No 4 Cave of Vasas-szakadék

The 4th cave of Vasas-szakadék is one of the caves located in the Danube–Ipoly National Park. It is the sixth longest cave of the Visegrád Mountains.

Description

The cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains, in Szentendre. It lies about 200 m east of the 1st cave of Vasas-szakadék in the Vasas-szakadék fissure system. It opens directly next to the tourist trail. See the approach to Vasas-szakadék for its access. The fissure cave developed in a limestone cave and limestone agglomerate. The depression is filled, in which it is strongly steaming. The cave cannot currently be entered because the entrance shaft is blocked by beams and debris forming a plug. Its length was about 25 metres, and its deepest point was situated 15 metres deep. Its character was similar to the caves of the main fissure.

The cave occurs in literature under the names Kőhegyi-barlang (Balogh, Tímár 1956), Kő-hegyi-barlang (Eszterhás 1989), Kőhegyi barlang (Bertalan 1976), Vasas fissure cave (Bertalan 1976), side collapse next to Vasas fissure, Vasas-szakadék IV.sz. barlang (Eszterhás 1993), Vasas-szakadék cave, cave before Vasas-szakadék, Vasas-szakadéki 4. sz. barlang, cave beside Vasas-szakadék (Eszterhás 1989) and Vasas-szakadék chambers.

Research history

The 1956 edition of *Természetjárás* states that the cave is located to the southwest of Vasas-szakadék. According to the *Pilis* guidebook published in 1967, the Vasas-szakadék cave is at the end of the steep southern slope of Vasas-szakadék and is a 15 m long fissure cave open at both ends, which originally was an open rock fissure but the collapsed and compacted rock debris formed a ceiling.

In the book Pilis útikalauz 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 is among the caves of the Pilis Mountains and the Visegrád Mountains. According to the section describing the caves of the Visegrád Mountains, the tourists of Vasas discovered a tectonic fissure decades ago on the eastern side of Kő-hegy rising above Pomáz. The fissure is fissure-like and narrow. The deep fissure opens as if a fairy‑tale giant had split the rock with a sharp knife. The cave entrance is visible at the steeply sloping western end of the fissure. Originally the three caves of Vasas-szakadék were open rock fissures. Their ceiling was formed by rock debris that fell in from above and collapsed. Of the three caves, the longest is a 15 m fissure cave, which is open at both ends.

In Bertalan Károly’s manuscript completed in 1976 it can be read that the Kőhegyi cave is located in the Visegrád Mountains and the Pilis Mountains, in Szentendre. On the eastern side of Kő-hegy, at the western (towards Csepel-forrás) end of Vasas-szakadék, a narrow entrance hole is a few metres higher than the cart track. 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 connect to the passage. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on two literary works.

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

In the national cave list of the book *Caves of Hungary* published in 1984, two caves are listed among the Szentendre–Visegrád Mountains caves. One cave is named Kőhegyi Cave, the other cave is named Vasas-szakadéki Cave. On the map with a scale of 1:500 000 showing the geographical location of the Dunazug Mountains caves, the geographical locations of the two caves can be seen in connection with the list.

In the manuscript *List of non‑karst caves of Hungary* by István Eszterhás, written in 1989, it is stated that next to the Vasas fissure in Pomáz, in the Visegrád Mountains, in the 4900 cave‑cadastral area, a cave developed in andesite breccia. The cave is 15 m long and 10 m deep. In the Visegrád Mountains, in the 4900 cave‑cadastral area, the Kő-hegy cave developed in andesite tuff in Pomáz. This latter cave is of unknown size. The list mentions the 220 objects (203 caves and 17 artificial cavities) created in non‑karst rock in Hungary that became known by the end of 1989. In Hungary, 6 caves formed in andesite breccia and 7 in andesite tuff. According to the compilation, László Kordos’s cave list published in 1984 also includes 119 caves that originated in non‑karst rock.

In the spring of 1989 the MÁFI Cave Exploration Group discovered, surveyed and described the cave. The cave and its surroundings were measured. The discovery was reported to the Hungarian Karst and Cave Research Society. No further exploration work was carried out, because even with significant invested effort no result could have been achieved. György Dénes wrote about the three caves of Vasas-szakadék in 1991. In the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1991 it is mentioned that the Kő-hegyi-barlang (Szentendre) is 20 m long and 8 m deep. According to the compilation written by István Eszterhás in 1992, there are no karst caves in Hungary, for example in andesite breccia (e.g., the caves of Vasas-szakadék).