A Veszprém Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 12. (Veszprém, 1973)

Dr. Jugovics Lajos: Balaton-parti bazaltbányászat

BASALT QUARRYING BY THE SHORE OF LAKE BALATON On the NW shore of Lake Balaton, the basalt cones of some members of the volcanic group in the Tapolca basin: Badacsony-Gulács, Tóti and Hegyestő rise right on the shore of the lake, or a mere 2—4 km inland. In the years of 1900 a periodical and not extensive quarrying of these basalt mountains began. Regular and partly mechanized basalt quarrying started in 1905 on the Badacsonyhegy; and beginning with the year of 1909 when the Balaton-Tapolca railway was completed smaller and bigger basalt quarries have opened up one after the other. Under the above title the group comprising the Badacsony, Gulács, Tóti and the Hegyestő near Zánka quarries will be sonsidered, together with their fromation and the operation of the annexed workshops. Two quarries were working on Badacsonyhegy: one, on the eastern part of the basalt cone, above the village of Badacsonytomaj, known as the "Tomaj-quarry" whose stamping mill was built on the shore of Lake Balaton. The other one was known as the "Töördemicquarry" whose quarried stone was transported over a 1300 m long cable-railway down to the stamping mill planted by the MÂV railway station of Tördemic village. Production began at the Badacsonytomaj basalt quarry by the exploitation of the basalt-slip coming down to 270 m in the vicinity of the village. During the gradual exploitation of the slide a producing level was developed at a height of 302 m, where the dispatch station of the cable-railway was installed. When this level too was exhausted, the ultimate production quarry level was stationed at a height of 315 m. This was working over a 750 m long and 70—80 m high quarry-face until the end of 1950. The Tördemic basalt quarry exposed the NW side of the Badacsonyhegy over a 500 m long and 350 m high surface. But in 1950 this quarry ceased to be independent and the workshops of the Tomaj-quarry was transplanted and merged into the Tördemic-quarry whose final production level was developed at a height of 312 m. This meant that the basalt was transported to the stamping mill at Badacsonytomaj over a 2100 m long cable-railway system. Both quarries of the Badacsonyhegy yielded the same grey and massive basalt and both workshops were equiped to produce flagstones, road-metal and quarrystone. Both workshops were under a unified proprietorship. The basalt volcano of the Badacsonyhegy began its central activity with throwing out detritus, the thus formed crater of basaltic tuff was slowly filled in with the surface flow of lava. The varied eruptions built up an enormous basalt cone but in the subsequent six million years erosion significantly decreased its bulk. The basalt quarrying of Gulácshegy The sugar-loaf-like basalt cone of the Gulácshegy rises some 2 km from the shore of Lake Balaton. The 393.5 m high basalt cone has been broken up by a series of quarries situate in a semicircular fashion at altitudes of 212, 280 and 300 m. The produce of the six quarry levels was sent off at 212 m on a 1960 m long cable-railway route to reach the stamping mill planted by the MÁV railway station of Nemesgulács. A central volcanic activity built up the basalt cone of Gulácshegy, which also started with throwing out detritus. The later activity comprised surface flow of lava only, which built up a much bigger cone than the one known today; this basalt cone like the previous one had suffered heavy erosion. The detritus accumulated at the foot of the steep volcanic cone on the edge of Pannonic sandy base at a height of an average of 200—260 m. The large quantity of basalt-slipping and detritus surrounds the foot of the shapely basalt cone in a collar-like fashion. 1st huge mass is well illustrated by the fact that until 1944 the various enterprises made use of it and only in this year were they able to open up the No. IV. "Rókalyuk" reaching by this the foot of the standing columnar basalt of the cone. The Gulácshegy basalt cone has been exploited by only four quarrying enterprises for over many decades. The first was the "Csúcshegy-quarry" on the SW side closing down in 1936. Meanwhile in 1924—25, the "Nemesgulács Basalt Quarrying Co." also quarried basalt here on the western side of the cone, but they merged soon with the Haláphegy basalt quarrying company under the name "Basalt Quarryin Co." of the Zala County, which existed in this form until 1948 when it was nationalized and under the name of Nemesgulács Basalt Quarry was functioning until 1961. The basalt quarrying of Tótihegy The gently sloping side of the Tótihegy volcanic cone (346.7 m) comprises not only layers of sand and clay but on the eastern side a Permian sandstone, too. Like in the previous two cases the central volcanic activity which built up the Tótihegy began throwing out detritus, and only a thin basaltic tuff layer was formed. The bulk of the cone was formed of surface flow of lava. The originally large mass of the basalt cone suffered heavy erosion resulting in some 50 m high basalt-slipping on the western and southern sides of the cone. Quarrying here started with the carrying off of the slipping then after the construction of the Balaton railway track, on the peak, at 294 m, a manual quarrying of small capacity was started. However, after World War I the production here was stopped. During World War II the exploitation of the central slide was began. The basalt quarrying of Hegyestő Hegyestő is a smaller basalt cone of 337.7 m, its slope facing toward the Balaton is its only part which was left untouched. The other side has completely been exploited, thus, in fact, it is a half cone. In 1961 the Nature Conservancy Council granted permission to the quarry to continue production as long as they stayed by the steep wall and worked they way downward leaving the other parts untouched. The small quarry was in production until 1970. The basalt cone of Hegyestő was formed by a central volcanic activity of eruptions only. The lava broke through the Megyehegy dolomite of the Middle Trias which settled on the laminar limestone of camilic stage originating from the Lower Trias. Lajos Jugovics 135