جيوموفولوجية الكهوف الكارستية في شمال جنوب الضفة الغربية-فلسطين

Abstract EN

The Karstic caves in the West Bank mountains are characterized by their small dimensions.

Their length ranges from 21 m to 60m, and they have a volume between 392 m3 and 3074 m3.

They consist of one to five karstic lobbies which are connected together through narrow corridors.

The recry-tallized calcitic sediments differ from one cave to another.

The caves of Ba-ten Al-Hamam, Usareen, Al-Balabel, Al-Shayateen and An-Natuf contain very developed stalactites, stalagmites and helicetites.

The A1 -Mudawwar and Abbas caves on the other hand have no sediments on the walls ceiling and ground.

The entrance to 1 Abbas cave resembles the doors of the old khans.

It is 8.5 meters in height and 4 meters in wide.

The entrance to Ash-Shayateen cave on the other hand has a dimension of 40 X 80 cm.

Depending on the geomorphological stage, some parts of the caves are exposed at ground surface, but the details of stalagmite and stalactite morphology have been used as indicators of the levels and of the unexposed parts of karstic caves.

Based on these indicators, one may conclude that there are two to four disconnected levels within karstic caves.