GEOTOUR & IRSE 2012.pdf - Fakulta BERG - TUKE

Salgótarján, 04. – 06. October 2012
assumed that the sink side of István lápai cave might be discovered from the Szepesi-Láner
cave system, and the spring side from the Szent István cave, as soon as speleologists find
these connecting passages.)
Shaft caves
There aren‟t many shaft caves (vertical, mostly open) in the Bükk. Of the few, the Kis-kőháti
shaft cave must be mentioned where we can reach a huge spectacular chamber through the
entrance shaft. The Szeleta shaft cave, Bányász cave and Hársas shaft cave belong to the same
category as well.
Cave ruins (rock arches and natural bridges)
The various size and length cave ruins are wonderfully spectacular sights. They can be formed
by external forces (water, wind, gravitation) in many different positions. The stone rib of
Ablakos-kő („Window Rock‟) has basically got a hole in its middle, thus making a formation
after which it has got its name. The „natural‟ entrance of the above mentioned Udvar-kő
precipice dolina is the rock bridge called Sziklakapus sinkhole. The Háromkúti-nagysziklakapu
(rock arch) is a rock formation, but the Büdöspest and the Suba-lyuk are cave
passage sections, opened at both ends.
Spring caves
Water exits from a number of caves even today, and based on morphological and
hydrogeological characteristics of the caves, it can be safely assumed that water used to exit
from them at one time. The first group includes the Kecske-lyuk, the Szent István cave, and
the Imó spring cave. The latter groups includes the Szeleta cave, Istállós-kői cave, Hillebrand
Jenő cave, Balla cave, etc. (These last ones are also significant from the Bükk‟s
archaeological point of view, with regards to palaeolithic age humans.) The Szent István cave
is a tourist cave as well as a medicinal cave. The Miskolctapolca Tavas cave encompasses the
cave spa and bath.
Sinter caves
So far we‟ve been discussing postgenetic caves, i. e. when first the rock that later
encompassed the cave had been formed, and later the cave came into existence. In case of
sinter caves, the formation of the rock encompassing the cave and the formation of the cave
itself happens basically at the same time. For this reason the caves formed in sinter are called
syngenetic caves. The more significant sinter caves of the Bükk were formed in the sinter
deposit of the Szinva valley, and these are the Anna sinter cave, the Soltész-kerti cave and the
Soltész shaft, which were discovered and explored by mining methods. (A section of Anna
sinter cave operates as tourist cave.) There used to be sinter mining close to Mónosbél at one
time. This probably have destroyed many sinter caves.
Not enclosed cold water springs
There are over 1000 springs located in the Bükk mountains with various yields, exiting
various types of rocks at different levels above sea level. The not enclosed springs (i. e. the
water leaves the spring in a natural way, no human made structures built onto the spring) are
usually small and seasonal, but a number of them can be considered permanent. The
Eszperantó spring exits dolomite, the Disznós creek and Létrási creek exits shale, the
Soltészkerti spring exits sinter, and the Imó spring exits limestone.
Enclosed cold water springs for tourists
A significant number of larger springs are for tourist use (for instance the Mária spring,
Bársonyos spring, Wekerle spring, Tamás well, Vörös-kői seasonal spring, Sólyom well,
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