Fáni-völgyi No 10 Cave

The Fáni-völgy 10th chamber is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Vértesboglár.

Description

The cave is situated in the outskirts of Vértesboglár, in the highly protected area of the Vértes Natural Park, in a forest. At the northern end of the Fáni valley, about 100 m west of the road junction, the entrance is on the southern side of the valley, at an altitude of 274 m above sea level, approximately 25 m above the road. In leafy season the cave entrance is also clearly visible from the road, a roughly 10 m high rock wall contains the Fáni-völgy 10th chamber and the Fáni-völgy 12th chamber, which lie directly above each other along a prominent tectonic fissure. Access to the chambers from below is difficult, only possible on a steep slope covered with debris. The cave’s location is marked on tourist maps with a cave symbol and its name. (The Fáni-völgy 11th chamber lies about 50 m north of the Fáni-völgy 10th chamber, slightly higher.)

The lower Fáni-völgy 10th chamber opens at the base of the rock wall, about 1 m high. The cave entrance is 1.2 m wide, 2 m high, natural, circular and oriented horizontally. The chamber lies in Triassic dolomite. The floor of the cave, formed along a vertical fault, is horizontal due to dissolution and subsequent freeze‑thaw rock disintegration. The walls of the single‑chambered rock cavity are brecciated. A few pea‑size stones can be seen in it. Its greenish walls indicate the presence of algae. The cave, which can be reached on the difficult (steep) terrain, can be visited easily in street clothing without a permit or the use of lighting equipment.

In 1979 the cave was first called Fáni-völgyi 10. sz. üreg in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Fáni-völgyi 10.sz. üreg (Bertalan 1976), Fáni-völgyi odu (Bertalan 1976), Fáni-völgyi-odú (Kordos 1984) and Fáni-völgyi–odú (Kocsis 1975).

Research history

According to the book titled *A barlangok világa* published in 1962, there are small caves in the Fáni Valley in the Vértes Mountains, 10–12 m higher than the stream. One group consisting of alternating members of the Ferencvárosi Természetbarátok Sportköre Cave Exploration Group, led by János Horváth, continued the exploration of the Vértes Mountains in 1968 and conducted a three‑phase survey of the caves in the mountains. This group surveyed nine rock cavities in the Fáni Valley, partially previously known (designated I–IX). According to the 1969 report of the FTSK Cave Exploration Group, János Horváth used the spring‑autumn cave surveys of 1968 to produce a map of the nine cavities of the Fáni Valley (Vértes Mountains) in 1969. The maps present the caves at a scale of 1:100.

In the publication written by Antal Kocsis and published in 1975 it is written that the Fáni-völgyi cave is located at the beginning of the Fáni valley, at the branch of the industrial service road, DK from the branch, 100 m, on the steep and forested valley side D, at about 30 m height. Its oval entrance, 10 m wide, opens from the bottom of a rock wall with a 1.2 m high ledge. The entrance was formed because of the widening of a vertical fissure in the dolomite wall. Similar but smaller cavities can be seen in the vicinity. The cavity is 2.9 m long, 1.2–1.5 m wide and 1.5 m high. Karst water seeps from the cracks in the wall, and beside it limestone nodules have formed. In the cavity both low‑rank (mosses) and high‑rank plants (e.g. mosses, golden haircap) live. Insects and spiders also occur in the cavity. The map inset in the publication shows the geographic location of the Fáni-völgyi cavity No 10. On the map the cave is marked with the number 23.

In the manuscript titled *Hungary’s Cave Register* completed in 1976 it reads that the Fáni-völgyi cavity No 10 (Fáni-völgyi odu) is located in the Vértes Mountains, in Vértesbogláros. The cave is situated DK from the branch of the industrial service road, about 100 m, on the D side of the valley, at about 30 m relative height. The oval cave entrance opens in the bottom of a 10 m wide rock wall with a 1.2 m ledge. The cave is 2.9 m long, 1.2–1.5 m wide and 1.5 m high. Water still seeps from the wall of the cavity formed by rock dissolution. The part of the manuscript describing the cave was written based on one publication.

According to the manuscript prepared by the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group in 1979, the Fáni-völgy 10 No. cavity (F10) is listed in the OKTH cave archive as cave number 19 among the caves of the Vértes Mountains, under the above name. In the publication written by Antal Kocsis, the cave name is Fáni-völgyi-odu and its number is 23. The cave is located in Gánt (Fejér County, Móri district) according to the latest administrative map, not in Vértesbogláros (as incorrectly stated in the cave archive). The Fáni-völgy cave is situated 100 m from the (operational) road junction at the end of the ÉNy side, on the DNy valley side, near the valley rim, at an altitude of 275 m above sea level, 25 m higher than the road. From the foot of a roughly 10 m wide rock wall, an oval entrance opens on a ledge 1.2 m high. The Fáni-völgy 10 No. cavity is about 70 m north of the Fáni-völgy 11 No. cavity, and at a higher elevation.

The cave is a dry rock shelter. Its enclosing rock is a brecciated Triassic dolomite. Its filling consists of a negligible amount of rock debris. Along the cracks in its ceiling and side walls there is cold-water-originated stalactite and sometimes dripping water. The shelter was formed along a vertical fault due to freezing. It consists of a single oval-plan, horizontal-floor cavity. There is no excavatable part. The group observed a few spiders, various algae, and mosses inside. The long‑opened and known cave can be shown by Ferenc Szolga. No equipment is required to explore the cavity. The locally significant cave is suitable for bivouac for two people. Its horizontal extent is 2.8 m and its height is 1.6 m. Members of the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group visited the cavity on 4 February 1979. The cave was photographed and a map was made, and the number 23 was painted on its wall.