Vertebrate remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Ajka Coal Formation,western Hungary

Vertebrate remains from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Ajka Coal Formation (Bakony Mountains, western Hungary) are described. Macro- and microfossils collected from two boreholes and from isolated chunks of sediment/matrix dumped on spoil heaps of the Jókai Mine represent pycnodontiform and lepisosteiform fishes, bothremydid turtles, the mosasauroid Pannoniasaurus inexpectatus, the crocodyliforms cf. Theriosuchus, Iharkutosuchus makadii and cf. Allodaposuchus, as well as ankylosaurian and theropod dinosaurs. This unit was deposited in a swampy lacustrine environment, in contrast with the neighbouring and contemporaneous floodplain deposit of the vertebrate-bearing Csehbánya Formation at Iharkút. Despite significant environmental differences, the faunal composition of the Ajka Coal Formation assemblage completely overlaps with that of the Csehbánya Formation, suggesting the occurrence of the same semi-aquatic and terrestrial species in both settings. The ankylosaurian remains further strengthen the previous view that ankylosaurus preferred wetland habitats such as fluvial systems and coastal regions.     

Exploring earth system governance: A case study of floodplain management along the Tisza river in Hungary

This paper discusses a recently proposed conceptualisation of ‘earth system governance’ by applying it to floodplain management in the Hungarian Tisza river basin. By doing so it aims to improve our understanding of governance systems facilitating adaptation to a changing world. The conceptualisation of earth system governance consists of three elements: problem structure, principles and research challenges. These three elements are assessed using results from actor interviews and policy review. A regional example of natural resources management is found to be a valid case for earth system governance research. The proposed conceptualisation of earth system governance explains well the main problems, barriers and opportunities for adapting floodplain management to climate change in the Tisza region. Problem structure analysis highlights how previous socio-economic and political orders continue to shape expectations and patterns of conduct. Current barriers can be attributed to a lack of the key governance principles credibility, stability, inclusiveness and adaptiveness. Interviewees perceived the lack of credibility and effective cooperation between organisations as the largest barrier. The research challenges proposed for earth system governance agree well with opportunities identified for adapting Tisza floodplain management, calling for inclusion of actors beyond governments and state agencies, and equitable resource allocation in particular. The analysis suggests that an additional challenge for earth system governance is the prioritisation of actions to support an existing governance system and its actors in adapting.     

Investigation of the hydrogeochemistry of some bottled mineral waters in Hungary

Bottled drinking water constitutes a significant part of total water consumption in developed countries and national and EU legislation regulates their market production. In the framework of an international project carried out by the EuroGeoSurveys Geochemistry Expert Group 36 bottled waters were obtained from public markets in Hungary in order to determine their hydrogeochemical composition. The objective of this study is to investigate the possible relationship between groundwater aquifer lithology and the processed and marketed bottled waters, and to develop a classification of bottled waters, based on their dissolved mineral content. Analytical results of this study are compared with the composition shown on bottle labels, and with archive hydrochemical data from the producing wells. Results show that, while processing of original groundwater, such as oxygen addition, iron or hydrogen-sulphide removal can significantly alter water composition, bottled water composition can be used for selection of sites for detailed hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological characterization. A simple and useful classification of bottled water quality is also presented that is based on natural groups of sampled waters derived by means of statistical data analysis methods.     

Speleogenetic history of the Hungarian hydrothermal karst

The hydrothermal karst of Hungary displays at least two principal stages of development in two differing environments. Caves of an early stage were formed within a deep zone of low thermal gradient. These caves (vugs) are small (tens of centimeters) and lined with scalenohedral crystals of calcite that are often in association with barite. Calcite yields fluid inclusion temperatures of 55–95°C and is depleted in¹⁸O (–11.2 to –17.6 per mil PDB). The caves were formed by ascending thermal waters charged with CO₂. Solubility of CaCO₃ in such a system gradually increases with the ascent of the fluid (solutional zone) but drops sharply at a depth of –250 m to –500 m below the water surface (depositional zone). Caves formed in the solutional zone may be shifted into the depositional zone due to tectonic uplift, and calcite lines their walls. Large caves (tens to thousands of cubic meters) of a late stage were formed within a shallow zone of high thermal gradient immediately below and above the thermal water table. The calcite of the phreatic crusts has a rhombohedral habit, displays lower fluid inclusion temperatures (35–55°C and less), and a depletion in¹⁸O of –9.5 to –14.6 per mil PDB. Several powerful cave-forming processes may operate there including convection, mixing/cooling corrosion, and condensation corrosion. Due to differences in the rate of tectonic uplift, rate of hydrothermal system decay, and hydrogeologic pattern, these caves were either filled with water for a long period of time (phreatic calcite crusts are formed) or partly dewatered early in their history (waterline and subaerial speleothems are formed). The zones of thermal cave formation recognized in Hungary may have a universal character. Very similar features are found in other hydrothermal karst areas of the world (Kirghizia, Algeria, South Dakota).     

Mobilization and attenuation of metals downstream from a base-metal mining site in the Mátra Mountains, northeastern Hungary

Regional geochemical baseline values have been established for Hungary by the use of low-density stream-sediment surveys of flood-plain deposits of large drainage basins and of the fine fraction of stream sediments. The baseline values and anomaly thresholds thus produced helped to evaluate the importance of high toxic element concentrations found in soils in a valley downstream of a polymetallic vein-type base-metal mine. Erosion of the mine dumps and flotation dump, losses of metals during filtering, storage and transportation, human neglects, and operational breakdowns, have all contributed to the contamination of a small catchment basin in a procession of releases of solid waste. The sulfide-rich waste material weathers to a yellow color; this layer of `yellow sand' blankets a narrow strip of the floodplain of Toka Creek in the valley near the town of Gyöngyösoroszi. Contamination was spread out in the valley by floods. Metals present in the yellow sand include Pb, As, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Sb. Exposure of the local population to these metals may occur through inhalation of airborne particulates or by ingestion of these metals that are taken up by crops grown in the valley. To evaluate the areal extent and depth of the contamination, active stream sediment, flood-plain deposits, lake or reservoir sediments, soils, and surface water were sampled along the erosion pathways downstream of the mine and dumps. The flood-plain profile was sampled in detail to see the vertical distribution of elements and to relate the metal concentrations to the sedimentation and contamination histories of the flood plain. Downward migration of mobile Zn and Cd from the contaminated upper layers under supergene conditions is observed, while vertical migration of Pb, As, Hg and Sb appears to be insignificant. Soil profiles of ¹³⁷Cs which originated from above-ground atomic bomb tests and the Chernobyl accident, provide good evidence that the upper 30–40 cm of the flood-plain sections, which includes the yellow sand contamination, were deposited in the last 30–40 years.     

Introduction of the mining royalty system in Hungary

The new mining act that becarne effective in Hungary in 1993 instituted the payment of royalties for the minerals produced and sold annually. To arrive at the amount of mineral production, the Hungarian Geological Survey (HGS) conducts the National Inventory, which is used by the Mining Bureau of Hungary (MBH) to verify the mining royalty payment obligations. This paper explains the major legal requirements for the mining royalties and how the values of the minerals are calculated. It also describes the first experience with the declaration and payment of the mining royalties and provides the declared and paid 1995 royalties. The Mining Bureau of Hungary reports on the introduction of the mining royalty system that became effective with the Mining Act in 1993. This article is sponsored by the U.S. Hungarian Science and Technology Joint Fund under Project Joint Fund Number 539.     

Sulphur and carbon isotopic composition of power supply coals in the Pannonian Basin, Hungary

The present work is an attempt to establish the stable isotope database for Mesozoic to Tertiary coals from the Pannonian Basin, Hungary. Maceral composition, proximate analysis, sulphur form, sulphur isotopes (organic and pyritic), and carbon isotopes were determined. This database supports the assessment of the environmental risks associated with energy generation, the characterization of the formation and the distribution of sulphur in the coals used.The maceral composition, the sulphur composition, the C, S isotopic signatures, and some of the geological evidences published earlier show that the majority of these coals were deposited in freshwater and brackish water environments, despite the relatively high average sulphur content. However, the Upper Cretaceous, Eocene, and Lower Miocene formations also contain coal seams of marine origin, as indicated by their maceral composition and sulphur and carbon chemistry.The majority of the sulphur in these coals occurs in the organic form. All studied sulphur phases are relatively rich in ³⁴S isotopes (δ³⁴S_organic = + 12.74‰, δ³⁴S_pyrite = + 10.06‰, on average). This indicates that marine bacterial sulphate reduction played a minor role in their formation, in the sense that isotopic fractionation was limited. It seems that the interstitial spaces of the peat closed rapidly during early diagenesis due to a regime of high depositional rate, leading to a relative enrichment of the heavy sulphur isotopes.     

Rural restructuring in Hungary in the period of socio-economic transition

Rural settlements in Hungary account for 93% of all settlements and 37% of the country's population. Since 1989 they are scenes of spectacular changes. Based on some case studies of less developed villages this paper considers the most important characteristics of the post-socialist rural transformation by examining the local economy and living conditions. The main issues are how local actors (for example, economic corporations, households and individuals) have been affected by the interaction of supralocal and local factors and how they responded to them. Such responses can be considered to be manifestations of survival strategy.     

Rule‐based Integration of Remotely‐sensed Data and GIS for Land Cover Mapping in NE Costa Rica

Abstract

A classification method was developed for mapping land cover in NE Costa Rica at a regional scale for spatial input to a biogeochemical model (CENTURY). To distinguish heterogeneous cover types, unsupervised classifications of Landsat Thematic Mapper data were combined with ancillary and derived data in an iterative process. Spectral classes corresponding to ground control types were segregated into a storage raster while ambiguous pixels were passed through a set of rules to the next stage of processing. Feature sets were used at each step to help sort spectral classes into land cover classes. The process enabled different feature sets to be used for different types while recognizing that spectral classification alone was not sufficient for separating cover types that were defined by heterogeneity. Spectral data included the TM reflective bands, principal components and the NDVI. Ancillary data included GIS coverages of swamp extents, banana plantation boundaries and river courses. Derived data included neighborhood variety and majority measures that captured texture. The final map depicts 18 land cover types and captures the general patterns found in the region. Some confusion still exists between closely related types such as pasture with different amounts of tree cover.