Bellerophon strata

Towards the end of the Permian era, 250 million years ago, the land sank and the sea advanced a long way westwards. Shallow coastal waters and lagoons characterised the coastal plains, comparable with the Adriatic nowadays, in the area of Venice. The climate was hotter and drier, however.
(The shallow lagoon area repeatedly dried out in the course of periodic tidal movements, only to be flooded again. Under the tropical sun, clumps of gypsum built up in the mud of the lagoon, which can be found in the strata today. The gypsum deposits in the gorge, ranging from white to red in colour, are an indication of the proximity of maritime habitats.)
 

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