## 6 Conclusions  
Considering the models relating to geological processes and their relationship with geomorphological features, the following concluding remarks arise for the Samaria Gorge area:  
1. The entire region is a part of a megastructure, with the core of Mt Gigilos, consisting of unsorted, dolomitic stromatolite limestones. On either side of the mountain, the dip direction of the formations is differentiated, maintaining the same NNE-SSW striking, indicating that Mt Gigilos is a tectonic window.
2. Although the proposed models are detailed and provide different aspects of the geological regime of the study area, we conclude that the 3 rd model is more accurate as the Trypali unit's occurrence at the southwestern part of Samaria Gorge suggested; this is verified by field observations.
3. According to the field observations, this megastructure dips in the NE direction, resulting in the geological formations' intense erosion rate. Therefore, the geological formations' inclination, which is directly associated with tectonic processes, occurred in the area, controlling the geomorphological evolution of the region.
4. The lithology constitution, combined with the tectonic evidence, is a significant factor affecting the geomorphological relief. In particular, the phyllite and slate formations (Gigilos formation) with medium dip angles are characterized by smooth relief. On the contrary, the metacarbonate formations of the Plattenkalk Group, accompanied by high (up to vertical) dip angles, show sharp slopes on both sides of the river that crosses the Samaria Gorge and form slopes with heights of up to 300 m in some locations.
5. Overall, the Samaria Gorge constitutes a typical catchment area, in which the surface runoff is favored in the northern part, due to the lithological formations, while the underground one is favored in the southern part, respectively.  
Figure 10: Extensive karst features predominantly observed in the southern part of Samaria Gorge.  
Figure 9: The main lithological formations outcropping in the Samaria Gorge: (**a**) Gigilos formation, consisting of phyllites and slates. The slopes are characterized by smooth dip angles; (**b**) Plattenkalk formation, consisting of recrystallized limestones with chert intercalations, showing steep slopes.  
**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, E.M. and I.L.; methodology, E.M.; software, I.L.; validation, E.M., E.S., and A.V.; formal analysis, E.M.; investigation, E.M., I.L., and E.S.; resources, E.M. and E.S.; data curation, I.L. and E.S.; writing--original draft preparation, I.L.; writing--review and editing, E.M., I.L., E.S., and A.V.; visualization, I.L.; supervision, E.M.; project administration, E.M.; funding acquisition, E.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
**Funding:** This research was funded by the Applied Research Project \"3D geological structure modeling of Samaria Gorge, aiming at the investigation of hydrogeological conditions and water reservoir levels in the core of Samaria National Park (Lefka Ori), Western Crete\" (funding number: 82230), which is financially supported by the Green Fund \"Forest Protection and Upgrading 2019\" under \"Other Nationals. Green Fund\".  
**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.