Koson

Located in the Bereg part of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County, at the border of the village of Barabás, the southern part of Kaszonyi Hill, which lies on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border and extends into Hungary, is a former island volcano. The hill received its name from the neighboring village of Mezőkaszony, which has since become part of Ukraine. The protected area of 156.6 hectares belonging to the Hortobágy National Park is rich in wildlife.

Location

At the border of the village of Barabás, northeast of the village, next to the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.

Geography

A volcanic island rising from the Bereg Plain, belonging to the Kaszony-Bégányi hill range, with a flat, plateau-shaped summit. At 240 metres above sea level, it is the highest point of the county and of the entire Alföld. The volcano was active in the middle Pleistocene. Of the three types of volcanic rock, the most common is rhyolitic lava. The stone quarry on the southwestern part of the hill no longer operates; a quarry lake now occupies the site.

Structure

Kaszonyi Hill probably formed in the middle Pleistocene, built from three interrelated volcanic rocks, the largest part consisting of glassy rhyolitic lava, which was followed by eruptions that cooled the originally tuffaceous lava into perlite. In the youngest phase of the eruption that formed the hill, plagioclase rhyolitic lava was emitted. The rocks from this latter eruption constitute the main mass of the hill's near‑surface volcanics.

Flora and Fauna

Strongly mosaic, species‑rich despite its small size. The number of plant species exceeds 275, and the vertebrate fauna contains about 130 species. Among invertebrates, the soft‑bodied animals have been studied in detail (27 species), including various insect groups (single‑winged insects: 26 species, beetles: 22 species, butterflies: 278 species).

Several rare insect species have also been found on and around Kaszonyi Hill. For example, the Beregi many‑spotted ground beetle (Carabus hampei ormayi), which is highly protected and a Natura 2000 designated species.