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

Lower Cable Car Cave, Mount Hermon

Grid ref.: 222240/301455
Location: The western side of the Lower Cable Car parking lot.
Elevation: 1654 m above sea level

Description of the Cave:

This cave is an example of a cave that developed in fractured limestone along a joint plane in a southwest-northeast direction, and its development in depth was halted after several meters. It consists of two spaces: the space through which the cave is entered is about 10 m deep and its area is 8X4 m. On the rocks at the entrance there are travertine surfaces extending inward into the space. Stalactites and elephant-ear flowstones hang from the ceiling, and in the center of the ceiling there is a blocked chimney (A in vertical projection) - a fracture that was widened and developed between the surface and the cave space, but was blocked by collapses and by fill from the surface. On the northern side of the space too there is a scree of stones and no continuation is seen. On the southern side of the above space, at a height of approximately 5 m from its floor, one can enter another space, extending 5 m to the southwest as a passage and ending in a high and narrow chimney, also blocked. Interestingly, this space developed at first as a fracture that was widened and blocked (the chimney) and later developed into a horizontal passage.

In a tour of the cave in 2008, passage was made possible at the end of the horizontal passage south of space A, and a wide space was found that doubles the volume of the cave. Its description follows:

At the southern end of chamber A, about 5 m from the chamber floor, there is a short horizontal passage on whose eastern side there is a narrow chimney about 6 m deep, which leads to a large chamber (chamber B - dimensions about 10X5 m) that developed in a direction similar to space A and appears to have developed on the same fracture.

Apparently this chamber was formed by phreatic dissolution, and afterwards part of the chamber ceiling collapsed.

The eastern wall of the chamber is completely exposed and shows signs of fracturing and breaking, opposite the western wall, which is covered with many cave deposits (stalactites, flowstone sheets, stalagmites, cave coral, elephant-ear flowstones). The ceiling of the chamber is exposed and rounded, and long tree roots descend from it. The floor of the chamber is covered with large rocks and mud that slope west into a sinkhole draining the floor of this chamber. The depth of the sinkhole is about 1.5 m and its bottom is blocked with rocks.

Notes:

The cave opening is located at the top of a cut cliff on the western side of the Lower Cable Car parking lot. The opening is covered with an iron grate.
To descend in this cave, rappelling equipment is needed.
On the floor of space B there is some guano.

Written by: Boaz Langford