Tamás Cave

Tamás-lik is one of the caves located on Csúcs Hill in the Pilis Mountains within the Danube–Ipoly National Park. The sealed cave can only be viewed by speleologists.

Description

At the edge of Csobánka, in a stone quarry on the north side of Csúcs Hill, at an altitude of 220 meters above sea level, at the foot of a rock wall, north of the Small Tamás-lik, 40 meters away is its entrance, which is closed with a iron bolt door, vertical in the axis direction, and to which a small stepped path leads from Csobánka to the tourist trail marked with a red stripe that goes to the Kevély saddle.

In Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone a very narrow cave 18 meters long and 15 meters deep was formed. The stepped shaft cave developed along a 270° fissure, in which beautiful flowstone formations can be observed. By descending the entrance and squeezing through the cobwebs, one can reach a very steep passage. After two or three meters the main fissure direction of the cave is reached, which is perpendicular to the fissure of the entrance part. From there one must descend in an almost completely vertical, increasingly narrowing passage to the end point. Dripping is detectable in the cave, the walls are very wet, therefore the steps and holds are very slippery. For this reason, in addition to basic caving equipment, rope protection is also recommended for not very experienced cavers. No signs of vandalism or garbage are found inside.

In the literature it also occurs under the names Csobánkai-lik (Kordos 1981), Tamáslik-cave (Kováts 1980) and Tamáslik cave (Józsa, Lipcsei 1979). In 1977 the cave was first called Tamás-lik in the literature. It was named after Tamás Fegyvári, who discovered the cave.

Research History

In March 1977 it was discovered by Tamás Fegyvári, a member of the BSE Cave Exploration Group. It was found completely sealed at the base of the mine wall by debris that fell in during blasting. That year the group explored several times the two‑meter‑deep oval‑cross‑section vertical entrance shaft, then a sloping passage with a smaller cross‑section. At the end of the passage the passage’s cross‑section widened and, moving downward, they discovered a few smaller side branches with formations in the debris. The cave was known up to 12 meters in length. The research was hampered by the need to transport debris to the surface through narrow passages and by local residents throwing trash into the cave. In October 1977 the entrance was sealed with a ventilation door obtained from the Cave Science Institute.

The 1977 group report states that its entrance is at an altitude of 220 metres above sea level, opening from the north–south wall of the abandoned stone quarry. It is a fossil cold‑water spring cave released along a tectonic fault. At the bottom there is a debris pit. Further exploration may be successful, because the valley in which Csobánka lies has a ground level about 50–70 metres lower than the cave’s endpoint. The cave contains good examples of traces of cold‑water dissolution. On the plan map, between points 4 and 7, beautiful dripstones and a few centimetre‑sized straw dripstones have formed. At measurement point 6 there is a blocked, relatively large‑cross‑section fossil dripstone column. This extends under the quarry yard. The passages are narrow, and on the side walls the combined work of water and debris is clearly visible. It is expected that further research will reveal more typical formations of fossil water‑driven caves.

According to the 1977 MKBT Invitation, it was discovered by breaking a cold‑water dissolution form and excavated to a depth of 10 metres. It opens in the rock wall about two metres above the stone quarry yard on the western side of Csúcs‑hegy, at an altitude of about 245 metres above sea level. In 1978 the group progressed slowly with the excavation so that interested members could properly study and document the characteristic form treasure (detaching column, false floor). Unexpected technical and material problems hindered the work. In 1979 mapping and photo documentation were carried out in the cave.

In the work of the Karst and Cave Research Society's Karst Hydrogeology and Geology Department, the BSE Cave Research Group participates, according to the report of the society's secretary-general from 1979, by attempting to reconstruct the structure of the fill of the blocked water-draining cave and the chronological relationship of the blockage process.

In 1980 the entrance door was sabotaged. The 1980 group report states that the cave entrance was severely damaged by unknown perpetrators. The villagers used the mine yard and every available cavity as a garbage dump. The entrance was sealed in such a way that it could not be opened with a key, only by cutting away the concrete lining. In the 1981 first–second semester issue of Karst and Cave it was made public that the Csobánkai family, also known as the Tamás family, have the cave cadastral number 4820/32. On 31 December 1982 the BSE Cave Research Subgroup's research area was the Tamás family. In 1982 the group members carried out several one‑day investigations in the cave and, during the dismantling, after a 1–1.5 m soil‑level lowering, they found a very rounded‑edge, clean stone rubble fill.

In 1983 conservation work was carried out in it. In the national cave list of the book *Magyarország barlangjai* published in 1984, the cave is listed among the caves of the Pilis Mountains under the name Csobánkai-lik with the name variant Tamás-lik. Related to the list, the geographical location of the cave is shown on a 1:500 000 scale map presenting the geographical location of the caves of the Dunazug Mountains. Until 1985 the cave was explored by the Budapest Sport Club speleologists and it reached a length of 20 metres and a depth of 12 metres. In 1985 and 1986 it was explored by the Aragonit Speleological and Nature Lovers Association. In 1990 József Kárpát edited its longitudinal section map, which was drawn at a scale of 1:100. In the manuscript written by József Kárpát in 1991 it is mentioned that the Tamás-lik (Csobánka) is 20 m long and 15 m deep. By 1992 the association had reached a length of 30 m and a depth of 17 m.