Mount Bental is a dormant volcano in the Golan Heights whose summit reaches 3,000 ft. The mountain close to Syria but now forms part of the Israeli line of volcanos; and is an excellent vantage point towards Syria; the slopes of Mount Hermon and the rest of the Golan Heights. Also, Mount Bental is part of the nature reserve “Mount Avital – Mount Bentel”, which surrounds, apart from it, Mount Avital located south of it, and the valley between the two mountains.
The Geology of Mount Bental
Mount Bental and Mount Avital are part of a volcanic system that feeds from the same volcanic source. Mount Bental is located in the north of the complex and was formed in the Skoria eruptions about 0.14 million years ago. The eruptions formed an ash cone that was 50 feet higher than it is today. About 0.1 million years ago; lava flowed from the mountain in a single event. The magma that had accumulated on the mountain failed to erupt from its head; and as a result, erupted as a lava flow on its western side.
The eruption caused the northwestern wall to collapse and slide over the lava. The northwestern wall slide of the mountain created the current shape of Mount Bental, horseshoe-shaped. An eruption from Mount Avital flowed up to a distance of about 2 km from the mountain; it is clearly visible even today east of Road 9881. On top, there are a number of scoria hills from the wall of the collapsed mountain, which were probably transported on the magma flow to their current location.
On my private tours of the Golan, I take my guests to check Mount Bental out. From there you really have a nice vista of the Valley of Tears and Syria.
