Adamkó Péter - Dénes György - Leél-Őssy Szabolcs: The Caves of Buda - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1992)
The Szemlő-hegyi Cave Among the major caves of Buda the Szemlő-hegyi Cave was the second to be discovered. It was found in 1930 causing an even greater stir than the discovery of the Pál-völgyi Cave a quarter of a century earlier. The Szemlő-hegyi Cave was the first one in this region of typical and unquestionable thermal water origin. This is demonstrated primarily by its fantastically rich mineral formations. The genesis of this cave is essentially similar to that of the Pál-völgyi Cave. However, the true origin of the latter was not recognized for a long time. In the first half of this century most experts agreed that although thermal springs contributed to the birth of the Pál-völgyi Cave, the cold rain-water later substantially widened it. Although the Pál-völgyi Cave has no drainage basin or underground stream, some speleologists still overemphasize the role what cold water played in its formation. Perhaps the corrosion marks and evidences of water flow in some places account for this misinterpretation. For the Szemlő-hegyi Cave its hydrothermal minerals generated great scientific interest, mostly by the abundance of botryoidal pisolite, often dubbed as “pea- stone”. The discovery of this cave was preceded by the opening of a small cavity within a little quarry on this site. Workers threw rocks into the gap and much to their surprise, heard the stones rolling further than expected. The proprietor of the lot notified the University of Budapest Tourist Association. Cavers of this association could not proceed further than 24 m at their first attempt. Already this first section was richly ornamented by dissolution features, hence the name Whirlpool Corridor. Within a few days, the explorers succeeded in breaking through the clay rubble and reached the magnificent Rose Arbour. As witnessed by photographs taken at the moment of discovery, most pisolites were further ornamented by a tiny stalactite hanging from their tips. Unfortunately, over the decades these delicate formations have been damaged in many places. The wall of some niches were covered with a gypsum coating 21
