This page was translated from Hebrew and has not been reviewed yet. The Hebrew page is the reference. עברית

Lev Ari Cave, Hermon Caves

Elevation: 1320 m above sea level

Description of the cave:

Lev Ari Cave is a medium-sized cave consisting of 5 chimneys that developed in limestone of Jurassic age (Hermon Fm.).

The cave has a large entrance (3X3.5 m) opening at the bottom of a wide collapse doline of about 8X4 m and a depth of 5 m.

The banks of the doline are cliffy except for its eastern side, where developed hawthorn and plum trees grow that slightly conceal the presence of the doline in the place. The doline is located at the northwestern edge of a wide horizontal area that looks like a shallow doline that developed between low hills. Another collapse doline (Ravek Chimney) developed at the southern edge of this shallow area, about 60 m southeast of Lev Ari Cave.

The entrance of Lev Ari Cave opens at the top of a low and wide chimney (A) that developed at azimuth 10 and is now in advanced stages of filling. The dimensions of the chimney in its center are 7.5X5 m and its total depth is 15 m. On the chimney walls there are a few weathered cave deposits among which many pigeons nest.

The chimney floor is covered with soil and abundant organic matter on a steep slope to the north. At the bottom of the northern side of the chimney there is a wide, low opening leading to another chimney (B), wider than the first. The dimensions of the floor of this chimney are 3X7 m and its height is 9 m.

The chimney floor slopes steeply north to the end of the space of this chimney, where the lowest point in the cave is. On the chimney walls there are cave deposits that are better preserved than those in chimney A. During the visit to the cave (July) clusters of hundreds and even thousands of bats of the common bent-wing bat species were seen in the space of chimney B.

During another visit to the cave conducted in September only 3 individuals were seen in the place.

On the eastern side of chimney B there is a narrow, tall passage leading to space C, consisting of three chimneys that developed side by side.

The floor of space C extends at different levels corresponding to the different chimneys. At many points the space floor, as well as its walls, is covered with cave deposits among which flowstone sheets and pool deposits stand out in particular. The height of the space is 15 m and at its top there is a narrow opening leading north through which bat movement was seen.

Written by: Boaz Langford