Lábasbükki Cavity

The Lábasbükki-lapító is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Gánt.

Description

The cave is situated in the outskirts of Gánt, in a forest, in a specially protected area. Following the artificial path from the Vérteskozmát to the Fáni valley, about 1600 m from the gate, about 100 m before the abandoned stone quarry, on the valley side of the DNy, at 297 m above sea level, and about 40 m relative height from the road, is the entrance of the Lábasbükki-lapító. It lies 10 m higher than the Lábasbükki-hasadék cave. Its low entrance can easily be covered by leaf litter. The wide, flat entrance is at the foot of a 3 m high rock overhang. The cave entrance is 1.3 m wide, 0.4 m high, naturally formed, curved, and oriented horizontally.

It consists of a single, almost circular floor plan cavity. The cave lies in Triassic dolomite. It formed along a bedding plane due to freeze‑thaw rock disintegration. Its ceiling is formed by a bedding plane. The fill consists of much leaf litter and humus. A few small pea‑size stones have formed on its walls. The cave, which is reachable on difficult (steep) terrain, can be visited easily in ordinary street clothing and does not require a permit.

In 2003 the cave was first called Lábasbükki-lapító in the literature.

Research history

In 2003 Csaba Egri surveyed the cave for the National Cave Register, and using the survey, on 17 May 2003 he prepared the floor‑plan map and a three‑section cross‑section map of the Lábasbükki-lapító (Gánt, 4522‑24). The maps depict the cave at a scale of 1:100. The floor‑plan map indicates the east direction on the map sheet. The floor‑plan map shows the location of the three cross‑sections within the cave.

According to the registration sheet prepared on May 17, 2003, based on the BTI cadastral survey, the cave with cadastral number 4522-24 Lábasbükki-lapító is located in Gánt (Fejér County) in the Vértes Mountains. The coordinates of the cavity entrance (Trimble Geoexplorer 3): X: 604565, Y: 235086, Z: 297. The cave is in a rock cleft on a hillside, in a forest, with a 1.3 m wide, 0.4 m high, natural, curved, horizontally oriented entrance. The thoroughly surveyed cave is 2.6 m long, 0.9 m vertical extent, 0.6 m high, 0.3 m deep and 3 m horizontal extent. The cavity lies in Triassic dolomite. The cave formation was prepared by stratification. The cavity was created by freeze‑thaw rock disintegration and corrosion.

The stratified, space‑shaped cave has a horizontal floor, and its characteristic sheet type is the lapító. It contains pea‑sized stones. Soil, humus and loam occur in the cavity. The cave was first mentioned in the literature in 2003 (cadastral record). The practically untouched cave has a practically untouched floor and its mineral deposits are practically untouched. It can be approached on difficult (steep) terrain, but the cave can be visited easily, in street clothing, without a permit. Competent nature‑protection authority: Danube–Ipoly National Park Directorate. Surface protection of the cave: Vértes Landscape Protection Area (Resolution 19/1976 OTvH). The cave is threatened by filling. The cavity was accidentally discovered during field walking by the Egri Csabáék, who carried out the detailed survey and documentation of the cave while completing the registration sheet. (It had not appeared in the literature until then.)