Szőlő-hegyi Cave

The Szőlő-hegy fissure is one of those limestone caves located in the K part of the Cserhát Mountains.

Description

The cave is situated in Kishartyán, in the steep rock wall of Szőlő-hegy overlooking the gardens, at about 250 m above sea level. It formed in Upper Oligocene (Kattai) glauconitic, marly limestone beds. The 12 m long rock fissure is in a 7–10 m high wall facing the DNy, at a relative height of 2–4 m from the top of the slope debris. Its deepest inlet is at the DK end. The inlet becomes progressively smaller toward ÉNy. Its height similarly decreases from 3 m to 1.5 m. The rock fissure is stepped by the more resistant marly layers.

The cavity is a classic example of deflational formation. Only wind erosion (and perhaps death of the rock) created it. There is no trace of human work. On the dry, sunny limestone rock no sign of living organisms can be seen. No auxiliary equipment is needed for viewing, but one must move carefully on the steep limestone wall. It is advisable for the inexperienced or for those arriving in large groups to use rope protection. Its pure form of genesis gives the cave its significance.

In 1988 the cave was first called Szőlő-hegyi-eresz in the literature.

Research history

On 21 August 1988 István Eszterhás surveyed the cave, and based on the survey he drew a 1:100 scale floor plan map of the cave, three cross‑section maps and a site plan. According to the survey the cave opens at 250 m above sea level and is 12 m long. In the 1988 yearbook of the Alba Regia Cave Research Group and in the study “Data for the Knowledge of the Cserhát Karst Caves” written by István Eszterhás, it is mentioned that the Szőlő-hegyi-eresz was previously an unpublished cavity.

During a site walk they found the Eszterhás István family. Coming from Sóshartyán they saw as if there were a cavity in the steep limestone wall behind the house row on Fő utca in Kishartyán. By going behind the gardens they were able to approach the limestone wall, in which they found the cave-sized fissure. Because of its geographical location it was named the Szőlő-hegyi fissure, which the Eszterhás István family gave it. It is located in the 5223 cave inventory area. The 1988 map was included in the manuscript. In the yearbook a black‑white photograph can be seen, on which the rock fissure above Kishartyán is observable. The photograph was taken by Gönczöl Imre.

In the manuscript titled List of non‑karst caves of Hungary by Eszterhás István, made in 1989, it can be read that in the Cserhát Mountains, in the 5223 cave inventory area, the Szőlő-hegyi fissure formed in the limestone at Kishartyán. The cave has a floor area of 3 × 12 m and is 2 m high. It is one of the 9 caves in the Cserhát Mountains that formed in non‑karst rock. 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 21 caves have formed in limestone.

In the study titled Supplement to the knowledge of the non‑karst caves of Cserhát, written in 1989, a site map can be seen on which the geographical locations of the non‑karst caves of Cserhát are observable. The map shows the geographical location of the Szőlő-hegyi fissure. The study states that the Szőlő-hegyi fissure (Kishartyán), 12 m long and 3 m high, is one of the four caves that formed in limestone in Cserhát.

In the manuscript titled *Magyarország nemkarsztos barlangjainak lajstroma* written by István Eszterhás and created in 1993, it is mentioned that the Szőlő-hegyi-eresz is located in Kishartyán in the Cserhát Mountains, in the cave catastrophe area No. 5223. The cave is one of the 10 caves formed in non‑karst rock in the Cserhát Mountains. The cave, formed in limestone, has a floor area of 3 × 12 m² and is 2 m high. According to the listing, it is one of two caves in Kishartyán. The compilation lists the 520 objects (478 caves and 42 artificial cavities) formed in non‑karst rock in Hungary that became known by the end of 1993. In Hungary, 28 caves or artificially created cavities called caves have formed, having been formed in limestone.

According to the publication *Lychnis. Szemelvények a vulkáni kőzetekben keletkezett barlangok kutatásáról* published in 1994, among the caves in Hungary that were created in non‑karst sedimentary rock, based on the summer 1994 condition the Szőlő-hegyi-eresz (Kishartyán) is the 10th longest. The cave, formed in limestone, is 12 m long and 2 m high. Hungary has 489 caves in non‑karst rock and the Cserhát Mountains have 10 such caves. In Hungary, 28 caves have formed in limestone. The manuscript *Magyarország nemkarsztos barlangjainak irodalomjegyzéke* dated 12 November 2001 includes the Szőlő-hegyi-eresz in its cave name index. The index lists 5 literary works that deal with the cave.