Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave

Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Csákvár.

Description

The cave is situated in the outskirts of Csákvár, in a specially protected forest area. It lies along a nature trail that starts from the parking lot at the edge of the settlement in the Balogh valley, north of the centre of Csákvár. Where the trail begins to rise sharply and small rocks appear on both sides, to the right from that point, on the K side of the valley, about 15 m from the path, at the foot of a rock wall facing south, is the entrance to the cavity. On tourist maps the location of the cave is marked with a cave symbol and the name of the cave. The entrance to Balogh-völgyi No 2 Cave is located 5 m higher than the entrance to Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave.

Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave formed along a vertical fissure due to dissolution below the karst water level. Its host rock is Triassic dolomite. Its widened triangular entrance leads to a small dissolved-wall, crack‑like cavity that narrows and lowers at the end. On the right side, at waist height, a small ledge runs along. The walls are very algal. The filling consists of soil, humus and a lot of leaf litter. No permission is required to visit the easily accessible, easily walkable cave.

In 1984 the cave was mentioned for the first time in the literature under the name Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave. In the literature the cave also appears under the names Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave (Egri 2003), Balogh-völgyi–1 Cave (Kocsis 1975), Balogh-völgyi‑cave (Bertalan 1976), Balogh-völgyi‑cave (Kordos 1984) and Balogh-völgyi cave (Egri 2003).

Research History

In the publication written by Antal Kocsis and released in 1975 it is stated that Balogh-völgyi–1 Cave is located about 2 km north of the two‑towered church of Csákvár, at the upper end of the Balogh valley beside Kerek Hill, in the bottom of a karst dolomite rock cliff approximately 20 m high. The small cave with brecciated, cracked and corroded walls is 2.1 m long, 1.3–0.9 m wide and 1.9–2.1 m high. The cavity was formed by the erosive activity of rainwater seeping down from above (along the fissure). Balogh-völgyi No 2 Cave is situated above Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave. The map inset in the publication shows the geographical location of Balogh-völgyi No 1 Cave. On the map the cave is marked with the number 15.

In the manuscript titled *Hungary's Cave Register* completed in 1976, it is written that the Balogh-völgyi–odu is located in the Vértes Mountains, in Csákvár. The cave is at the upper end of Balogh Valley next to Kerek Hill, at the foot of a karstic dolomitic ridge about 20 m high. The cave is 2.1 m long, 1.3–0.9 m wide and 1.9–2.1 m high. Its cracked wall encloses a small cavity cut by rainwater seeping along the fissures. The entrance to Balogh-völgyi 1. odú is 8 m from the entrance of Balogh-völgyi 2. odú. The part of the manuscript describing Balogh-völgyi 1. odú was written based on publication 1.

According to the manuscript prepared in 1979 by the Alba Regia Cave Research Group, Balogh-völgyi 1. odú (B1) was described by Antal Kocsis under the same name. In his publication this is cavity number 15. On tourist maps of the Vértes Mountains the valley is named Bálog Valley, and the 1st and 2nd cavities are named Balog-völgyi-lyuk. Balogh-völgyi 1. odú is located on the edge of Csákvár (Fejér County, Bicske District). The cave lies at a bearing of 276° from the two‑towered church in Csákvár, about 2 km away, at the upper end of Balogh Valley, at the foot of a roughly 20 m high rock wall facing east, at an altitude of 280 m above sea level. The cavity is triangular, 2.8 m high, with an entrance 1.3 m wide opening directly at the base of the rock wall. Ferenc Szolga can show the locally significant cavity that may serve as a shelter in case of rain.

The horizontal, dry small rock cavity's enclosing rock is a coarse dolomite breccia. Its filling consists of some forest soil, stone fragments and some dolomite flour. Along a crack, freezing created a cavity that narrows inward and lowers. On its walls dolomite flour crust, yellow, mineral discoloration is visible. Traces of fresh burning can be seen on the surface of the filling, and at the entrance there is a stone threshold. The cave has a horizontal extent of 3.2 m, a height of 2.6 m (its highest point is at the entrance) and a width of 1.3 m. It is not worthwhile to continue exploring the cave, which was visited by members of the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group on 11 February 1979 during cadastral work. The members carried out the cavity's traversal, survey and described the cave.

The manuscript contains the cave's plan map, longitudinal section map and two cross‑section maps. The maps depict the cave at a scale of 1:100. The plan map indicates the east‑west direction on the map sheet. One cross‑section map shows the cave entrance. The plan map shows the location of one cross‑section (not the cave entrance) within the cave. For the preparation of the maps the cave was measured by Szolga Ferenc and Widermann Tibor on 11 February 1979. The maps were drawn by Szolga Ferenc on 23 February 1979. The manuscript also shows a map of the western part of Csákvár (approx. 1:25 000 scale). The map indicates the east‑west direction. The map shows the geographic location of Balogh‑völgyi No 1 cavity (on the map: B1).

The cave Balogh-völgyi 1. sz. odú (Balogh-völgyi-odú) is listed among the caves of the Vértes Mountains in the nationwide cave list of the book *Magyarország barlangjai* published in 1984. Associated with the list, the geographical location of the cave is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map presenting the geographical positions of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains. In the book written by Béni Kornél and Viszló Levente, which appeared in 1996, it is stated that the two caves of Balogh-völgy (Balogh-völgyi 1. sz. odú, Balogh-völgyi 2. sz. odú) and the rock shelter are in every respect similar to the caves of Kőlik-völgy.