No I Cave of Vasas-szakadék

The Vasas-szakadéki 1st class cave is one of the caves located in the Danube–Ipoly National Park. It is the third longest cave of the Visegrád Mountains.

Description

It opens in the Visegrád Mountains, in Szentendre. It is the easternmost cave of the visible fissure system of Vasas-szakadék. See the approach to Vasas-szakadék for its access.

A fissure 38.5 metres long, 3–4 metres wide, with walls on average 10 metres high and an open top forms the front of the cavity. From the western floor point of this fissure the formation continues as a cave, maintaining the former direction. First one can go down 20 metres on a 40‑degree slope, then the passage level begins to rise and after a further 10 metres it crosses a deep cross‑fissure. In this cross‑fissure the deepest point of the whole system can be measured, which is 20.4 metres below the highest point.

The width of the cave passage varies between 0.4 and 1.1 metres, averaging 70 centimetres. In places smaller (maximum 80 centimetre) ledges, mostly collapsed stone blocks, segment the passage. The southern wall is stalactite, the northern side is formed by huge rock blocks. The main passage is also composed of similar stone blocks, among which one can climb up to 4–5 metres in height at certain places. One such extending fissure forms an upper passage nearly 7 metres long. The total length of the cave is 50.2 metres, its horizontal extent 40.2 metres and its vertical extent 20.4 metres.

The cave appears in literature under the names Kőhegyi-barlang (Kordos 1984), Kőhegyi barlang (Bertalan 1976), Vasas hasadék barlangja (Bertalan 1976), Vasas-szakadék I.sz. barlang (Eszterhás 1993), Vasas-szakadék I.sz. barlangja (Eszterhás 1989), Vasas-szakadék barlangja (Dénes 1967), Vasas-szakadéki 1. sz. barlang, Vasas-szakadéki-barlang (Kordos 1984) and Vasas-szakadék üregei.

Research history

According to the Pilis guidebook published 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 collapsed and formed a roof of broken rock debris. In the Pilis guidebook published in 1974, in the list of caves of the Pilis and 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 slope end of the fissure. Originally the three caves of Vasas-szakadék were open rock fissures. Their ceilings were formed by rock debris that fell in and collapsed from above. Of the three caves, the longest is a 15 m fissure cave open at both ends.

In the manuscript completed by Bertalan Károly in 1976 it can be read 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 (towards Csepel Spring) end of the Vasas gorge, there is a narrow entrance hole 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 fissure 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 fissure facing K. The cave is 23 m long and 1 m wide. The sliding fissure cave formed in 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-gorge cave. In the map with a scale of 1:500 000 showing the geographical location of the caves of the Danube Hills, the geographical locations of the two caves can be seen. In the 1989 special issue of *Karst and Cave*, 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 andesite conglomerate.

In the manuscript titled *List of Hungary's Non‑Karst Caves* written by István Eszterhás in 1989, it is stated that the No I cave of Vasas‑szakadék in Pomáz, located in the Visegrád Mountains within the 4900 cave‑survey area, developed in an andesite breccia. The cave is 15 m long, of unknown height, depth and vertical extent. The list mentions that in Hungary there are 220 objects (203 caves and 17 artificial cavities) formed in non‑karst rock that became known by the end of 1989. Six caves in Hungary have formed in andesite breccia. According to the compilation, László Kordos’s 1984 cave list includes 119 caves that originated in non‑karst rock. In the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1991 it is mentioned that the No 1 cave of Vasas‑szakadék (Szentendre) is 25 m long and 10 m deep.