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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.
