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.
Avshalom Nature Reserve
Soreq/Sorek Cave, Avshalom Cave, Stalactites Cave
Location
On the western slopes of the Judean Hills, south of Nahal Soreq and approximately 2 kilometers east of Bet Shemesh.
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]
The cave is named after the Soreq/Sorek Valley (Nahal Sorek) and after Avshalom Shoham, an Israeli soldier killed in the War of Attrition.
Locationedit
Avshalom Cave is situated near Hartuv, 3 km east of Bet Shemesh, Israel.
Discoveryedit
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.
Descriptionedit
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]
Tourismedit
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]
avshalom, cave, hebrew, מערת, אבשלום, romanized, arat, avshalom, known, academic, literature, soreq, cave, hebrew, מערת, ורק, romanized, arat, soreq, arabic, مغارة, سوريك, romanized, mghar, suriq, popularly, stalactites, cave, hebrew, מערת, הנטיפים, romanized,. Avshalom Cave Hebrew מערת אבשלום romanized Me arat Avshalom known in academic literature as Soreq Cave Hebrew מערת ש ורק 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 Avshalom Nature ReserveSoreq Sorek Cave Avshalom Cave Stalactites CaveLocationOn the western slopes of the Judean Hills south of Nahal Soreq and approximately 2 kilometers east of Bet Shemesh Nearest cityBet ShemeshGoverning bodyIsrael Nature and Parks AuthorityThe 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 Contents 1 Name 2 Location 3 Discovery 4 Description 5 Tourism 6 Gallery 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksName editThe cave is named after the Soreq Sorek Valley Nahal Sorek and after Avshalom Shoham an Israeli soldier killed in the War of Attrition Location editAvshalom Cave is situated near Hartuv 3 km east of Bet Shemesh Israel Discovery editThe 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 editThe 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 editThe 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 edit nbsp Sign at entrance to the cave nbsp Cave entrance nbsp Speleothems nbsp Stalactite meeting stalagmite to form a pillar nbsp Speleothems nbsp A stalagmite and stalactite almost touch nbsp Cave pond almost covered over by calcareous sinter nbsp Cave formationSee also editGeography of Israel Tourism in IsraelReferences edit 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 amp 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 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Soreq Cave External links editStalactite Cave Nature Reserve at Israel Nature and Parks Authority website Photos of Avshalom Stalactites Cave Flickr 31 45 21 N 35 01 24 E 31 75583 N 35 02333 E 31 75583 35 02333 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Avshalom Cave amp oldid 1215518285, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
