Hartal (2009:7–8) describes a 10 m-high ledge north of the Banias spring, enclosed on three sides by 30 m cliffs and containing a large karstic cave (about 25 m wide, 15 m deep, and 8 m high) with subterranean water at its base. He notes that “as the consequence of an earthquake, the mouth of the cave was destroyed and blocked by a large pile of rocks,” adding that the present opening appears to be the remnant of a larger grotto that “collapsed in the past, creating the ledge, or terrace, upon which the temples are built.” The grotto was dedicated to the cult of Pan in the Hellenistic period, and a temple — likely the Augusteum built by Herod in 19 BCE — was constructed at its entrance. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE, additional temples and open-air cult areas were established in the terrace east of the cave, with niches carved into the cliff for statues and inscriptions.

Wilson (2004:166) emphasizes the seismic character of this destruction, suggesting that “the massive earthquake that struck the area on New Year’s Day 1837” — the 1837 CE Safed Quake — “seems to have caused rock falls within the cave of Pan, covering the floor and entrance with the huge boulders that remained there until they were removed during recent archaeological excavations.” He further speculates that the earthquake may also have devastated village structures nearby, leaving inhabitants to hastily rebuild crude shelters in its aftermath.

This seismic interpretation is supported by Zvi Uri Ma‘oz in Stern et al. (1993 v.1), who concluded that “the grotto’s ceiling was probably shattered by the January 1, 1837 earthquake that destroyed Safed and Galilee.” Together, these accounts suggest that the collapse of the grotto, the blocking of its entrance, and the formation of the terrace that hosted the sanctuary all represent seismic damage, possibly caused by the powerful 1837 CE event. However, the possibility remains that earlier earthquakes also contributed to the site’s transformation, as the original collapse predates the known Roman-period temple construction.