Nihohot A-Ras Cave, Nahal Teenim - Nahal Teenim Survey, Western Samaria
- Grid ref.
- 157579/184339
- Location
- Lower Nahal Teenim
- Elevation
- 266 m above sea level
Description of the Cave:
Nihohot A-Ras Cave is a small cave (total length 13 m) composed mainly of a single space that was formed in dolomite of Turonian age (Bi'ina Fm.). Rounded dissolution pockets and domes as well as a convex cross-section indicate that the cave was formed as a hypogenic cave in the phreatic zone. Weathered speleothems (stalactites, flowstone, corals), which were deposited throughout the cave, represent a vadose stage of activity, later than the emptying of the space of water.
The cave was discovered by Vladimir Boslov, Yuri Lisovich, Shemesh Yaran and Boaz Langford in June 2013. The name of the cave was given to it following the smells of burning garbage from the nearby village of A-Ras.
The cave has a large entrance (1.8X1.1 m) of rounded shape that is conspicuous from afar. The entrance opens at the bottom of a local cliff at the top of the southern bank of the stream, about 100 m above the channel. The entrance leads to a rounded, semi-lit passage, which extends south and after 6 m turns east and becomes dark. The passage floor is horizontal and covered with a thin layer of compacted dark sediment and a few stones. A conical cupmark is carved on an exposed rock projection, on the floor of the western side of the inside of the entrance. The cave ceiling is sooty and extends discontinuously, as a result of the dissolution domes opening in it. Weathered cave deposits cover part of the ceiling and walls of the cave. Better-preserved deposits are found in the inner part of the passage ceiling, after it turns east. At the turning point there is a mold stain that developed around an active drip from the cave wall.
Notes:
- Access to the cave is possible on foot from Road 557 (about 2.5 km). One can get to within 200 m of the cave entrance by 4X4 vehicle on a dirt road that passes through the middle of the Nahal Teenim channel.
Written by: Boaz Langford
