Ramaty Cave

Ramaty Cave is a cave located in the Vértes Mountains in the Danube–Ipoly National Park, in Csákvár.

Description

The cave lies in the outskirts of Csákvár, on the edge of Gánt, in an abandoned stone quarry that extends from Gánt to the Danube. The entrance to the cave is in the former bauxite quarry of Hosszú-haraszt, located on the Danube side of Gém Hill. The cave is most easily approached from the Gánt D side. From the monument, one must walk more than 0.5 km on the road leading to the reclaimed bauxite mine, and from there the mine wall is reachable only on foot. The mine wall, at about 20 metres relative height, contains Ramaty Cave.

Visiting the merely 14 m long, bifurcating cave is very cumbersome and dangerous. The cave can be accessed only from above, using rope‑technical equipment and a rope of at least 110 m length, and at least one assistant must stay beneath the rock wall to indicate the correct descent direction. Descent, however, is not safe on the quarry side, because loose debris can be easily displaced by the rope, which may cause a rock fall. No permit is required to view the cave using rope‑technical equipment.

One passage of the cave opens opposite the entrance, and the other to the left. After a short distance these become impassable as they narrow. The left‑hand branch can be entered with a slight bend, and at the end of the branch, before the sediment ledge, one can turn only by bending. The hollow space opposite the entrance can be entered on loose, crumbly sediment by crawling half‑sideways, then at the end of the passage one must turn while squatting. When exiting the cave, it is advisable to leave the cave heading downward.

After the difficult approach, the visitor arrives at the Entrance Hall, which was formed in crumbly dolomite. From its vaulted ceiling, about 1.7 m high, an impassably narrow, 1.5 m high small dome begins. Traces of water infiltration are visible on the walls, where 1–2 mm green crystals have formed. After the cave entrance, to the right a milk‑coffee‑coloured, almost 0.25 m² thin flowstone is visible, on whose surface a few pea‑stones have settled. The pea‑stones are a few millimetres in diameter. At the entrance of the EK‑section cavity, at the bottom of the left‑hand wall, there is a darker, brownish flowstone of about 0.25 m². A thin mohair layer has settled on its surface. In this cave as well, on the right‑hand wall, there is a cserszegi‑type solutional form.

The floor of the Entrance Hall is covered by an unknown‑thickness, granular, brown‑yellow fill. In the erosion plane parallel to the bedding plane, about 1 m below the cave floor, a human‑head‑sized, probably natural (ochre?) gum is embedded. On the passage floor, in front of the stone block protruding from the fill, a well‑developed plant stands, next to an Eocene or Oligocene two‑finger‑wide limestone fragment. The hall contains many tick flies. Both the left‑hand side and the EK passage formed in vertically oriented crumbly dolomite. A several‑centimetre‑wide crack is visible in the main chamber, which determined the direction of formation. In these places the passage floor is also covered by the crumbly, dark‑brown fill. There is no immediate danger of collapse in the cave.

In 1994 the cave was first called Ramaty‑odún in the literature. The cave also appears in the literature under the names Gánti külfejtés 6. sz. barlangja (Egri 2003), Gánti Ramaty‑odú (Egri 2003) and Ramaty‑odu (Kucsera, Németh 1994).

Research History

The Alba Regia Cave Research Group mentions in its 1993 yearbook that above the G‑3 labeled ruin cave, in the bedding wall, at about 30 m relative height, a new cave was uncovered along the break of the bedding wall. This group photographed it from below, but the cave can be approached only from above, using a rope, because of the collapse‑dangerous wall. A colour photograph (photo 6) was included in the manuscript, showing the entrance of the cave revealed by collapse at the top of the bedding wall. The photograph was taken by Tibor Németh.

The group's 1994 yearbook states that the group continued in 1994 the investigation of the long‑haraszti external mining caves that had been started in 1993. In 1994 the Ramaty Cave was examined. It was measured, photographed and described the cave located at the end of the D‑section of the bedding plane. The group does not wish to continue investigating the cave. The Ramaty Cave is in the Vértes Mountains, in cave‑cadastral area number 4521, on the edge of Gánt. Coming from Székesfehérvár, after the sign pointing to Gánt, at the first road junction turn right off the paved road onto a medium‑quality dirt road. On the dirt road walk 200 m to a parking‑like area. The car can be left at this place. Continuing perpendicular to the previous direction, turning left, the abandoned open‑pit mine soon appears, which is a very impressive sight in its full height, especially when the Sun illuminates the bedding plane from behind the observer.

Since the cave is located in the middle of the wall height, it can only be reached by rope‑technical methods. Because of the fragile wall, the chamber cannot be accessed by classic rock climbing. It is best if one person moves in front of the wall base and, with agreed signals, informs the partner above where the most suitable place for rope anchoring is. The person descending to the cave can follow the only partially discernible path by climbing up beside the Hamvas Cave, then turning to D, and proceeding along the still existing wire‑rope railing. On this path about 300 m must be walked. Here a relatively dense forest area is found, where it is already worthwhile to watch the signals of the partner below. Where a signal is given, there are trees suitable for rope anchoring. The rope anchoring is possible only slightly further back. Because of this, it is sometimes necessary to use a long (about 110 m) rope.