Makhteshim

The makhteshim of the Negev, large steep-walled erosional craters formed where a river cut through an anticline and removed the softer rock inside. A basin belongs here when its cited article calls it a makhtesh. It excludes other basins and impact craters. The Negev holds the best known examples in the world, and their cliffs expose a deep cross section of Mesozoic rock layers, which makes them important to geologists and a draw for hikers who walk the rim and the floor.