csolyospalos.hu - Geological Exposure

Territory of the protected area: about one hectare.
Location: The protected area is situated in the fields of Csólyospálos.
Visitors: Freely accessible for visitors.
Management: Directorate of the Kiskunság National Park

Visitors can closely observe a phenomenon unmatched in the world, since only a couple of places can boast of showing the formation of the meadow or lacustrian limestone and dolomite.
The formation of the lacustrian limestone is a geological specialty. While the common limestone and the dolomite develops through a long time – even in geological terms – from deposited shells of creatures of ancient seas, the meadow limestone and dolomite – though slowly – are forming continuously under favourable conditions of the environment.
The basis of the process is the water seeping upwards bringing the salt content of the ground – consisting of suitable components – to the surface (this is salinification). If this saline water is of a large territory on the surface producing periodical water-levels (alkali or /natron/ lakes) which evaporate quickly, then because of continuous drying the salt content will solidify and gets separated at the bottom of the lake. The carbonate mud shaping like that will transform into limestone and dolomite over a long time – this is called meadow or lacustrian limestone, which stretches, sometimes thicker than fifty centimeters, under the sanded surface of the Kiskunság where an alkali lake used to be for a long period.
The meadow limestone was exploited, formed and used for construction for a long time by locals. The easy to shape, yet firm lacustrian limestone was a suitable material for foundation, brick (e.g. the Kiskun Museum in Kiskunfélegyháza was built from that). It was called 'bee stone' after its porous structure – the broken fragments of organic vegetable, matter deposited from the lake onto the salt stratum, later decayed and holes remained in their place.
The exposure outside the village is an abandoned mine the limestone of which – after removing an app. fifty centimeter thick overlying layer – used to be extracted with tools.