These are the igneous rocks that cover the Adelphi forest area, the forest that geologically belongs to the known Troodos ophiolithic system that formed in the Upper Cretaceous about 90 million years ago.

These rocks are volcanic rocks of diabase veins with thin bands of pillow lavas covering the lower altitudes, the northeastern and eastern boundaries of the Adelphi Forest from Asinou to ‘Kako Anemo’, Saint George Kafkallou, Xiliatos to Agios Epiphanios.

These are characteristic spherical to ellipsoidal forms of handles, as a result of the pressure of the sea water during the discharge and spreading. The ‘cushions’ of these handles can have a diametre of 30 to 70 cm. Their periphery is glassy because of rapid cooling and internally cellular due to the gaps created by the sudden escape of gases present in the lava (> 1000 ° C) lava .

On the described ophiolithic rocks, and especially on the ‘pillow’ lava, the first dark / brown precipitates of a few metres thickness and the horizontal spread of a few tens of metres, known dirt or umbras, are found. These deposits are rich in iron oxides (Fe) and manganese (Mn) and are similar to the iron-rich sediments found on the slopes of the mid-ocean ridges of the present oceans. Their origin is due to submerged hot solutions, rich in Fe and Mn, which have been laid on the seabed.