Lidar Scanning's 3-D mapping of Abu Sariye Alabaster Cave, Assiut Governorate, the Eastern Desert of Egypt

Abu Sariye alabaster cave is located in the NE portion of Assiut Governorate, Eastern Desert, Upper Egypt. One of the dry valley streams in the Al-Umrani Basin, which flows into the Nile River southeast of Dayrut City, formed the cave on its side. The Minia Formation, a shallow marine limestone plateau of the Lower Eocene, forms its foundation. In March 2024, the authors, assisted by local quarry workers in Al-Houta Al-Sharqiya town, discovered the cave. They then surveyed and 3-D mapped it using a SLAM100 handheld LiDAR scanner. For portable mapping, take fieldwork precautions. Alabaster rocks are present in the cave under study. They formed when anhydrite was near the surface, quickly lost its water, and turned into mostly plaster-grade gypsum deeper down during the Quaternary. We are utilizing the 3-D mapping of the cave and the measurements of its parameters to enhance ecotourism in the area and to direct future studies that aim to understand the richness of the Karst habitat. The study found physical evidence indicating the presence of this highly endangered species in the cave.