Geological history of the Strázsa Hill and Sátorkőpuszta Cave (near Esztergom, Hungary)

Abstract

In the Dachstein Limestone of the Strázsa Hül (which includes the cave) little pits had already evolved
in the Cretaceous and these were fiiled with red dripstone matériái. The eroded form of this matériái can
be found at the levél of the cave, near an open fault line. During the course of the most recent karstic
process new pits occured in the Eocene, in the Middle Eocene transgression these were füled with tha
siliciclastic sandstone of the Tokod Formation and concurrently with calcite veins. It was probably during
the Late Eocene - Middle Miocéné volcanic activation that the system of boxwork fission cracks and the
filling of calcitic dikes occured. Slightly later there appeared the pyrite-calcite-barite veins which cut
trough this system. In the zone of the boxwork the Hall of Benedek Endre is a "consequence" pit. Later
this pit was fiiled with Oligocene matériái. The filling matériái was covered by dripstone and dolomité
layers. Botryoids developed on these layers and these were then covered by gypsum layers. The
evaporation of the temperate karstic water slacked the system of the channels and solution packets
during the cold period of the Pleistocene. This procedure took place in two phases with the growth of
the botryids and the precipitation of the gypsum layer. The disolved carbonate built up the dripstones
of the lower levels.