A COMPARISON OF THE GENETIC SHAFT TYPES OF SOME KARST AREAS BASED ON THEIR SPECIFIC SHAFT LENGTHS

Shaft development can be documented on the basis of comparative studies of specific shaft lengths and shaft patterns. We calculated the specific length of shafts and the average specific shaft length of the shafts in some karst areas and we investigated the relation between the altitude of shaft floors and the specific shaft length. Taking the registered specific shaft lengths and the shaft patterns into consideration, it can be stated that some parts of the shafts developed paragenetically in the studied karst areas. In the Bakony Region, this was caused by surface water influx, rise of karst water level, and their simultaneous effect. As a result, shaft systems, bifurcating shafts and storeyed shafts developed. On glaciokarst areas, shafts may constitute a system with phreatic passages: either because a phreatic envi ronment developed in the vadose zone due to the permanent impoundment of karst water or because a phreatic passage got into the vadose zone since the karst became elevated. On the studied karst areas, the following shaft development types are distinguished: glacial-high mountain surface flood development type (1), glacial-high mountain karst water and surface flood development type (2), glacial karst water and surface flood later phreatic development type (3), shaft with a passage that got into the vadose zone (4).