Anthropogenic geomorphology of quarrying and mining at the Eger Model Region

Transcription

1 Anthropogenic geomorphology of quarrying and mining at the Eger Model Region Árpád Dávid Eszterházy Károly College, Department of Physical Geography and Geoinformatics; H-3300 Eger, Leányka u. 6. Abstract Man-made landforms related to quarrying and extraction of mineral oil and gas occurring at the twenty-three settlements of Eger model region have been examined by the author. During the last one hundred and fifty years more than 800 mines had been opened and cultivated at the investigated area. There are open cast quarries are dominant among them. The most significant landforms are belong into the group of excavated forms such as quarry wall, depression with a small pond, debris apron or these are accumulated forms such as waste tips. There are some drift galleries also can be seen at the territory. These are remains of ore and brown coal mining. Waste dumps of those can be recognized even today. At the southern part of the examined territory deep drilling of oil and gas exploration is carried out. Most of the above mentioned quarries are abandoned. Their utilization is unsolved yet. From the point of use of renewable energy establishment of solar-energy parks is suggested at the large stable quarry floors Keywords: anthropogenic geomorphology, quarrying, extraction of mineral oil and natural gas, renewable energy, model region Introduction Anthropogenic geomorphology is the study of the role of humans in creating landforms and modifying the operation of geomorphological processes such as weathering, erosion, transport and deposition. As the human population rises, new lands and resources are exploited, and new technologies are adopted, the impact of humans grows ever greater. Today the human agent is equal in importance to other geomorphic factors. Although the energy released by human society is insignificant compared to the endogenic forces of the Earth (tectonic movements, volcanic activity, earthquakes), human impact is not only commeasurable to the influence of exogenic processes but even surpasses their efficiency The subject of anthropogenic geomorphology is the description of the wide and everwidening range of surface landforms, extremely diverse in origin and in purpose, created by the operation of human society. As a consequence of the extraction of mineral raw materials, so-called mining landscapes have emerged since the 19th century. The spatial distribution of quarrying of aggregates, and the characteristics and classification of the resulting features are described at macro-, meso- and microscales. Quarry walls and floors and debris aprons are distinguished at almost every extraction site. The morphological components of accumulated macroforms are plateaux and slopes (accumulated mesoforms). Common excavated microforms of quarrying are rock counterforts, rock benches, out-weathered quarry columns, pinnacles and pillars. The extraction of mineral oil and natural gas also result in modification of topography in the region affected (Erdősi 1966, 1969; Gefferth 1986; Egerer - Namesánszky 1990; Dávid 1999, 2010; Karancsi 2000; Bugyi - Csima 2010; Sütő 2010; Szabó 2010).

2 Discussion The territory of the model region can be divided into two parts from geomorphological point of view. 1. The northern part is covered by the ranges of the eastern part of the Mátra Mountains and the southern part of the Bükk Mountains. 2. The southern relatively low part means transition between the Medium High Mountain Ranges and the Great Hungarian Plain. The geological built-up of the Model Region also shows significant diversity. The oldest rocks are the different Triassic age limestones at the Bükk Mountains. While the Holocene age fluvial sediments represent the youngest formations. All the three main genetic rock types occur at the territory. These mean the base of the mining and quarrying of the examined area. The following formations are/have been quarried, mined during the last 150 years and even nowadays at the model region: dacite, andesite, gabbro, diabase, wherlite, gravel, sand, sandstone, clay, kaoline, colouring earth, clay budaiföld, Triassic limestone, Eocenen limestone, dolomite, brown coal, mineral oil, mineral gas, manganese-oxyde, rhyolite tuff, rhyodacite tuff, dacite tuff, green tuff, shale (Izsó 2011). /The underlined items are mined nowadays, too./ Conclusions Due to the large diversity of geological formations open cast mining, underground mines and deep drillings occurred in the past and occur even nowadays in great abundance. The distribution and number of mines according to their present state is shown by Table 1. Table 1: Distribution and number of mines of the model region according to their present state Cultivated Abandoned Total Open cast mining Underground mines Deep drillings The occurrence of quarries is dominant at the northern part of the model region. Different kind of igneous rocks have been quarried there. Drift galleries are deepened into ore containing formations and coal bearing sediments also can be found at the hilly region of the area. The open cast mines different kind of volcanic tuffs, gravel, sand and clays are characteristic to the middle and southern part of the region. Deep drillings, oil wells can be observed at the southern part of the territory (Table 2.).

3 Table 2: Rocks and raw materials and the state of the mines at certain settlements of the model region Settlement Material Activity Form Andornaktálya Bogács Bükkzsérc Cserépfalu State cultivated/abandoned rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/2 dacite E quarry 1/0 andesite E quarry 0/1 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/1 dacite tuff E quarry 1/0 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/1 triassic limestone E quarry 0/1 shale E quarry 0/1 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/3 triassic limestone E quarry 0/3 Cserépváralja andesite E quarry 0/1 Demjén Eger Egerbakta colouring earth E open pit 0/1 rhyolite tuff E quarry 2/6 oil P deep drilling 20/618 2 clay E open pit 0/2 kaoline E open pit 0/1 clay budaiföld E open pit 0/1 rhyolite tuff E quarry 2/5 7 green tuff E quarry 0/1 triassic limestone E quarry 1/1 eocene limestone E quarry 0/1 manganese E drift gallery 0/1 diabase E quarry 1/1 sandstone E quarry 0/1 tuff E quarry 0/1 dacite tuff E quarry 0/3 browncoal E + A shaft 0/5

4 Egerszalók Egerszólát Feldebrő Felsőtárkány Kerecsend Maklár dacite tuff E quarry 0/2 sand E open pit 1/3 triassic limestone E quarry 0/3 triassic limestone ( Felsőtárkány Marble ) E quarry 0/1 dolomite E quarry 0/1 shale E quarry 0/3 gravel E open pit 1/2 sand E open pit 0/3 clay E open pit 0/2 clay E open pit 0/3 Noszvaj gravel E open pit 1/1 Novaj Ostoros Sirok Szarvaskő dacite E quarry 0/2 sand E open pit 0/2 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/2 gravel E open pit 0/2 sand E open pit 0/2 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/3 limestone E quarry 0/1 diabase E quarry 0/1 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/5 dacite tuff E quarry 0/3 limestone E quarry 0/1 gabbro E quarry 0/3 diabase E quarry 0/3 wehrlit E drift gallery 0/1 sandstone E quarry 0/1 limestone E quarry 0/1 browncoal E + A shaft 0/12 shale E quarry 0/1

5 Szomolya iron ore E drift gallery 0/1 gravel E open pit 0/2 sand E open pit 0/2 rhyolite tuff E quarry 0/6 dacite tuff E quarry 0/2 Tarnaszentmária andesite E quarry 0/2 dacite tuff E quarry 1/5 Verpelét andesite E quarry 0/1 sand E open pit 1/2 white-tuff E quarry 0/1 dacite tuff E quarry 0/3 Legend: E = excavated form; A = accumulated form; P = planation Since the majority of the mines are quarries or open cast mines the most frequent and significant anthropogenic geomorphological phenomena can be bound to them. Excavated mesoforms such as quarry wall, debris apron, quarry floor and accumulated macroforms such as mine dumps are the dominant anthropogenic landforms. In the environment of deep drillings plain surface had been formed. Most of the above mentioned quarries and mines are abandoned, their cultivation had been finished. Their utilization is unsolved yet. According to our examinations the quarry floor of rhyolite tuff mines at the vicinity of Noszvaj, Andornaktálya and Eger would have been ideal place to establish solar-energy parks there. Acknowledgements This research have been supported by TÁMOP A-11/KONV project. References Dávid L (1999) Antropogén hatások a tájban a Mátra déli területein (Anthropogenic impact on the landscape in the Southern Mátra Mountains). In: Füleky Gy. (ed.): 2. Tájtörténeti Tudományos Konferencia: A táj változásai a Kárpát-medencében/. Konferenciakiadvány. Gödöllő Dávid, L. (2010) Quarrying and Other Minerals. In: J. Szabó et al. (eds.), Anthropogenic Geomorphology, DOI / _9, C _ Springer Science+Business Media B.V Egerer F, Namesánszky K (1990) Magyarország meddőhányóinak katasztere (A cadaster of the waste tips in Hungary). Miskolci Egyetem, Miskolc Erdősi F (1966) A bányászat felszínformáló jelentősége (The relevance of mining in surface evolution). Földr Közl 90 (4): Erdősi F (1969) Az antropogén geomorfológia mint új földrajzi tudományág (Anthropogenic geomorphology as a new discipline of geography). Földr Közl 93 (1): Gefferth K (1986) A meddőhányók és bányatavak hasznosításának lehetőségei és gondjai (Possibilities and difficulties of the use of waste tips and mine ponds). Bány Koh Lapok 119 (3): Izsó, I. (2011) A Miskolci Bányakapitányság kerületének bányaipara, Közhasznú Alapítvány a Borsodi Bányász Hagyományokért, Miskolc, Karancsi Z (2000) A kőbányászat során kialakult felszínformák tipizálása (Classification of Landforms Resultant from Quarrying). In: A táj és az ember geográfus szemmel

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