Geology of Malta elephant fossils), as well as island gigantism (fossils of Leithia melitensis). Geology of Malta The Geology of Malta consists of a sequence of sedimentary rocks of late Oligocene to late Miocene age cut through by a set of extensional faults of Pliocene age. The Maltese archipelago is situated on the mainly shallow water continental platform between Sicily and North Africa that lies beneath the Sicily Channel, separating the Ionian Basin from the western Mediterranean Basin. The islands lie around 200 km to the south of the subduction boundary between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The platform is crossed
Culture of Malta at night, while by day they remained free to transact business, trade and commerce among the general population. Local place names around the island, such as "Bir Meyru" (Meyer's Well), "Ġnien il-Lhud" (The Jew's Garden) and "Ħal Muxi" (Moshé's Farm) attest to the endurance of Jewish presence in Malta. Exposure to semitic influences continued to a limited extent during the 268-year rule of the Knights of St. John over Malta, due in part to trade between the Knights and North Africa, but primarily due to the large numbers of slaves present in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries: upwards