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Cyprus has ores, consisting of metallic or non-mineral and quarried materials consisting of non-metallic or industrial minerals.
The ores of Cyprus are generally related to the Troodos Ophiolite Complex and include sulphide ores (deposits of iron pyrite, copper and other heavy metals accompanied by gold and silver) and chromite and asbestos ores. These deposits have been created in different geological horizons of the Troodos Ophiolitic Complex and surfaced as a result of the uplift of the Troodos mountain range. The surface appearance of various mineral deposits, especially copper, led to their exploitation since ancient times. Cyprus is one of the first places on earth where the exploitation, processing and use of copper began.
The substitution of ferropyrite in the international market for the production of sulfuric acid from elemental sulfur and waste sulfuric acid from iron metallurgies, the penetration of the international market of chromite from South Africa with new methods of ferrochrome production and the substitution of chromite as a refractory material by other materials as well as the prejudice in the international market for the use of asbestos products, put the exploitation of the Cypriot mineral deposits into recession.
The quarry materials of Cyprus have also been exploited since ancient times. Characteristic are the umbers and ochres that were used as paints for painting, as well as the calcareous sandstone that was widely used as the main building material in ancient times and in the years that followed.
Today in Cyprus, sedimentary formations of all types and various geological periods are exploited, such as limestone in various qualities and types, clay and gypsum. Explosive formations such as diabase, weathered volcanic formations such as bentonite, red clay and submarine hydrothermal sediments such as umber and ocher are also exploited.
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