3D mapping of Abu Sariye Alabaster Cave, Assiut Governorate, the Eastern Desert of Egypt, by using LiDAR Scanner

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. With the help of local quarry workers, we discovered a cave in March 2024. Later we surveyed the cave. They then surveyed and 3-D mapped it using a SLAM100 handheld LiDAR scanner. Alabaster rocks are present in the cave under study. Alabaster 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 for direct future studies that aim to understand the richness of the karst habitat. This study aims to provide a three-dimensional image of the cave that will benefit its visitors.