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Caves of the Tokaj-Eperjesi Mountain Chain

This region is known as the Eperjes - Tokaji Mountain Range, and extends far beyond the Hungarian border into Slovakia. The name "Tokaji" was chosen for this chapter because 88% of the known caves occurring this part of the region. The 3000 km2 Eperjes - Tokaji Mountains( Prešovsko-tokajského prohoria) are a part of the Northern Hungarian Mountain Range between the Tarca and Hernád Rivers and the Tapoly and Bodrog Rivers. The mountain is divided into four different, but connected parts. The Tokaji Mountains lie in the south, completely in Hungarian territory. North of the Tokaji Mountains are the Szalánci Mountains (Slánské vrchy) and the Zempléni Island Mountains (Zemplinské vrchy).

They are politically divided by the Hungarian -Slovakian border. The fourth part, the Eperjesi Mountains (Prešovské vrchy) can be found in Slovakian territory only.

The principal formations are denudated volcanic cones and laccoliths from the Miocene period.

Older constituents in the form of Hercynian blocks are only found in the Zempléni Island Mountains. The various areas of the mountains are divided by tectonic basins.

Three hundred and thirteen natural non-karstic caves and 11 artificial cavities, considered to be caves, have been identified in the whole of the mountain region. Two hundred andsixty-eight caves can be found in the Hungarian Tokaji Mountains.Twenty caves are to be found in the Szalánci Mountains.Twenty three caves are to be found    in Slovakia in the Eperjesi Mountains. In the Zempléni Island Mountains no caveshave been discovered. All of the caves have developed in the Miocene volcanic formations (Badenian and  Sarmatian).

The distribution of the caves according to the rockformations is as follows:

Rhyolite

34

e.g.: Smirgli Cave

Rhyodacite

15

Kajla Cave

Amphibole dacite

12

Regéci-vár Cave

Perlite

6

Lackó Cave

Rhyolite tuff

24

Fuló-hegyi Nagy Cave

Andesite

210

Rózsa Sándor Cave

Andesite agglomerate

Geyserite

11

  1

Jaskyňa ”T”

Bot-kői Geyserite Cavity

 

313 caves

 

 

Two sygentic caves occurs. One is the Fels ő Cave, which is a fumarole shaft in the Mandulás near the town of  Sárospatak The other cave is the Lapos Cave. It is a gasbubble cavity in the Nagy-Bekecs-kőszál near the village of Háromhuta .

The rest of the caves, numbering 309, have postgenetic origin. Several caves were developed along fault lines as a result of movement for example, Galériás Cave and the Tárház-alatti Cave in the village of Füzér. The Nehéz Through Cave near the village of Háromhuta and the Megtört Crevice in the village of Regéc were formed at intersection zones of the fissure belts.

The most significant fissure caves, the Vitrovadzira (Szél-lyuk) and Nova Vitrova dzira (Új Szél-lyuk),are to be found in Slovakia near the village of Nižná Kamenica (inHungarian Alsókémény).A connected shaft system constitutes of the caves, however the connection between them has not discovered yet.The creek has eroded the hillside whereupon the rock masses have lost theirbalance. As a consequence of that the rock masses at the creek side haveseparated from the upper part  and downcasted. Between the in situ and the downcasted rock masses a remarkable shaft – crevice system has formed.

Many other caves are the result of rock fragmentation,for example Rózsa Sándor Cave, Bárány-hegyiCave, Smirgli  Cave etc.

Several caves have been formed as consequence ofloosening along the bedding planes. These caves are for example L őállás Cave and Holyca Cave.

There are also some pseudocaves, such as Boldogk ővári Hole and Labirintus Cave.

The caves of Mount Fuló, Nagy Cave, Kis Cave and others in quartziferous rhyolite tuff are formed by alkaline solution.

Artificial cavities, called caves, are mainly former mine workings.

Speleothems occur in several caves. Notable are the 30 cm long silica stalactites in Arany Cave. GalériásCave and Smirgli Cave are nicely decorated with pisolitic silica formations.Ice cover and icicles form in the Jeges- üreg ( Ice hole) of   Telkibánya. In summer a +1°C draught of air blows from the entrance of the Úpätná jaskyňa (Huzatos-barlang).

Twenty-four caves are longer than 10 m. The followingten of them are over 20 m:

                                                             1. Nova Vitrova dzira andesite and andesiteagglomerate NižnáKamenica   402 /-60 m

                                                             2. Vitrova dzira andesite and andesite agglomerateNižná Kamenica   150 /-55 m

3..

Arany Cave

Rhyolite tuff

Tállya

50

/+2,8 m

4.

Rózsa Sándor Cave

Andesite

Regéc

45,6

/-13,9 m

5.

Regéci vár Cave

Rhyodacite

Regéc

40

/±6,5 m

6.

"Nehéz-átjáróbarlang"

Andesite

Háromhuta

31,5

/±5,9 m

7.

Iván Cave

Rhyolite

Erdőbénye

29

/2,1 m

8

Fuló-hegyi Nagy Cave

Quartziferous rhyolite tuff

Legyesbénye

24,5

/+3,3 m

9.

Rókás Cave

Andesite

Regéc

21,2

/±3,6 m

10.

Veterná diera v Malej Zabrene

Andesite

Mirkovce

20,5

/-10,5 m

 

Sixty-four caves are to be found near Regéc,66 in Fónyand 54 in Háromhuta. The total length of the 285 caves in Hungary is 1382 m.  The length of the 25 Slovakian caves totals 684 m.

The 11 listed artificial cavities are 1158 m long.

 

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