Ötházpusztai No 1 Cave

The Ötházpuszta No 1 cave is one of the caves located in the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Sóskút.

Description

The cave is situated on the outskirts of Sóskút, on the western side of the valley that runs from ENE to SSW, at the eastern edge of the settlement, 700 m from the main road crossing the settlement. The cave is located in the thick‑bedded, karstic limestone of the upper rim of the valley side. The cavity has two entrances.

This fracture‑formed, fissure‑type transitional cave is probably a remnant of a former large cave. The nearly horizontal porous limestone‑sandstone layers are clearly visible in the rock mass containing the cave. The ceiling of the eastern entrance of the ENE‑SSW‑oriented cavity is formed by a flat bedding plane. The whole cave is powdery, due to the friable host rock. There are no formations or debris in the cavity. In addition to the two cave entrances, the cave also has a tiny (impassable for humans) hole through which the cavity contacts the outside world. No equipment is required to explore the easily accessible, freely traversable cave.

In 1976 the cave was first called Ötházpuszta No 1 cave in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Ötházpuszta 1st cave (Halász 1964), Ötházpusztai 1st cave (Halász 1964), Ötház‑pusztai 1st cave (Kordos 1984) and Ötház‑pusztai 1st cave (Gazda 2005).

Research history

In the speleological field report written by Árpád Halász on 28 January 1964 it is mentioned that the Ötházpuszta No 1 cave is located in Ötházpuszta (Tárnok, Pest County, Budai district), in the South‑Budai Mountains (Biai Mountains). The cave was discovered and explored during a field walk on 24 August 1942 by Árpád Halász. The cave has no literary name or local name. Proposed name: Ötházpuszta 1st cave, because it would be appropriate to give the cave the name of the nearby Ötházpuszta. The rock‑fissure type cave is of cold‑water origin. According to the cavity map it is located 1 km east‑south‑west from Sóskút, 200 m east from the Sóskút–Érd road bridge, at an altitude of 130 m above sea level (measured from the Adriatic Sea). Used map: Érd and surroundings published in 1928 (scale 1:25 000).

The cave formed in a thinly layered, thickly layered limestone with a 160° (10–15°) dip. Lithoclastic direction: ENE–WSW. The cave has almost no fill, but it appears untouched. The fill consists of rock debris and humus. The cavity was created by tectonics and deflation. Major forms: fissure, two entrances. Trace of habitation: expansion. No legend, folk tradition, or myth is associated with the cave. It can be reached by bus to Sóskút, then on foot toward Ötházpuszta, taking 30 minutes to reach the cave. The cave is located in the valley behind Ötházpuszta and is walkable in work clothes. The insignificant cavity can be shown by Árpád Halász. The main branch’s plan length is 3–4 m (side branches 0 m), and the cave is also 3–4 m long. Work performed: determination of tszf. altitude (based on map), location determination, photography. Pending research: preparation of map sheets, conducting exploratory work.

According to the report written by Halász Árpád on January 29, 1964, there is a cave in the Valley of the Dead, Pest County, located 1 km from Sóskút on the DK side, 1.5 km from Ötházpuszta on the ENy side, 500 m from the Sóskút–Érd highway on the EK side, 200 m from the bridge crossing the valley on the E side, and 2.5 km from Tárnok on the E side. The valley that contains the cave is about 2 km long, oriented EK–DNy, and is a barren karst, waterless. The cavity is situated in the limestone on the DK side of the valley, at the edge of the plateau, at an altitude of 130 m above sea level. The data were determined based on the map titled Érd and its surroundings published in 1928 (scale 1:25 000). The cavity can be reached from Érd by the Sóskút bus in about 25 minutes. By bus one must travel to Ötházpuszta. From Érd‑Park City the cave is also reachable on foot via the Berki meadow in about one and a half hours walking. It is advisable to choose the latter route because it passes through instructive (karstifying, sparse vegetation, waterless) terrain.

The cave has no name. The locals call the valley that contains the cave the Valley of the Dead because the valley is barren, desolate, dry. It would be appropriate to name the cave Ötházpusztai 1st Cave, because it is located near Ötházpuszta. It is recommended to designate it with the number 1 so that any later discovered cavities can be more easily distinguished and numbered. During a field survey conducted for the discovery of natural cavities and fissures in the aszó valleys of the Berki meadow, Halász Árpád found the cave on August 24, 1942. In this area, limestone outcrops can be seen on the sides of the valleys, and in one of them Halász Árpád succeeded in finding a cave. From a speleological point of view, the circumstances of the cave’s formation make it worthwhile to study the cavity.

The cave is not mentioned in speleological literature, but many authors have dealt with the geological structure of the area. This area is part of the Érdi plateau covered with Miocene–Pliocene layers. The fissure cave is in a thinly bedded limestone, in which soft and hard layers alternate. This limestone, which dips 10–15° from a 160° orientation, is similar to the rock uncovered by the Sóskút quarry. The surroundings of the cave are barren, there are no trees or bushes, and the little grass dries out in the summer heat. Sometimes the temperature in the valley reaches 50 °C. The valley in front of the cavity is dry, waterless, and during summer cloudbursts a real river appears in it. At such times the flood can even carry away limestone blocks of one to two cubic meters. The valley floor looks as if a giant had thrown rocks around at random. This disorder makes the valley picturesque.