Gánti-tetői No 1 Cave

The Gánti-tetői 1st chamber is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Csákvár.

Description

The cave is situated on the outskirts of Csákvár, on the edge of Gánt. The entrance of the cave is on the steep hillside above Gánt (Gánti-tető) at an altitude of 246 m a.s.l. The easiest approach is from Gánt Béke Square, from where one must cut across one of the gardens below the hill and then head straight up the hill. The cave entrance is about 30 m higher than the quarry, at the foot of a rock wall, and a well‑marked path leads to it. Directly next to the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber there is a small ruined cave that does not reach cave size. This formation is much richer in speleothems and more impressive than the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber. It contains many fossil dripstone flows, dripstone encrustations and pea stones. Both entrances of the chamber are comfortably walkable, and besides the formations, nice flowstone patterns are also visible on its walls. The Gánti-tetői 2nd chamber lies 6 m higher than the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber.

The 5 m long Gánti-tetői 1st chamber, which lies in Triassic dolomite, was formed by dissolution below the karst water level and later transformed by freeze‑thaw rock disintegration. The cave’s continuously narrowing and flattening passage, after the triangular, curved entrance, splits into two parts and then merges again. The cave is filled with rock debris and humus. Its fauna consists of spiders and insects. Although the cave is difficult to reach on steep terrain, it can be traversed easily without any basic caving equipment, and no permission is required to visit it.

In 1984 the cave was first called Gánti-tetői 1st chamber in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature as Gánti-tetői 1st chamber (Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group 1979).

Exploration history

According to a manuscript prepared by the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group in 1979, the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber (G5) had not been mentioned in the literature before, but the residents of Gánt have known it for a long time. The cave is located on the edge of Gánt (Fejér County). On the ÉNy side of Gánti-tető above Gánt, it is about 150 m from the Gánt temple, at an altitude of about 240 m a.s.l. The entrance, 1 m wide and 1 m high, is a triangular opening situated about 30 m higher than the quarry, at the edge of a pine forest, at the foot of a rock wall about 2 m high. It can be reached by climbing the steep hillside above house number 8 on Gánt Béke Square. Imre Gönczöl can show the chamber. To the right of the cave entrance there is a small broken cave chamber, which can be entered through a stone gate. At the inner end of this chamber, nice flowstone formations are visible.

The Gánti-tetői 1st chamber splits into two branches after the entrance, which reconnect shortly thereafter. It ends after a length of 3 metres, narrowed. The cave was most certainly formed by flowing waters. This is indicated by the narrow, water‑erosion channels observable in many places of the enclosing rock block. By removing the fill consisting of rock debris and humus, a significant continuation may possibly be uncovered, but at present it gives the impression of a rather undeveloped, narrow cave. A more developed, similar‑type cave is located 6 m higher than the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber.

The manuscript contains the common floor‑plan map of the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber and the adjacent stone gate, and the separate longitudinal‑section maps of the two chambers. The maps depict the two chambers at a scale of 1:100. On the map sheet, the east direction is marked for the use of the floor‑plan map. The location of the stone gate’s longitudinal section in the cave can be observed on the floor‑plan map. The cave was surveyed by Imre Gönczöl and Károly Kökény on 17 February 1979 for the preparation of the maps. The maps were drawn by Ferenc Zentai. The manuscript shows a map of the western part of Csákvár (approximately 1:25 000 scale). The east direction is marked on the map. The geographical location of the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber (on the map: G5) can be seen on the map. The manuscript contains five photographs that illustrate the cave and the adjacent stone gate. The first photograph shows the view of Gánti-tető. The photograph marks the location of the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber. The second photograph shows the cave and the stone gate, the third photograph shows the side passage of the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber. The fourth photograph captures the stone gate, and the fifth photograph captures the interior of the Gánti-tetői 1st chamber. The photographs were taken by Imre Gönczöl.

In the national cave list of the book *Magyarország barlangjai* published in 1984, the cave appears among the caves of the Vértes Mountains under the name Gánti-tetői 1. cavity. Related to the list, the geographical location of the cave is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map presenting the geographical positions of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains. In the book written by Béni Kornél and Viszló Levente, which saw the light of day in 1996, it is mentioned that near the border of Gánt, on the Gánti-tető rising above Gánt, there are two cavity‑system remnants, which were most certainly created by flowing waters. The longer cavity is 9 m. A sand‑like fill forms their floor. Some assume that the passages are somehow connected with the relatively nearby prehistoric karst cave remnants located on the side of Gém Hill.