Bolhás–Jávorkút Cave System

The Bolhási–Jávorkúti cave system is one of the highly protected caves of Hungary. It is located in the Bükki National Park. The cave system was created by connecting the Bolhási water-absorbing cave and the Jávor-kúti water-absorbing cave. It is the second longest cave in the Bükk region and the longest in the István-lápa cave.

Description

One of the caves of the Bolhási–Jávorkúti cave system was previously a separate cave. Its entrance is on the Nagy-fennsík, south of the Jávor-kúti artificial tunnel, next to the tunnel, in the Bolhási meadow, at an altitude of 649 meters above sea level. It opens about 400 meters from the entrance of the Jávor-kúti water-absorbing cave. The entrance built of travertine is sealed with a metal door.

It formed in Triassic limestone, but a section of about 250 meters at the end of the main branch developed in dolomite. At its deepest point, 125 meters deep, it is closed by a siphon between narrow cracks. The main branch is decorated with speleothems, winds and sinuous, and is divided by several pebble siphons, clay siphons and water‑filled sections. Side branches connect to the main branch; they are narrower than the main branch and are heavily filled with sediment. It belongs to the same underground hydrological system, of which the Jávor-kúti water-absorbing cave is also a part. Visiting requires permission and technical equipment, and is only possible when the dam of the stream that constantly flows through the entrance is closed. Thus the infiltration of stream water into the depths can be prevented for 4–6 hours. The thin, rusty siphon‑bypass passages in the main branch often fill with water and make entry impossible. Ladders assist in reaching the mine system. In this cave, speleologists succeeded in reaching the karst water level for the first time in the Bükk region.

The cave also occurs in the literature under the names Bolhási-viznyelőbarlang (MKBT Invitation 1977), Bolhási-viznyelő-barlang (Szikszai 1977), Bolhási-viznyelő barlang (Bertalan, Kordos, Országh 1976), Bolhási-víznyelő-barlang (Lénárt 1979) and Bolhás Sinkhole-cave (Kordos 1977). In 1982 it was first called Bolhási-víznyelőbarlang in the literature.

Research History

On May 9, 1953, under the leadership of Sándor Borbély, members of the Hungarian Hydrological Society Miskolc Group Speleological Working Committee explored the Bolhási-víznyelő, making it passable over approximately 500 meters and at that time reached as far as the Patakos branch, which is about 70 meters deep. One month after the discovery they introduced generator-powered electric lighting. In 1953 the Hungarian Radio and Documentary Film Factory made on‑site recordings. In April 1955 VITUKI painted its water with fluorescein, but the appearance of the painted water was not observed anywhere. According to the study by Zoltán Balázs (1960) the working committee explored to a depth of 73 meters. The working committee, which became a department, also rebuilt the stream dam leading to the cave in 1955.

The cave’s plan map and longitudinal section map were published in the 1955 Hydrological Gazette. (According to the book *Caves of Hungary* the cave is 520 m long and 75.2 m deep based on the map.) According to the book *The World of Caves* published in 1962, the cave is 400 m long and 80 m deep. Between August 5–7, 1965, kitchen‑salt water pressure marking was demonstrated, showing that water flowing in the cave mixes with the water of the Jávor‑kúti‑viznyelőbarlang and the mixed water emerged at the Garadna spring. The marked water was not detectable at the Sebes spring. The experiment proved that the two caves belong to a common underground hydrological system.

In 1974 the Herman Ottó Karst and Cave Exploration Group began researching and during the summer Aqua expedition discovered the Polish–Hungarian Friendship branch, the new passage being explored together with Polish speleologists. The Aqua expedition managed to find about 200 metres of new passage. After the Aqua expedition, but still in 1974, they discovered the Pearl Hall, where they came across 30–40 cave pearls, which are considered rare in the Bükk region caves; because of these cave pearls the hall received the name Pearl Hall. In 1976 the Bolhási sinkhole cave in Miskolc, located in the 5300 (Bükk) cave catastrophe area, became a cave of national significance.

After correcting the cave names listed in the national significance caves list compiled in 1976, the cave located in the Bükk Mountains near Miskolc appears in the national significance caves list compiled on May 30, 1977 under the name Bolhási-viznyelőbarlang. In 1977 the group repaired the old dam of the stream flowing into the cave, reinforced it and built a new dam six metres from the cave entrance, thereby discovering a 30 m long siphon bypass passage of the main branch, as well as approximately 510 m of new cave passages in the North branch, the Lantos branch and the Mészáros branch. The group members sealed its entrance. From the English-language special issue of Karst and Cave of 1977, the publication The longest and deepest caves of Hungary (December 31, 1975) it can be learned that the Bolhás Sinkhole-cave in the Bükk Mountains, 520 m long and 80 m deep, was the 25th longest and 25th deepest cave in Hungary on December 31 1975. The 24th deepest cave (Mexikó-völgyi-víznyelőbarlang) is also 80 m deep. According to the status on December 31 1977 (MKBT Invitation May 1978), the Bolhási-viznyelőbarlang in the Bükk Mountains, 80 m deep and 510 m long, is the 28th deepest and 26th longest cave in the country.