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SYMPOSIUM PHOTO INTERPRETATION, DELFT 1962 
During the course of soil surveys, which used air photo interpretation me 
thods as well as ground surveys, the disintegration process of the Nari crust 
was revealed. The Nari is a hard calcareous crust which coats different sed 
iments and rocks, especially chalk and marl, in various parts of Israel. This 
crust is especially widespread in the drier parts of the Mediterranean climatic 
zone, as well as in the semi-arid and arid parts of the country. 
The Nari apparently developed, as a hard calcium carbonate horizon 
(caliche) [1J, and was subsequently uncovered as a result of erosion. In some 
areas, especially in the arid parts of the country, and on moderate slopes, this 
crust is still covered by a thin soil mantle. 
Fig. 1. Aerial photograph of the Nari area revealing initial stages of the désintégration 
process 
Most of the Nari can thus be defined as a fossil or relic caliche, which now 
somewhat resembles other hard calcareous rocks. Numerous rock outcrops 
cover the area, and solution basins, pinnacles and some other surface features 
characteristic of a Karst landscape are found. A shallow, fine-textured, non- 
calcareous dark brown soil, defined as brown rendzina [1,3] fills the crevices 
and hollows. This soil is somewhat similar to the terra rossa associated with 
other hard calcareous rocks. It might be mentioned that in some places in the 
relatively humid Mediterranean climate zone, shallow terra rossa is formed 
on the Nari instead of the brown Rendzina. 
There are places in the typical Nari zone where this calcareous crust does not 
appear. These places are characterized by an extremely calcareous grey soil, 
known as light rendzina or xerorenzina [1,3] which grades into a soft cal 
careous rock.