Pongor Hole

Pongor Hole is a cave that, due to its middle Pleistocene animal remains, has been among Hungary's specially protected caves since 1988. It is a passage cave and a ruin cave. It is located in the Bükki National Park area.

Description

In the outer area of Répáshuta, at the Pongor Hole summit, there are entrances in a specially protected area. The cave passage opened at both ends and the ceiling also opens to the surface in the debris at one place, formed in middle Triassic and upper Triassic limestone.

Ottokár Kadić described its two entrances as two separate caves named Kövesváradi III. rock cavity and Kövesváradi IV. rock cavity. The namer of the cavity was Attila Hevesi, who in 1982 proposed renaming the cave to Pongor Hole based on the name Pongor Hole summit. In some early articles, by mistake, its name appears as Pungor Hole (Kordos 1982). In the literature it also occurs as Kövesváradi III. rock cavity (Bertalan 1976), Kövesváradi 3. rock cavity (Kordos 1984), Kövesváradi IV. rock cavity (Bertalan 1976) and Kövesváradi 4. rock cavity (Kordos 1984).

Finds

From an archaeological point of view, the Bronze Age ceramic fragments that emerged from the fill, as well as the metal ingots that were products of the Pilisszentiván culture, are noteworthy.

Interesting paleontological remains include the striped mouse (Sicista subtilis betulina), a mouse species already extinct in the Bükk Mountains; the whistling rabbit (Ochotona pusilla), also already extinct in Hungary; snail species living on rock cliffs (Granaria frumentum, Chondrula tridens, Chondrina clienta). From them, as well as from the significant number of meadow voles, one can infer less forested, open vegetation. Ursulus stehlini is most similar to the currently living Tibetan brown bear. Talpa fossilis is a mole species that was smaller than the currently living mole. It was found only in the lower Pleistocene and middle Pleistocene layers.

Sorex cf. subaraneus is a shrew species that falls between the size of the modern forest shrew and the dwarf shrew. It became extinct in the middle Pleistocene. Cricetus runtonensis solymarensis, which is a hamster species that went extinct without descendants. It was larger than the modern hamster. It was also found among the bone remains of Solymári‑Devil’s Hole and Lök‑Valley‑Cave. Pliomys lenki, which is an ancient, cut‑shaped vole species and lived in the Pliocene as well as the early Pleistocene. Pitymys gregaloides, which is one of the early representatives of the vole species still living today. It was also found in the Upponyi 1st stone niche and in the fauna of Solymári‑Devil’s Hole.

Research History

Kadić Ottokár and Vértes László also carried out excavations there, but it was not considered worthwhile to continue research. Very close to the cave, Jánossy Dénes discovered the Kövesváradi karst sack, which is a cavity completely filled with sediment. Here a rich lower Pleistocene rodent assemblage was brought to light. Based on the finds and the age of the passage, Hevesi Attila, Hír János and Ringer Árpád assumed that the animal fauna of this period would also be found in the Pongor‑hole.

In the manuscript titled *Cave Inventory of Hungary* completed in 1976, it is stated that the Kövesváradi III rock cavity is located in the Bükk Mountains, at Répáshuta. Its entrance is 3 m wide and 1.2 m high. The cave is 12 m long, 3.5–6.5–4 m wide and 0.5–0.3 m high. A very low cavity. The cave is filled throughout with limestone‑debris humus. The part of the manuscript concerning the cave was written based on one literary work.

In 1982, a group consisting of students from the Irinyi János Chemical Vocational School in Kazincbarcika and the ELTE Ságvári Endre Practice School began the research mentioned above. In 1982, János Hír surveyed the area and, based on the survey, drew a draft floor plan cave map showing the location of László Vértes's pit. In the overview written by László Kordos and published in the 1982 MKBT Report, it is mentioned that in the summer of 1982 János Hír carried out a prehistoric archaeological excavation in the Pungor-hole next to Répáshuta. The section reached the Pleistocene layers indicated by the cave bear.

In the national cave list of the book *Caves of Hungary* published in 1984, the Pongor-hole is listed as two separate caves among the caves of the Bükk Mountains. One cave is named Kövesváradi 3. rock cavity. The other cave is named Kövesváradi 4. rock cavity. Associated with the list is a 1:500 000 scale map showing the geographic locations of the caves of the Aggtelek Karst and the Bükk Mountains, indicating the geographic positions of the two caves. In the regional bibliography section of the bibliography published in *Karst and Cave* in 1986, the cave appears under the name Pongor-hole. According to the compilation, two of the works published in *Karst and Cave* deal with the cave.

From 1 October 1988, according to the Ministry of Environment and Water Management decree 7/1988. (X. 1.) KVM (article 6 §. 2. point, and annex 5), Pongor Hole in the Bükk Mountains is a specially protected cave. In the 1988 Karst and Cave Bulletin it was announced that Pongor Hole, located in the Bükk Mountains, was included among Hungary's specially protected caves. Together with Pongor Hole, 108 caves in Hungary are specially protected. In 1990 János Hír had a research permit for cave exploration. Up to 1994 they worked at the shooting range a total of seven times. From 17 May 2001, according to the Ministry of Environment decree 13/2001. (V. 9.) KöM, Pongor Hole in the Bükk Mountains area is a specially protected cave. At the same time the provision 1/1982. (III. 15.) OKTH concerning the determination of the circle of specially protected caves loses effect. In the book Hungary's Specially Protected Caves published in 2003 it is stated that it opens at 646 m above sea level, is 27 m long, has a vertical extent of 4 m and a horizontal extent of 23 m.