Fáni-völgyi No 5 Cave

The Fáni-völgy 5th chamber cavity 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, within a forest. On the D side of the Fáni valley, at an altitude of 251 m a.s.l., the Fáni-völgy 5th chamber cavity is located about 25 m east of the Fáni-völgy 3rd chamber cavity, at a relative height of about 30 m, and is clearly visible from the road. From the gate that closes the K end of the valley, walking about 120 m along the artificial passage to Ny, one can reach the vicinity of the Fáni-völgy 5th chamber cavity. Its small, triangular entrance lies at the base of a small rock overhang.

The cavity lies in Triassic dolomite. Its formation was prepared by tectonics. The cavity was created by freeze‑thaw rock disintegration and corrosion. From the entrance, the narrow, fissure‑like cavity that ascends inward has a front part that can only be traversed by crawling. Inside it is less steep, and at the end one can even stand upright. It is filled with some rock debris as well as humus and ash (mainly near the entrance). Beautiful, karst‑like untouched pea‑size stones have formed on its walls. The cave, which is accessible on the difficult (steep) terrain, can be visited easily with basic caving equipment and does not require a permit.

In 1979 the cave was first called the Fáni-völgy 5th chamber cavity in the literature. In the literature the cave also appears under the names Fáni-völgy 2nd fissure cave (Kordos 1984), Fáni-völgy–2nd fissure cave (Kocsis 1975), Fáni-völgy–2nd chamber fissure cave (Bertalan 1976), Fáni-völgy 5th cave (Egri 2003) and Fáni-völgy 5th chamber (Bertalan 1976).

Research history

According to the book *The World of Caves* published in 1962, in the Fáni valley of the Vértes Mountains there are small caves 10–12 m higher than the stream. One of the groups of the Ferencváros Nature Lovers Sports Club Caving Group, consisting of alternating members and led by János Horváth, continued the exploration of the Vértes Mountains and a three‑level survey of the caves in the mountains in 1968. This group surveyed nine rock cavities in the Fáni valley, partially previously known (designated I–IX). According to the 1969 report of the FTSK Caving 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 No 5 cavity (Fáni-völgyi–2 fissure cave) and the Fáni-völgyi No 4 cavity are located on the same valley side. The Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity lies slightly higher than the Fáni-völgyi No 4 cavity, 15 m away. The Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity (like the Fáni-völgyi No 4 cavity) was formed along a longitudinal and vertical crack. The narrow‑entrance cave formed in dolomite is oriented DNy. The cave is 5 m long, 1.4 m wide and in its middle its height is 1.4 m. Its very fractured and broken ceiling is debris‑filled and at the innermost point of the cave it is at a height of 2 m. Near the middle of the cavity there is a narrow crack opening to the outside, 3 m long, oriented east. Spiders and bats live in the cave. The map sheet accompanying the publication shows the geographical location of the Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity. On the map the cave is marked with the number 29.

In the manuscript titled *Hungary’s Cave Register* completed in 1976 it reads that the Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity (Fáni-völgyi–2 fissure cave) is located in the Vértes Mountains, in Vértesbogláros. The entrance of the Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity is in the Fáni Valley, on the hill side, slightly higher than the Fáni-völgyi No 3 cavity, to the D, about 25 m, under a decaying thin rock layer. The Fáni-völgyi No 5 cavity is 5 m long, 1.4 m wide and 1.4 m high. The small cavity oriented DNy and rising inward has, almost in its middle, a narrow crack opening to the outside, oriented east. The part of the manuscript describing the cave was written based on two literary works.

According to the manuscript prepared by the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group in 1979, the Fáni-völgyi 5. sz. cavity (F5) is listed in the OKTH cave inventory, where among the caves of the Vértes Mountains it is the 14th cave, known by the above name. In the publication written by Kocsis Antal, Fáni-völgyi–2. hasadékbarlang is the cave name and its number is 29. Horváth János presented the cavity in his speleological field report. The cave is located on the edge of Vértesboglár (Fejér county, Bicskei district). On the DNy side of the Fáni Valley, at an altitude of 240 m a.s.l., above the Fáni-völgyi 3. sz. cavity, to the D, about 25 m away, at a relative height of 30 m (measured from the valley floor), is the entrance of the Fáni-völgyi 5. sz. cavity. The triangular entrance of the Fáni-völgyi 5. sz. cavity is at the foot of a small rock cleft. Next to the thin left-hand wall of the entrance a thick pine tree grows. Ferenc Szolga can show the cavity.

The upward‑rising, fissure‑like, narrow rock shaft is sometimes wet. Its enclosing rock is brecciated Triassic dolomite, filled with a few large stone pieces, some rock debris and some humus. The cave was formed along a large and a small vertical fissure intersecting each other at about 30°, due to freezing and thawing. Its front part rises at 35° and is crawl‑able. From the front part, to the right, the main fissure opens above the entrance to the surface. From the front part the cavity follows the direction of the fissure inward with a slight rise. At the end, where the fissure narrows and also opens to the surface, one can stand. Its walls have secondary dissolution forms and many beautiful, cauliflower‑like stalactites. The cavity filling is thin, on whose surface humus and fallen leaves have accumulated. Remarkably many spiders and butterflies occur in the cave, but mouse traces are also detectable. It can be explored with a lamp. The locally significant cavity has a horizontal extent of 5 m, its greatest walkable height being 2 m. Perhaps it is interesting to research because of its formations. The cave’s identification on site, its description, survey and photography have been carried out. Members of the Alba Regia Cave Research Group visited the cavity on 4 February 1979 during cave‑mapping work.