Cave of csákvári kőfejtő

The Cave of the Csákvár quarry is located in the Vértes Mountains of the Danube–Ipoly National Park, one of the caves in Csákvár.

Description

The cave is situated in the outskirts of Csákvár. About 2 km from the centre of Csákvár, along the road to Környe, it is located in the quarry on the right side of the road. The quarry is already visible from a distance, but the cave entrance cannot be seen from the road and can only be spotted from the quarry yard. The cave entrance is directly on the right side of the quarry entrance, in the D‑wall of the mine yard, at the mine ground level.

The rock that makes up the cave is very fine‑grained Triassic dolomite. The cavity was formed along a vertical fracture due to frost‑induced rock disintegration. Because of the extensive disintegration, the cave length decreased from 2.5 m to 2.1 m, and the amount of fill consisting mainly of rock debris increased. Due to the nature of the rock, further collapses are possible, so the cave is threatened by collapse and infill. Its walls are soot‑covered, and traces of fire are visible at the bottom. The number 24 is painted on the side wall. The easily accessible cave can be entered without equipment, in street clothing, and is easy to walk through.

In 1979 the cave was mentioned for the first time in the literature as the Cave of the Csákvár quarry.

Research history

According to a manuscript prepared by the Alba Regia Cave Research Group in 1979, the Cave of the Csákvár quarry had not been mentioned in the literature before. The cave is located on the edge of Csákvár (Fejér County, Bicske district). The cave lies in the D‑branch of the horseshoe‑shaped front wall of the quarry, 1.5 km east‑west from the Csákvár lung sanatorium. The entrance opening onto the mine yard is clearly visible from the national road between Csákvár and Környe. Ferenc Zentai can show the insignificant small cavity, which does not require equipment to enter. The entrance width of the cave is 0.85 m, its height 1.3 m. The cavity gradually narrows inward over a length of 2.5 m.

The cave was formed along a clearly visible fracture by the extremely weakened and crumbled dolomite rubble being pushed out. The cave entrance faces east‑north, therefore both cryofracture and deflation aided the cave’s formation. Knowing the miners’ ability to accumulate and destroy cavities, it is almost a miracle that this small cavity has survived to the present day. The floor of the passage is almost horizontal, covered by the broken material of the ceiling. It is filled with material unsuitable for excavation. Members of the Alba Regia Cave Research Group surveyed the cave on February 18, 1979, during a field walk.

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 east‑north direction is marked on the map sheet for use of the plan map. The location of the two cross‑sections in the cave can be observed on the plan map. The cave was surveyed by Gönczöl Imréné, Kökény Károly and Zentai Ferenc on February 18, 1979, for the preparation of the maps. The manuscript shows the Vérteskozma map (scale 1:25 000). The east‑north direction is marked on the map. The geographical location of the Csákvári stone quarry cave can be seen on the map. The manuscript includes a photograph showing the cave entrance. The photograph was taken by Zentai Ferenc.

In the national cave list of the book *Caves of Hungary* published in 1984, the cave appears among the caves of the Vértes Mountains under the name Csákvári stone quarry cave. Associated with the list, the cave’s geographical location is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map depicting the geographical positions of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains.

According to its register sheet prepared on May 17, 2003, based on a BTI cadastral survey, the cave of the Csákvári stone quarry with cadastral number 4522-39 is located in Csákvár in the Vértes Mountains (Fejér County). The coordinates of the cavity entrance (Trimble Geoexplorer 3) are: X: 604392, Y: 230090, Z: 213. The cave is situated at the foot of a rock wall in the quarry, with a natural, irregularly shaped, horizontally oriented entrance 0.8 m wide and 1.3 m high. The surveyed cave is 2.1 m long, 1.3 m vertical extent, 1.3 m high, 0 m deep and 2.1 m horizontal extent. The cavity lies in Triassic dolomite. Its formation was prepared by tectonics. The cavity was created by freeze‑induced rock disintegration and collapse. The floor of the cave, shaped like a rock pit, is horizontal, and its characteristic fissure type is irregular.

Inorganic, locally generated debris fill consists of rock rubble. Anthropogenic remnants in the cavity: fuel place, soot. Thematic processing: cadastral record, map, photograph, description. The cave was first mentioned in the literature in 1979 (Alba Regia Cave Research Group cadastral survey). The practically untouched cave has a practically untouched floor. The cave, easily reachable by a short walk and easily traversable, does not require a permit for visitation. Competent nature‑protection authority: Danube–Ipoly National Park Directorate. The cave is threatened by collapse. The cave entrance (contrary to earlier descriptions) is no longer visible from the artificial tunnel. Due to intense disintegration, the cave has changed considerably since the 1979 survey, its length reduced from 2.5 m to 2.1 m, and the amount of fill consisting mainly of rock rubble has increased. The nature of the rock makes placement of the identification number difficult.