Sannur valley Cave protectorate
Senour Cave is a huge cave in the heart of the mountain with a depth of about 17 meters, this cave is located 70 km southeast of Beni Suef, and there are several quarries, including ancient ones that were discovered and exploited during the era of the pharaohs, and modern ones that are currently being exploited.
The stalagmites and stalactites of pure alabaster are distributed in a picturesque form, and in the floor of the cave in the eastern corner of it there is a waterway that falls below the level of the cave floor, which is believed to be a means of draining the water collected in the cave.
As a result of the continuous alabaster extraction operations, a large gap appeared in the bottom of the quarry 54, leading to an underground cave that extends a large area just below the operating interface, and contains geological structures known as stalagmites and stalactites in a perfect picture whose formation dates back to the Middle Eocene era, about 60 million years ago. The cave is about 700 meters long, about 15 meters wide and about 15 meters deep.
This reserve is characterized by the presence of geological structures known as stalagmites and stalactites of alabaster (calcium carbonate) in a perfect form formed over millions of years as a result of the leakage of water solutions saturated with calcium carbonate salts through the ceiling of the cave and then evaporated, leaving these mineral salts that accumulated.
The importance of this cave is due to the rarity of these natural formations in the world; they shed light on the conditions of the ancient climate in that region and the age of their formation. The importance of this cave is due to the rarity of these natural formations in the world, and they shed light on the conditions of the ancient climate in that region and the age of their formation.
The cave under consideration is geologically significant, mainly due to the scarcity of such natural features in the world, and it is of high value for researchers interested in carrying out in-depth comparisons and focusing on paleoclimatology and the characteristics of the ancient environment.
Also, it enables researchers to undertake detailed comparative studies concerning the contrasting ancient environmental conditions that existed during the Middle Eocene period. In view of the world scarcity of such natural formations, they hold great significance for the geologists to study differences in paleoenvironmental conditions existing during the Middle Eocene in great detail.