| Avshalom Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
| Soreq/Sorek Cave, Avshalom Cave, Stalactites Cave | |
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| Location | On the western slopes of the Judean Hills, south of Nahal Soreq and approximately 2 kilometers east of Bet Shemesh. |
| Nearest city | Bet Shemesh |
| Governing body | Israel Nature and Parks Authority |
Avshalom Cave (Hebrew: מערת אבשלום, romanized: Me'arat Avshalom), known in academic literature as Soreq Cave (Hebrew: מערת שׂורק, romanized: Me'arat Soreq; Arabic: مغارة سوريك, romanized: Mghar Suriq) an popularly as Stalactites Cave (Hebrew: מערת הנטיפים, romanized: Me'arat HaNetifim), is a 5,000 m2 cave on the western side of Mt. Ye'ela, in the Judean hills in Israel, unique for its dense concentration of stalactites and other cave formations. It is a popular show cave.
The cave has been the focus of paleoclimate research, which allowed reconstruction of the region's semi-arid climate for the past 185,000 years.[1] According to the American geologist James Aronson, the Soreq Cave Nature Reserve is the Rosetta stone of climate history in the Eastern Mediterranean.[2]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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The most beautiful Stalactite Soreq Cave in the Judean Hills of Israel/Also known as Avshalom Cave
Transcription
Name
The cave is named after the Soreq/Sorek Valley (Nahal Sorek) and after Avshalom Shoham, an Israeli soldier killed in the War of Attrition.
Location
Avshalom Cave is situated near Hartuv, 3 km east of Bet Shemesh, Israel.
Discovery
The cave was discovered accidentally in May 1968, while quarrying with explosives.
After its discovery, the location of the cave was kept a secret for several years for fear of damage to its natural treasures.
Description
The cave is 83 m long, 60 m wide, and 15 m high.
The temperature and the humidity in the cave are constant year round.[3]
Some of the stalactites found in the cave are four meters long, and some have been dated as 300,000 years old. Some meet stalagmites to form stone pillars.[4]
Tourism
The cave is now open to visitors, in the heart of the 67-dunam Avshalom Nature Reserve, declared in 1975.[3] In 2012, a new lighting system was installed to prevent the formation and growth of algae.[5]
Gallery
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Sign at entrance to the cave -
Cave entrance -
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Stalactite meeting stalagmite to form a pillar -
Speleothems -
A stalagmite and stalactite almost touch -
Cave pond almost covered over by calcareous sinter -
Cave formation
See also
References
- ^ Speleothem Science: From Process to Past Environments. By Ian J. Fairchild, Andy Baker. Section 12.1.2
- ^ Eminent Jewish Geologist Voyages to Tiberias to Connect With His Roots, Haaretz
- ^ a b "List of National Parks and Nature Reserves" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2010-09-27.
- ^ "Avshalom Cave". old homepage of the Israel Nature & National Parks Protection Authority. Archived from the original on 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2015-07-07.
- ^ Sanders, Edmund (18 September 2012). "Israel's prehistoric Soreq Cave now a clean, eerily lighted place". Los Angeles Times.
External links
- Stalactite Cave Nature Reserve at Israel Nature and Parks Authority website
- Photos of Avshalom Stalactites Cave, Flickr
| International | |
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| National | |
31°45′21″N 35°01′24″E / 31.75583°N 35.02333°E
This page was last edited on 25 March 2024, at 16:38