HaMakhtesh HaKatan (, ''lit.'' The Small Crater) or simply Makhtesh HaKatan or Makhtesh Katan, is a

makhtesh A makhtesh ( (), Hebrew plural: ( – ''Makhteshim'') is a geological landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. A makhtesh has steep walls of resistant rock surrounding a deep closed valley, which is usually ...

, a

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

al landform, situated in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Negev The Negev ( ; ) or Naqab (), is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southern end is the Gulf of Aqaba and the resort town, resort city ...

desert. At 5 km by 7 km, it is the third largest of the five makhteshim in the Negev, from a total of seven known major makhteshim, of which two are in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Sinai desert Sinai commonly refers to: * Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God Sinai may also refer to: * Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...

. It was charted in 1942 by Jewish explorers. In June 2019, the State of Israel declared the crater a nature reserve.

Description

The shape of the crater is almost circular. Its maximum length reaches approximately 8 kilometers, its width about 6 kilometers, and its depth about 400 meters. There are two main trails descending into the crater: the first is "Ma'ale Eli" at the southwestern corner of the crater, coming from

Ma'ale Akrabim Route 227 (, ''Kvish 227'') is a road in the eastern Negev desert of Israel. It starts from an intersection with Route 206 (Israel), Route 206 in the northwest and ends in Ir Ovot in the southeast, intersecting with Highway 90 (Israel), Highway ...

; the second is "Ma'ale Hatira," which is part of an ancient trail that ascended from

Nahal Zin Nahal () (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training in entrepr ...

to Metzad Tamar and descends at the northeastern side of the crater.

Nahal Hatira Nahal () (acronym of ''Noar Halutzi Lohem'', lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth) is a program that combines military service with mostly social welfare and informal education projects such as youth movement activities, as well as training in entrepr ...

is the stream that drains the small crater towards Nahal Zin and the

Arabah The Arabah/Araba () or Aravah/Arava () is a loosely defined geographic area in the Negev Desert, south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the border between Israel to the west and Jordan to the east. The old meaning, which was in use ...

. The stream passes through an opening in the southeastern wall of the crater (known as the Gate of Asmodeus or the Devil's Gate), which is part of the Hatira Ridge. The small crater is known for its colorful sandstone. The color of the sandstone varies between gray, brown, yellow, red, purple, and white. The colors of the stone result from small amounts of iron

oxides An oxide () is a chemical compound containing at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion (anion bearing a net charge of −2) of oxygen, an O2− ion with oxygen in the oxidation state o ...

Formation

The craters in the Negev are a rare formation, as a combination of several conditions is required for a crater to form: an asymmetrical anticline, rock layers of varying hardness (hard rock layers such as limestone or dolomite on top, and softer rock layers below), a river that erodes the crater's contents with a low erosion base, and a desert climate (dryness that preserves the crater walls from weathering). In the first stage, a layer of sandstone was deposited in a terrestrial environment. The flooding of the Tethys Sea led to the deposition of marine sedimentary rocks - limestone and dolomite - on top of the soft sandstones. Around 90 million years ago, folding forces began to operate in the area. These forces acted for about 40 million years, creating the Negev anticlines (ridges formed from ground folding), including the Hatira anticline. About 30 million years ago, the sea retreated from the Negev region. The retreat of the sea exposed the area to terrestrial weathering processes that eroded the tops of the anticlines. The upper layers made of hard limestone were eroded, and the soft sandstone inside the anticline was exposed. The layer of sandstone eroded quickly and was carried away by Nahal Hatira. The removal of the sandstone layer caused the hard limestone layers to collapse, expanding the crater and creating its vertical walls.

History

The small crater appears on the " Newcombe Map," prepared by the British army in 1914 as part of the preparations for World War I. The Newcombe Map was unknown to the Jewish settlement, and the crater was discovered by chance during a tour by members of the HaMachanot HaOlim movement in 1942. According to them, the discovery of the "pit," as they called it, surprised even their Bedouin guide. In December 1958, the Jewish National Fund (JNF) completed the opening of a 13-kilometer road connecting the small crater to the Be'er Sheva-Sedom road. The road was opened for the national oil company searching for oil in the area.

Industrialization and Conservation

Near the outlet of the crater in Nahal Hatira, water drilling is carried out, bringing up salty water. The water is pumped up to factories operating in the area, including the "Arad Complex Plants." The small crater is part of the Negev Craters Nature Reserve and is considered a natural asset of global importance due to its unique geological features and great beauty. Consequently, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority carries out conservation and restoration activities in and around the crater.

Gallery

File:HaMakhtesh HaKatan Aerial photo.jpg File:SmallCrater06 ST 08.JPG, Colored sandstone in a crater File:SmallCrater02 ST 08.JPG, The outer side of the rim of the crater. You can see the sharp angle of the soil layers File:SmallCrater01 ST 08.JPG, The rim of the crater rising above its bottom SmallCrater04 ST 08

References