There are more than 6200 caves including shorter caves of overhang character and Karst territories cover more than 2700 sq.km in Slovakia.
The majority of registered caves is in the Slovak Karst, Low Tatras and Spiš-Gemer Karst (Slovak Paradise, Murán Plateau), Greater Fatra, Western, High and Belianske Tatras.
Our caves are mostly formed in Mesozoic Middle Triassic Limestones, less in travertines and sporadically in other less soluble rocks.
More than 180 caves are formed in non-karst rocks (andesites, basalts and their volcanoclastics, sandstones, quartzites, shales, quartz).
Cave Dudlavá skala, Low Tatras
The cave Dudlavá skala is the last remainder of the old cave system which has two outlets in the western slope of a hill of an equal name.
The outline of the cave as well as its position are marked on plan below.
The lenght of the cave between its 2 entrances is approximatelly 30 metres.
The hill Dudlavá skala (894m ASL) rises from the Pohorelá basin which divides the Murán Karst from the Low Tatras lying more to the north (Group of Králova hola).
The foot of the Low Tatras for the most part is covered with a mantle of proluvial gravels which cover also the Sumiac karst area. A few hills rise above the cover.
There are three exposures in the cave altogether. The traverse exposure B (in the northern entrance) together with a longitudinal exposure situated before the portal (A)
and a profile C was excavated before the southern entrance.
The cave is significant from
paleontological point of view - the most important findings are
mollusca.
In some layers they occur quite abundantly and have been well preserved.
On the other hand, osteological and paleobotanical findings are scarce and may be considered only a supplement to malacological findings.
Slovak
Dudlavá skala predstavuje torzo stareho jaskynneho systemu, ktory ma dva vchody na zapadnom svahu rovnomenneho kopca (kota 894),
asi 3 kilometre na zapad od obce Sumiac v okrese Brezno. Hlavny vchod do jaskyne ma podobu klenuteho priestranneho obluku, ktory tvori zaver nehlbokeho skalneho amfiteatra, ktoreho os smeruje kolmo na Dudlavsky potok, obtekajuci zo severu a z vychodu vrch Dudlava skala.
Hlavny vchod je teda otoceny zhruba na sever. Vstupny priestor je spociatku vysoky a siroky, no uz o par metrov dovnutra sa vyrazne zuzuje a znizuje a prechadza v tzv. plazivku.
Ta vyustuje pomerne uzkym a sedimentmi zaplnenym vchodom v juhozapadnej stene nizkeho skalneho ostrohu, v ktorom je jaskyna vyhlbena.
Dlzka jaskyne medzi tymito dvomi vchodmi je priblizne 30 metrov.
Vo vyplni Dudlavej skaly sa v najvacsej miere zachovali skameneliny makkysov, cim sa jaskyna stala vyznamnym paleontologickym naleziskom.
Access
It is best to park your car up in the middle of small settlement Valkovna, near abandoned church.
Take a hike via forest road to north-east and then accross large meadows towards grove behind shallow valley.
Once you'll cross the stream, continue to lonely houses at the edge of the forest.
Use your GPS to navigate in front of the cave at the bottom of western slope of the hill.
You can check and download GPS tracklog, Dudlavá skala cave entrance is off the marked trails and path is barely visible.
More pictures from our hike can be found on my Flickr account.
Be respectful to nature and leave no trace!
Map
You can view (or print) hiking map of the area from wandermap.net or mapy.hiking.sk, or download the tracklog.
Gallery
Other references
sources: Stratigrafický výzkum jeskyne Dudlavá skala, own visit and photos