Makhtesh Ramon

The largest erosion crater in the world, located in the central Negev Desert near the town of Mitzpe Ramon, measuring approximately 40 kilometres long and up to 400 metres deep. The crater is not of volcanic or meteor impact origin but formed through a process of erosion over millions of years that exposed strata of sandstone, chalk, and igneous rock in vivid layered bands. The crater floor contains unusual geological formations including prism-shaped hexagonal columns of dark basalt and coloured sandstone mounds. The rim above the town provides an expansive viewpoint over the entire crater floor at sunset.