Discovering the "Hungarian Cappadocia"

Itinerary:

• We start from the parking lot heading north on the P+ trail. Our path curves from the meadow into the forest, and with a slight ascent we reach the famous riolittufa formation.
• We continue on the P+ trail: at the forest rest area we turn sharply left, then reach the Aranyosi spring through a beautiful oak forest.
• A few steps above the spring, we make a short detour in the direction indicated by the information board to the also very spectacular erosional loess surface.
• We still follow the P+ trail, which eventually joins the P trail. Here we turn left and follow the P trail to the village main street.
• On the main street, we turn left and walk back to the parking lot on the P+ trail.

The detailed description of the tour:

Near Salgótarján, we find the village of Kazár, once known for its coal mining and folk art. After the tour, it is definitely worth counting on the rich sights of the settlement proud of its traditions. Besides the main museums and exhibitions (Palóc museum yard, Craftsmen's house, Open-air museum, and mining exhibition), the village also offers a matchbox label exhibition, iron museum, Palóc gallery, and doll collection. However, the main attraction and the destination of our tour is one of the carefully preserved geotouristic attractions of the Novohrad-Nógrád Geopark, the riolittufa formation famous far and wide, often referred to as the Hungarian "Cappadocia", which, as we will see, is not entirely unfounded.

World sensation in the forest

The short circular route starts at the eastern end of the village, from a parking lot marked with a sign, from where about 1.5 kilometers away we find the rare geological spectacle. The P+ trail first passes next to a meadow, then turns into the forest and crosses the often marshy Pólyos valley, to start climbing up the hill on the other side. Soon the large whiteness appears on the left: we have arrived at the vegetation-free, riolittufa-covered, deeply furrowed so-called badland. First, let's take in this truly extraordinary place from the top: it is like looking at a high mountain from above, from space, while leaning closer we can see the erosion micro-surfaces that look sometimes like cauliflower, other times like candle structures. Let's examine where we are and what makes this place so special!

The grayish-white riolittufa is a less resistant rock that, when it reaches the surface, is easily destroyed by external forces, especially precipitation. We can witness this here. Although it is now hard to determine whether this formation came to the surface naturally or due to human impact, it does not really matter. The use of the term badland is justified; originally geographers used it to describe erosion forms in dry and semi-dry areas rich in clay and sand without vegetation and soil cover, where precipitation creates a network of densely furrowed erosion rills – which also rapidly deepen and change, just like what we see before us. Over time, erosional valleys deepen, ridges become narrower, and even caves and stone gates can form.

Looking from above on the right side of the formation, there is a path where we can carefully descend inside, but be prepared that some climbing skills will be needed. We really need to be cautious because the clay surface is deceptively slippery. At the bottom of the riolittufa formation, one can partly feel as if being on another planet and also see the stream disappearing deep underground. From the information boards of the Novohrad-Nógrád Geopark down here, we can learn even more interesting facts.

To understand the geological formation's origin, let's take a little time travel! About 19-20 million years ago, volcanism began in the zone where the European and African tectonic plates meet, along the so-called Central Hungarian tectonic zone, initially in a real "fireworks" form. The Miocene volcanism may have been one of the most spectacular events in the wider geographical development history of our region because acid magmas, rich in gas and water content, caused violent explosive eruptions. The volcanic ash, dust, and pumice that flew into the air cemented over millions of years into the riolittufa, which is found with an average thickness of 40-60 m all over the Northern Central Mountains. Most probably, this is the scattered material of the volcanic eruptions of the Mátra volcanic area seen here above Kazár.

The geological and landscape value of the Kazár badland is significantly enhanced by the fact that similar badlands are very rare in Central Europe because continuous vegetation limits the formation of erosional features. Worldwide, only a dozen similar places can be found (among them Cappadocia is one of the best known, but a similar, smaller riolittufa formation can also be found near Rákóczibánya nearby).

A lost csevice and the no less spectacular erosional loess surface

Few people know that above Kazár we can also find another spectacular erosional surface, whose origin we follow. We continue on the P+ trail, pass a nice forest rest area, then through a spectacular oak forest reach the next stop, the Aranyosi spring. The low-flow water source was once enclosed to supply water to the nearby plain, but now, due to lack of use, the source is clogged and we cannot drink from it. A pity, because as a post-volcanic effect, CO2 also reaches the surface with the water, giving the water a peculiar sour taste (such sour-tasting water is called 'csevice' by the Palóc people – mainly found in the Mátra).

A few steps away, an information board draws attention to the spectacular erosional loess surface, which we can explore with a short detour behind the board. The hillside above the spring is covered with several meters thick loess, and the rushing precipitation water has created a spectacular valley network with vertical walls in this Ice Age-origin, wind-transported dust-deposited, fine-grained, carbonate-binding, soft rock.

After admiring this spectacular site hidden deep in the forest, we return to the village with a pleasant walk. The P+ trail joins the P trail, which we follow turning left to soon exit the forest and reach the upper edge of the meadow touched at the beginning of our tour, arriving back at Kazár. At the end of our path, rich in geological sights, on the side of the dirt road, we can also check out a geological reference section known mainly for the remains of heart cockle (Cardium) and 'goat's foot' (Congeria) fossils as a farewell. Turning left at Kazár main street, after a few hundred meters we reach the parking lot again.