Veress Márton: A Bakony természettudományi kutatásának eredményei 23. - Covered karst evolution... (Zirc, 2000)

RESEARCH HISTORY

RESEARCH HISTORY When summarizing the history of scientific investigations, the treatment is not restricted to the Northern Bakony since the individual authors do not present this part of the mountains in isolation. In the case of certain karst phenomena (eg. karst water) it is not even possible or to the purpose. Mentions of the Bakony karst date back to very early times. According to NÉMETH (1965), the Odvaskő Cave was mentioned in a donation document in 1330 and according to BERTALAN (1977) as early as 1037. The first description of a karst object derives from BELIUS (caves of Som Hill - BERTALAN 1963b). Actual research, however, began at a much later date. The history of investigations in the mountains is presented in the following sections: - karst water, - paleokarst, - underground karst features, - surface karst features, - general characteristics of karstification. Karst water Beginning with the 1930's the investigation of karst water conditions has been most intensive. Among the publications on karst water a pilot study was prepared by JASKÓ (1935), who did not only describe the Tapolcafő springs very thoroughly but provided evidence for the existence of a uniform karst water table in the environs of the springs. Several authors studied the karst water system of the mountains and its borader environs and a single communicating system is assumed (HORUSITZKY 1942; SZÁDECZKY-KARDOSS 1948). In the Transdanubian Mountains, including the Bakony, a middle karst water niveau (main karst water) and karst water storeys are identified (SZÁDECZKY-KARDOSS 1942; PAPP 1942). Karst water storeys above the main karst water are described, for instance, above main karst water. Research, however, have been focused on main karst water: the temperatures and compositions of springs issuing from main karst water are analysed (VADÁSZ 1940, SZÁDECZKY-KARDOSS 1941); the regional extention and altitudinal conditions of main karst water are surveyed and from the collected data the first karst water table maps are constructed (VADÁSZ 1940; SZÁDECZKY-KARDOSS 1941, 1948, 1950; KÁLMÁN-PETHŐ 1950). The papers also deal with the directions of karst water movements in the mountains. It is regarded probable that karst water does not only emerge in springs and bogs along the mountain margin but also transferred to the sediments of the neighbouring basins. From the temperatures of certain marginal karst springs the conclusion is drawn that water from the middle karst water zone reaches the mountain margins through the deep karst zone (LÁNG et al. 1962). The role of non-karstic (covered karst) surfaces in karst water recharge is recognised. JASKÓ (1959a, 1961) describes gorges in the Bakony Mountains as ponors and this view is supported by measurements. JASKÓ (1959b, 1961) finds water seepage in the channels of several water-courses in the Bakony (Cuha Valley, Ördög-árok). This is confirmed by the measurements by BRATÁN-MOHOS-ZSUFFA (1967) in the Kerteskő Gorge. (At 600 1/sec discharge ca 75 per cent of the water of the Gerence stream infiltrated.) The catchment areas of major gorges and annual amount of water swallowed in the gorges (ca 8 000 000 m1 - SCHMIDT ELIGIUS-LÁNG-OZORAY 1962) are identified.