes. These are elongated basins, which differ in size. Dolines are very common in Lefka Ori, especially at higher altitudes. They usually have a conical shape and are often filled at the bottom with materials or remnants of erosion (rocks, red earth). The dolines often merge, resulting in the chemical erosion of their slopes and creating larger depressions, known as uvulas. The lower points of the uvulas are often filled with insoluble rock materials (remnants of eroded materials) which form a reddish clay soil known as Terra Rossa (Red Soil). In some cases, a series of uvulas and/or dolines merge and often in combination with the sedimentary activity of the torrents, form the so-called poljes. The plateaus of Omalos and Askyfou are two typical poljes in Lefka Ori. Other important plateaus in Lefka Ori are Niato, Tauri, and Vothonas, while countless smaller plateaus (dolines and uvulas) can be found scattered throughout the mountain range. These karst formations are very important for man as they were, and still are, very suitable for growing crops.
