Berki-pusztai No 3 Cavity

The Berki-pusztai No 3 cavity is a cave located in the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Sóskút.

Description

The Berki-pusztai No 3 cavity is situated on the Érd–Ercsi backland, at the edge of Sóskút (outskirts), near the M7 motorway. On the north side of the Benta stream, on the southern slope of the hill lying between Sóskút and the motorway, the Berki-pusztai cavities are found; among them the Berki-pusztai No 2 cavity, the Berki-pusztai No 3 cavity, the Berki-pusztai No 4 cavity and the Berki-pusztai No 5 cavity lie side by side at the base of a large rock collapse. On the west side of the rock collapse, at its bottom, is the Berki-pusztai No 3 cavity. Approaching the cave from the west is made difficult by an acacia thicket covering the hill slope, therefore it is advisable to visit from the north (from above), where it is easier to walk along the forest edge.

The western part of the rock collapse is rock‑filled due to the alternation of layers of different stability. The lower part of the rock fill’s closed fissure can be taken at ground level, and above it can be entered. The latter is the entrance to the Berki-pusztai No 3 cavity. This short, near‑surface cavity slopes gently inward. There are no formations on the curved, rounded walls, and the rock easily crumbles. Its floor is covered with a clayey, humus‑rich, brownish powder on which small mammal footprints can be seen. One or two bone fragments that appear to be recent can also be found in the cavity. Occasionally quartz pebbles are mixed into the powder; they have broken off from the surrounding rock, which is a pebble sandstone (Zámori Pebble Formation). No equipment is required to visit the easily accessible cave, which can be entered without a permit.

The cave also occurs in literature under the name Berki-pusztai 3.sz. cavity (Gazda 2005).

Research history

In a manuscript written by Árpád Halász on 5 February 1964 it is stated that the Berki‑puszta cavities are located in Sóskút (Pest County), on a low backland between the Pázmándi field and the Mill ditch, from Sóskút to the west. From Berki‑puszta (Tárnok) to the east‑north, about 2 km, between the triangulation points 131 and 162, on a low hill about 1.5 km long oriented west‑east between Sóskút and Berki‑puszta, the caves are found. The cavities are on the north‑east side of the hill. (The data were determined by István Halász based on the map titled Sóskút and its surroundings (scale 1:50 000) published in 1951.) The cavities can be reached from Érd in about 30 minutes by the Sóskút bus, which goes to Ötházpuszta. It is also possible to go by bus to Sóskút, from where, after walking through varied terrain along the picturesque Benta stream valley, the caves can be reached on foot in about 1 hour.)

During a field walk carried out in search of karst phenomena, the caves were discovered on July 26, 1942 by Árpád Halász. The investigation of the spread of the Sarma limestone towards D led to the area. The cavities have no name and are not mentioned in the literature. Árpád Halász proposes that, since there are several cavities and they are close to Berki-puszta, the name Berki-pusztai cavities should be used for the cavity group. From a speleological point of view it is worthwhile to study the genetics of the cavities. The caves formed in a Levantine, carbonate‑bearing pebble conglomerate, which generally consists of quartz, sandstone and a little limestone material of 2–6 cm diameter. The pebbles are well rounded. This rock here is thick‑bedded, layered, with cross‑beds observable in places. Due to insufficient excavation Halász could not measure the direction and angle of the bedding dip. The cavities formed in the loosely cemented conglomerate both by deflation and by the erosive action of rainwater along cracks.

Below the conglomerate rocks there are cave‑like depressions that extend longitudinally. Their length usually varies between 2–5 m, their height 0.5–1 m, and their width 5–6 m. The ceilings of the crawl‑through cavities are flat. Most flat cavities are on the ÉK side. A large cave could not have formed in the pebble conglomerate unsuitable for karstification. Árpád Halász descended into one narrow funnel, but after 2 m the passage became so narrow that it could not be traversed. Many small mammal bones were found in the cavities (indicating the presence of foxes), but no archaeological finds. A bat flew out of one cavity. Since the bat was not seen repeatedly, it probably only stayed in the cave temporarily.

The formation of the morphological forms of the Berki-pusztai cavities was due to deflation and erosion. The study of the stone chambers provides new data for understanding the formation problems of non-karstic caves and draws attention to the deflational and erosional origin cavities of the Levante formations in the vicinity of Sóskút. Because of their small size, the cavities have no economic or tourism significance. From a tourism point of view they are worth visiting, because we will always gladly recall the picturesque region of the Benta stream valley. From the hilltop there is a beautiful view of the surrounding gently rolling Transdanubian landscape. In good weather the peaks of the Velence Mountains can also be seen from here. It is worthwhile to deal with the Berki-pusztai cavities (especially from a speleological perspective). The cavities must be surveyed, mapped precisely, and the caves photographed. Their scientific significance lies in the observation of deflation phenomena. They provide useful data for the forthcoming cave catalogue. Attached to the manuscript is a site map showing the geographical location of the Berki-pusztai cavities (M = 1:25,000). The map, on which four cave signs can be seen on the Pázmándi slope, was drawn in 1964 by Árpád Halász.