MineGuessr – Parnassos–Ghiona, Greece: Karst-Type Bauxite Mines in Central Greece

MineGuessr Advent Calendar 2025 – Door 10

Parnassos–Ghiona is one of the operations featured in our 2025 MineGuessr mining advent calendar. Each December day, we reveal a new mining satellite timelapse and invite you to guess the mine from satellite imagery of mines across Europe and the Nordics.

On this page, we provide a concise, professional overview of the Parnassos–Ghiona bauxite mines – their location, geology, operational history and role in the raw materials value chain. The satellite timelapse helps illustrate how this high-altitude bauxite district has evolved since the 1980s and supports raw materials education for anyone interested in how alumina and aluminium begin their life in Central Greece.

Aerial view of the Glomel andalusite open-pit mine in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires

Overview & location

From space, Parnassos–Ghiona does not look like a single mine, but a cluster of open pits and underground portals scattered along the flanks of the Parnassos and Ghiona mountains in Central Greece. Against dark green forests and pale limestones, the open pits appear as red-brown scars and pale benches connected by a dense network of haul roads.

The district lies in the Parnassos–Ghiona geotectonic zone of Central Greece, roughly between Delphi, Amfissa and the Dervenochoria area of Fokida and Viotia. It has been one of Greece’s main bauxite-producing regions since the early 20^th century.

Commodity: Karst-type bauxite, primarily for alumina/aluminium and non-metallurgical uses.
Setting: High-relief carbonate terrain with elevations from ~500 to 1,800 m above sea level.
Mining cluster: Multiple open pits and underground mines operated historically by Greek bauxite companies such as Delphi–Distomon, Elmin / “European Bauxites” and Imerys-linked entities.

At the country scale, most of Greece’s bauxite resources – part of a wider Mediterranean bauxite province – are located in the Parnassos–Ghiona and Helikon–Euboea areas, making this district central to the domestic alumina and aluminium industry.

Geology & deposit type

Parnassos–Ghiona is a textbook example of karst-type bauxite hosted in carbonate rocks of the Parnassos–Ghiona Unit.

Key geological characteristics:

Host rocks: Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous shallow-water limestones.
Ore horizons: Three main bauxite layers – B1, B2 and B3 (bottom to top) – intercalated with the limestones. The upper two (B2 and especially B3) are the most economic.
Ore types: Predominantly diasporic and boehmitic bauxites with variable hematite/goethite and clay (kaolinite, illite/muscovite) content; locally pyrite-rich or REE-bearing zones have been described.
Geometry: Bauxite bodies infill paleokarst cavities, channels and depressions, producing irregular lenses and sheets that can be later deformed and faulted.

For the MineGuessr portfolio, Parnassos–Ghiona represents the karst bauxite / alumina feedstock end of the spectrum, complementing the porphyry copper, gold, talc and andalusite deposits showcased on other days of the calendar.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Parnassos–Ghiona (1984–2022) compresses several decades of district-scale bauxite development into a few seconds. Rather than a single growing pit, you see a pattern of open pits opening, expanding and then being partially restored along the ridges and slopes of Parnassos and Ghiona.

Pre-1980s–1980s – established bauxite province

By the early 1980s, surface and underground bauxite mining had already been active for decades, with exploitation starting in the 1920s and intensifying in the 1960s–70s.
Environmentally, early open pits and waste tips often followed the natural relief closely, leaving stepped slopes and benches set into the carbonate massifs.

What you see from space:

- Existing open pits as reddish-brown and pale excavations set among forest and scrub.
- Old roads and benches etched into the slopes, some already partly revegetated.
- Early waste-rock and overburden dumps on ridgelines and in side valleys.

1990s–2000s – expansion, rationalisation and environmental controls

New open pits are developed in the northeastern Ghiona area and elsewhere along the district, while others are progressively mined out.
Greek environmental legislation tightens, requiring Environmental Impact Assessments and progressive restoration of mined areas and waste dumps.

In the timelapse:

You see new pits appear as bright, angular cuts into the slopes, while some older pits slowly soften in colour as vegetation is re-established.
Waste dumps are reshaped, with some being partially recontoured and revegetated.
Access roads and platforms become more structured and less ad hoc as planning and permitting frameworks evolve.

2010s–early 2020s – active mining and reclamation in parallel

Parnassos–Ghiona is still one of Greece’s main active bauxite mining districts, with both open-pit and underground operations supplying alumina refineries and non-metallurgical markets.
At the same time, a number of former pits and dumps are undergoing rehabilitation and biodiversity restoration, with research projects tracking soil and vegetation recovery.
Technical work on Greek bauxites highlights both their importance as alumina feedstock and their moderate rare-earth element (REE) potential, though not at the level of current REE mines.

On the timelapse:

You’ll notice some sites where active pits and restored areas sit side by side, a visual signature of long-lived district-scale mining.
In certain areas, the mine footprint appears to “breathe”: older benches green over while new cuts open nearby as ore is followed along the bauxite horizons.

For MineGuessr players, this door is less about a single spectacular super-pit and more about understanding how an entire bauxite province evolves over time under geology, market demand and environmental regulation.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

The Parnassos–Ghiona operations combine surface and underground mining with off-site alumina and aluminium production:

Open-pit mining: High-wall and side-hill pits follow the B2 and B3 bauxite horizons along ridgelines and slopes. Drilling, blasting and truck-shovel loading are used, with selective mining of higher-grade lenses.
Underground mining: Room-and-pillar or similar methods are used where bauxite lies under significant limestone cover or where environmental constraints limit surface mining.
Primary processing: ROM bauxite is crushed, screened and sometimes washed and sorted to produce metallurgical-grade and non-metallurgical products.
Downstream: Metallurgical-grade bauxite feeds Greek alumina refineries and smelters; non-metallurgical bauxites go into cement, abrasives, refractories and other industrial uses.

Role in the raw materials value chain and energy transition

Bauxite from Parnassos–Ghiona sits at the very start of the alumina–aluminium value chain in Europe:

Alumina & aluminium: Feedstock for lightweight aluminium used in transport, construction, packaging and electrical applications.
Non-metallurgical uses: Inputs to cement, steel, refractories and abrasives, supporting everything from buildings and roads to furnaces and industrial equipment.

In the context of the energy transition, bauxite from districts like Parnassos–Ghiona underpins:

Lightweight transport (aluminium in vehicles, aircraft, rail).
Power infrastructure (conductors, transformers, structural components).
Renewable installations (aluminium frames and components for solar, wind and grid upgrades).

The district also features in discussions about critical raw materials and by-products: Greek bauxites have been studied for their rare-earth element (REE) content and possible recovery routes, even if, today, REE extraction is still at a research and pilot stage.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As a MineGuessr player, could you spot:

The chain of open pits stepping along the bauxite horizons rather than a single central pit.
The difference between fresh, active benches (bright and sharply defined) and older, partially reclaimed benches (softer, more vegetated).
The extensive haul-road network linking pits, portals and haulage routes down to the valley floor.
How relief and geology control mine geometry – pits cut into steep carbonate slopes and perched on ridges instead of in flat terrain.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

We selected Parnassos–Ghiona for the MineGuessr mining advent calendar because it:

Is one of the most important karst-bauxite provinces in the Mediterranean, long studied in ore-deposit literature.
Shows how a multi-mine district evolves over nearly a century of bauxite extraction, with open pits, underground workings and reclaimed areas intertwined.
Raises timely questions about landscape change, reclamation, and the role of bauxite in Europe’s alumina and aluminium value chains.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Parnassos–Ghiona helps spark conversations about karst bauxite geology, district-scale mine planning and the environmental footprint of alumina feedstock in a mountainous European setting.

In December, keep opening a new door every day and explore all 24 mines featured this year on the main MineGuessr mining advent calendar page.

Day 1 - Aitik (Sweden, copper-gold open pit)
A large, low-grade copper operation south of Gällivare
👉 Open Door 1 - Aitik
Day 2 - Björkdal (Sweden, gold)
Gold mine near Skellefteå, combining open-pit and underground mining.
👉 Open Door 2 - Björkdal
Day 3 - Kemi (Finland, chrome)
Chrome mine in northern Finland, Europe’s only chromite operation.
👉 Open Door 3 - Kemi
Day 4 - Ørtfjell (Norway, iron ore)
Iron ore mine in Norway’s Dunderland Valley, evolving from large open pits to underground mining.
👉 Open Door 4 - Ørtfjell
Day 5 - Trimouns (France, talc)
World’s largest working talc quarry high in the French Pyrenees above Luzenac.
👉 Open Door 5 - Trimouns
Day 6 - Skouries (Greece, copper-gold porphyry)
High-grade copper–gold porphyry project in the forests of Halkidiki, still under construction.
👉 Open Door 6 - Skouries
Day 7 - Las Cruces (Spain, copper)
High-grade hydromet copper mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt north-west of Seville.
👉 Open Door 7 - Las Cruces
Day 8 - Assarel–Medet (Bulgaria, copper)
Twin porphyry copper open pits in the Panagyurishte district, from Europe’s former largest open-pit copper mine at Medet to today’s modern Assarel operation.
👉 Open Door 8 - Assarel–Medet
Day 9 - Glomel (France, andalusite)
World-class andalusite open-pit quarry in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires, supplying refractory minerals for Europe’s steel, foundry, cement and glass industries.
👉 Open Door 9 - Glomel
Day 11 - Kittilä (Finland, gold)
Europe’s largest primary gold mine at the Suurikuusikko orogenic gold deposit north of the Arctic Circle.
👉 Open Door 11 - Kittilä
Day 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex (Romania, lignite)
Cluster of large open-pit lignite mines and mine-mouth power plants in Gorj County, now at the centre of Romania’s coal phase-out and just transition plans.
👉 Open Door 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex
Day 13 - Cornwall china clay (UK)
Historic Imerys china clay pits near St Austell, where bright white kaolin benches and tips reshape “Clay Country” over decades of mining and restoration.
👉 Open Door 13 - Cornwall china clay
Day 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini (Greece, bentonite)
Overlapping bentonite open pits on the volcanic island of Milos, anchoring one of Europe’s key industrial minerals districts.
👉 Open Door 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini
Day 15 - Skouriotissa (Cyprus, copper & hydromet)
Ancient copper mining district in the Troodos ophiolite, now a hydrometallurgical hub processing copper, gold and battery-metal feed.
👉 Open Door 15 - Skouriotissa
Day 16 - Tunstead (UK, limestone & cement)
The UK’s largest limestone quarry near Buxton, feeding an integrated lime and cement works with long-term restoration and biodiversity plans.
👉 Open Door 16 - Tunstead
Day 17 - Narva (Estonia, oil shale)
Large open-pit oil shale mine in Ida-Viru County, supplying the Narva power plants and reshaping the landscape with strip mining and reclamation.
👉 Open Door 17 - Narva
Day 18 - Sydvaranger (Norway, iron ore)
Arctic banded iron formation at Bjørnevatn near Kirkenes, evolving toward DR-grade magnetite for Europe’s green steel transition.
👉 Open Door 18 - Sydvaranger
Day 19 - Kevitsa (Finland, nickel–copper–PGE)
Multimetal open-pit mine in Finnish Lapland, combining Ni–Cu–PGE production with trolley-assisted haulage for lower-emission mining.
👉 Open Door 19 - Kevitsa
Day 20 - Styrian Erzberg (Austria, iron ore)
Terraced “pyramid” open-pit iron ore mine at Eisenerz, turning 12 Mt of rock into ~3 Mt of ore each year for Austria’s steel industry.
👉 Open Door 20 - Styrian Erzberg
Day 21 - Minas de Alquife (Spain, iron ore)
Europe’s largest open-pit iron ore mine in Granada, restarting in 2020 after two decades of closure to supply high-grade ore to European steelmakers.
👉 Open Door 21 - Minas de Alquife
Day 22 - Siilinjärvi (Finland, phosphate)
EU’s only operating phosphate mine in central Finland, mining an Archean carbonatite for fertiliser-grade apatite and creating distinctive pale tailings and phosphogypsum stacks.
👉 Open Door 22 - Siilinjärvi
Day 23 - Tellnes (Norway, ilmenite/titanium)
World-class ilmenite open pit in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, supplying TiO₂ pigment feedstock from one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits.
👉 Open Door 23 - Tellnes
Day 24 - Elatsite (Bulgaria, copper–gold porphyry)
High-altitude porphyry copper–gold open pit in Bulgaria’s Srednogorie zone, with ore conveyed under the Balkan Mountains to a separate flotation–tailings complex.
👉 Open Door 24 - Elatsite

About Gosselin Mining

At Gosselin Mining, we work with exactly the kind of long-life, district-scale operations that Parnassos–Ghiona illustrates: bulk industrial and metallurgical raw materials where value comes from geology, life-of-mine planning, permitting and ESG-driven optimisation. If you need help to:

Assess the life-of-mine potential of a bauxite or industrial minerals district
Optimise open-pit vs. underground strategies along stratiform horizons
Benchmark your operation against European raw materials and environmental standards

…you’re very welcome to book a meeting with us.