No 3 Cave of Vasas-szakadék

The Vasas-szakadék 2–3. numbered cave is one of the caves located in the Visegrád Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park. It was formed by connecting the Vasas-szakadék 2nd numbered cave and the Vasas-szakadék 3rd numbered cave.

Description

It is located in the Visegrád Mountains, in Szentendre. It is the middle cave of the visible fissure system of Vasas-szakadék. See the approach to Vasas-szakadék for its access. It starts with a 2.5 meter long, 80 centimeter wide shaft opening. From this one can descend almost vertically to the deep point at the eastern end, to a depth of 12.5 meters. The roughly east‑west oriented vertical fissure cave is divided by rock blocks wedged in the middle. Below and above these blocks one can also continue westward, so the total length of the cave is 27.3 meters (according to the National Cave Register 25 meters). At the foothill of the eastern part, one can crawl down into the Vasas-szakadék 3rd numbered cave.

It was the seventh longest cave of the Visegrád Mountains before its connection with the Vasas-szakadék 3rd numbered cave.

The cave appears in literature as Kőhegyi-barlang (Kordos 1984), Kőhegyi barlang (Bertalan 1976), Vasas hasadék barlangja (Bertalan 1976), Vasas-szakadék II.sz. barlang (Eszterhás 1993), Vasas-szakadék II.sz. barlangja (Eszterhás 1989), Vasas-szakadék barlangja (Dénes 1967), Vasas-szakadéki 2. sz. barlang and Vasas-szakadék üregei. The cave cadastral number of the Vasas-szakadéki 2. sz. barlang was 4900-26 before its connection with the Vasas-szakadék 3. sz. barlang.

Research history

According to the publication titled Pilis útikalauz issued in 1967, the Vasas-szakadék cave is located at the steep southern slope end of Vasas-szakadék and is a 15 m long fissure cave open at both ends, originally an open rock fissure that later formed a ceiling of collapsed and compacted rock debris. In the Pilis útikalauz book published in 1974, in the list of caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains (pages 19–20), it is mentioned that the Vasas-szakadék lies among the caves of the Pilis and Visegrád Mountains. According to the section describing the caves of the Visegrád Mountains, tourists of Vasas discovered a tectonic fissure decades ago on the eastern side of Kő-hegy rising above Pomáz. The fissure is crack‑like and narrow. The deep fissure opens as if a fairy‑tale giant had sliced the rock with a sharp knife. The cave entrance is visible at the steep southern end of the fissure. Originally the three caves of Vasas-szakadék were open rock fissures. Their ceiling was formed by rock debris that fell from above and compacted. Of the three caves, the longest is a 15 m fissure cave open at both ends.

In a manuscript written by Bertalan Károly and completed in 1976 it is stated that the Kőhegyi cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilis Mountains, in Szentendre. On the east side of Kő-hegy, at the northern end of the Vasas gorge (towards the Csepel spring), there is a narrow entrance shaft a few meters higher than the road. The cave is about 20 m long and 6–8 m deep. It is a slippery fissure chamber consisting of a passage. Four side branches join the passage. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on two literary works.

The Vasas gorge cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilus Mountains, in Szentendre. Its entrance is on the rocky north side of Kő-hegy, above the tourist trail leading to Sándor spring. The entrance is located at the northern end of a 33 m long open gorge facing K. The cave is 23 m long and 1 m wide. The slip fissure cave formed in a andesite conglomerate. It is a dangerous cave, therefore a warning sign must be placed at its entrance. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on four literary works.

In the nationwide cave list in the book *Magyarország barlangjai* published in 1984, two caves are listed among the caves of the Szentendre–Visegrád Mountains. One cave is named Kőhegyi cave, the other cave is named Vasas‑szakadék‑cave. Associated with the list, a 1:500 000 scale map showing the geographical locations of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains shows the locations of the two caves. In the 1989 special issue of *Karszt és Barlang*, the English‑language study (The caves of Hungary) reported that the three caves of the Vasas gorge located in the Pilis Mountains have a total length of 58 m. The three chambers formed in an andesite conglomerate.

In the manuscript titled "List of Hungary's non-karst caves" written by István Eszterhás in 1989, it is stated that the second cave of the Vasas-szakadék in the Visegrád Mountains, in the 4900 cave survey area, located in Pomáz, formed in an andesite breccia. The cave is 20 m long, of unknown height, depth and vertical extent. The list mentions the 220 objects (203 caves and 17 artificial cavities) formed in non-karst rock in Hungary that were known up to the end of 1989. Six caves in Hungary have formed in an anhydrite breccia. According to the compilation, 119 caves that formed in non-karst rock are listed in László Kordos's cave list published in 1984.

The guidebook "The Pilis and the Visegrád Mountains" published in 1991 mentions the three caves of the Vasas-szakadék without naming them. According to the brief description, the three caves were originally open rock fissures and later the collapsed and compacted rock debris formed their ceilings. The longest of them is a 15 m long fissure cave, both ends of which are open. In the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1991, it is mentioned that the second cave of the Vasas-szakadék (Szentendre) is 20 m long and 10 m deep. According to the compilation written by István Eszterhás in 1992, non-karst caves in Hungary are, for example, in an anhydrite breccia (e.g., the caves of the Vasas-szakadék).