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

RESEARCH HISTORY

groups carried out remarkable work in the inventorying and exploration of caves (MARKO 1960; Alba Regia BKCs. 1976a,b, VERESS 1979a). In the 1960's BERTALAN became interested in the history of cave exploration and published documents on the exploration of major caves in the Bakony (BERTALAN 1963a,b). Some caves are surveyed and documented in detail (KASSAI 1963; HORVÁTH 1963). A comprehensive investigation is performed in the caves of the valley sides around Csesznek (VERESS 1980a,b, 1982; VERESS-PÉNTEK-HORVÁTH 1992a,b). Here development in the zone of karst water and origin by cavern exposure. In the 1950's paleontological and archeological research began in several caves (ROSKA 1954a,b; VARRÓK 1955; BERTALAN 1962). Compared to expectations, the achievements in archeology are rather modest. Some finds (eg. from Pörgölhegy Cave) proved to be forgeries (VÉRTES 1965). Another type of the Bakony caves is represented by those which had to be opened artificially for exploration. Most of them are active karst conduits of streamsink caves. Their exploration and description was accomplished by cavers' groups (Tés Plateau, Papod-Hajag Mountain Group, Kőris Hill, the environs of Csesznek and areas outside the Northern Bakony, like Kab Hill). The various opinions on the origin of caves in the Northern Bakony (or the whole of the Bakony Mountains) are summarised below. The vertical shafts directly opening to the surface are truncated remnants of karstic water conduits (HEVESI 1991b; VERESS 1991, 1993). It is mentioned here that LÁNG (1958) and BULLA (1964) regard the Nagy-Pénzlik and Kis-Pénzlik caves of Som Hill and the Ördög-lik of Kőris Hill to be caves of thermal origin. The vertical shafts opening from surface karst landforms and are active water conduits even today are of corrosional origin (VERESS 1982a). As far as the origin of the streamsinklike caves of the Tés Plateau is concerned, in addition to erosion (KORDOS 1984), some of them (eg. Alba Regia Cave) also indicate corrosion at least in some stage of development (ESZTERHÁS 1983). In this cave corrosion is attested by chimneys on the ceiling of the main branch as well as the trough-like depression on the floor of the corridor. In the same cave, however, erosional origin is probable from large dimensions and the fact that a considerable portion of the main corridor formed in a calcareous marl intercalation (ESZTERHÁS 1983). The members of the Alba Regia Cave Exploration Group, who explored caves on the Tés Plateau, could not associate the erosional stage in cave evolution with the overall geomorphic evolution of the area. On the origin of the short caves with horizontal axes in valley sides (cave remnants) the following opinions were sounded. The remark has to be made here that most of the researchers regard these karst features - with the exception of som non-karstic cavities ruined remnants of older major caves or caverns (VADÁSZ 1940; BERTALAN 1962; VERESS 1980a,b, 1981a, 1982b; VERESS-FUTÓ 1987; HEVESI 1991b). In the opinion of TOMOR-THIRRING (1934) and HEVESI (1991b) these karst features are tributary branches to caves, the main branches of which are exposed and form valleys (gorges). The cave origin of gorges, however, can be excluded not only because the valleys are of superimposed nature (LÁNG 1958, JAKUCS 1971a) but because most of the watercourses could only have limited catchments in the minutely dissected mountains. Watercourses with small catchments could not form caves of several kilometres' length to be expected from the lengths of the gorges. The morphology of gorges do not support this view either since there are no rock arches, streamsink dolines or remnants of former swallow holes are missing.