Szószéki Cave

The Szószéki Cave is one of the dolomite caves located in the 12th district of Budapest, within the Danube–Ipoly National Park.

Description

The cave located in the Buda Hills, in the Buda Landscape Protection Area, Zugliget, lies at the foot of the eastern branch of the Szószék rock on the slope of the Hunyad-orom ENy side. The cave has 5 entrances, one of which is only a small (about 10 cm in diameter) hole. Of the two lower entrances, one (the wider) faces toward Ny, in the direction of the Fairy Rock. The other, fissure-like entrance is impassably narrow. At these two entrances the fracture plane can be seen, which was the preforming factor in the cave’s formation. The two upper entrances are oriented eastward and southward.

The 1st entrance is 0.7 m wide, 0.4 m high, natural, fissure-shaped and horizontally oriented. The 2nd entrance is 0.75 m wide, 0.55 m high, natural, irregularly shaped and horizontally oriented. The 3rd entrance is 0.4 m wide, 0.5 m high, natural, quadrangular and horizontally oriented. The 4th entrance is 0.2 m wide, 0.8 m high, natural, fissure-shaped and slope-oriented.

The small, narrow, branching cave lies close to the surface. In fact it lies in a rock fissure, which is why it has several entrances. Its life will be brief when measured on a geological time scale. After tectonic preparation it was formed in the upper Triassic main dolomite by corrosion and freeze‑thaw granularization. In the cave’s form inventory, signs referring to its corrosion genetics can be observed in the shape of small spherical forms. Fragmented calcite contaminations, indistinct, porous pea‑sized stones, and interesting forms similar to strucctojás are present. The latter are seen cemented with old, senescent calcite crust, perhaps old larger dolomite material ridges.

The floor of the cavity is thinly covered with litter, as well as material scraped from hydrothermally broken rock. The entire cave is surveyed, but fortunately so far free of trash and graffiti. Rock-pillar shaped, multi-level cave. Variable slope conditions and the characteristic cross-section type is the irregular cross-section. The cave, accessible with an easy walk, is easily traversable and freely visitable.

Research history

In 2004 Attila Gazda surveyed the cave and, based on the survey, on December 5, 2004 compiled the cave floor plan map, on which the cave's cross-section 1 and longitudinal section 1 can also be seen. According to the inventory sheet made in 2004, the cave opens at 261 m above sea level, is detailedly surveyed, 7.2 m long, 2.2 m vertical extent, 2.2 m high, 0 m deep and 2.6 m horizontal extent.