GEOTOUR & IRSE 2012.pdf - Fakulta BERG - TUKE

GEOTOUR & IRSE 2012
There are dozens of very important sinkholes in the Bükk that are worthy of the attention of
speleologists, for instance the sinkholes of Kaszás-rét, Diós-kút, and Ilona-kút. The sinkhole
of Koporsós is very interesting, too, as it occasionally turns into a spring, so this is basically a
katavotra.
Sink caves
The water running into sink caves usually consists of precipitation water fallen on non-karst
areas. This concentrated water stream can be permanent but might be seasonal. The most
significant sink caves are on the Kisfennsík (for instance Szamentu cave and Vénusz cave)
and Nagyfennsík (for example the Bolhás-Jávorkút cave system, the Fekete cave, the létrási
Vizes cave, the Speizi cave, the Szepesi-Láner cave and the Diabáz cave) of the Bükk.
Full length cave from sinkhole to spring
The only cave that can be visited by humans in its entire length, from sinkhole to spring, is the
Szivárvány cave. This cave (basically a cave system, as it used to be an spring cave and a sink
cave, and was connected later) can be visited by entering it at either end.
Fig. 2 The end point of the deepest cave in Hungary: the Number 4 siphon in the István-lápai cave
(Foto: A. Kiss)
Sink shaft caves
There are many such large caves in the Bükk (for instance the deepest cave of Hungary, the
Isván-lápai cave) of which we know the location of neither its spring side entrance, nor its
sink side entrance. These caves are discovered by speleologists through a sink shaft that is not
considered to be their main sinking location. (Based on hydrological relations it can be safely
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