Avshalom Cave

The cave is named after the Soreq/Sorek Valley (Nahal Sorek) and after Avshalom Shoham, an Israeli soldier killed in the War of Attrition. ==Location==

Avshalom Cave is situated near Hartuv, 3 km east of Bet Shemesh, Israel. ==Discovery==

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. ==Description==

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. ==Paleoclimate research: significance==

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. According to the American geologist James Aronson, the Soreq Cave is the Rosetta Stone of climate history in the Eastern Mediterranean. ==Tourism==

The cave is now open to visitors, in the heart of the 67-dunam Avshalom Nature Reserve, declared in 1975. In 2012, a new lighting system was installed to prevent the formation and growth of algae. ==Gallery==

File:Avshalom (Soreq) Cave sign.JPG|Sign at entrance to the cave File:Avshalom's Cave IMG 0992.JPG|Cave entrance File:Soreq Cave 07.jpg|Speleothems File:Stalactites cave (17).JPG|Stalactite meeting stalagmite to form a pillar File:Cave formation.JPG|Speleothems File:A Stalagmite and Stalactite touch.JPG|A stalagmite and stalactite almost touch File:View of Cave from above.JPG|Cave pond almost covered over by calcareous sinter File:Beautiful cave formations.JPG|Cave formation ==See also==