Snapshots
From Israel: Spring 1999
Machtesh Ramon
The Machtesh is a crater formed by geological process (as opposed to a
meteor strike). This is the view in the late afternoon from the top of the crater.
You can't really judge scale from this photo, but the sheer walls of the crater are
quite high. Towards the back of the crater you'll notice a black mound. This
is actually an extinct (we hope) volcano.
Down in the Machtesh you'll find different strata and a plethora of
minerals. The colors of the rocks are found in an amazing variety. Here you
can see purple, yellow, and red layers. The crater itself is desert. Spring is
probably the best time to visit here; summertime here is lethal. It rained the
previous day, but you wouldn't be able to tell from looking in this ravine. After a
rain, flash floods are a very real, and very dangerous reality in the desert. One
should NEVER be in a river bed or ravine at such times.
The terrain is so varied here, with lots of little mountains that are
all different; different colors, different rock type and different geological era.
You can see the volcano here again in the back; this time from the opposite side of
the crater.
