Makhtesh Ramon contains a diversity of rocks including clay hills known for their red and yellow colors and forms. Mountains rise at the borders of the crater:
Har Ramon (Mt. Ramon) at the southern end, (Mt. Ardon) at the north-eastern end, and two table mountains—
Har Marpek (Mt. Marpek - "Elbow"), and
Har Katum (Mt. Katum - "Cropped")—along the southern wall. The hills to the north-eastern edge of the makhtesh were once entirely covered by spiral
ammonite fossils, ranging from the size of snails to that of tractor wheels although these have mainly been extracted so only smaller fossils can be found here today. Giv'at Ga'ash, a black hill in the north of the makhtesh, was once an active volcano which erupted thousands of years ago and caused it to be covered in lava which quickly cooled in the open air, converting it into
basalt.
Limestone covered by basalt can also be found in smaller black hills in the southern part of the makhtesh, including Karnei Ramon. Shen Ramon (''Ramon's Tooth'') is a rock made of magma which hardened whilst underground. It later rose up through cracks in the Earth's surface, and today stands in striking contrast with the nearby creamy coloured southern wall of the crater, as a black sharp-edged rock. In the centre of the makhtesh is HaMinsara (
The Carpentry Shop), a low hill made up of
columnar jointed sandstone—polygonal prismatic columns of
quartzite. The
pteriidan bivalve Family
Ramonalinidae is found in early Middle
Triassic rocks of Makhtesh Ramon and was named after this feature. Nahal Ardon in the east of the makhtesh contains several vertical
dikes. Occasional geodes of
celestine can be found next to some of them. == Fauna ==