by GÉZA HÁMOR
The history of the Geological Survey can be divided into four periods: until 1957 it is charac
terized by the development of new construc
tions of the Hungarian geological life after the 2nd World War, and social re-organization; be
tween 1958 and 1969 by renewal and develop
ment; between 1970 and 1978 partly by inten
sified work and partly by extensive develop
ment; and between 1979 and 1991 by the evalua
tion of the results, their publication and multi
faceted modernization.
We try to introduce these periods in the framework of the external effects, the develop
ment and success of the concepts, the appear
ance of new principles, and, primarily, the re
sults.
PERIOD OF NEW CONSTRUCTIONS (1949-1958)
The first part of this period (until 1954) was characterized by unadvised raw-material pro
specting, in which territories and aims were changing from time to time, and which didn't have suitable professional and financial founda
tions. The reason was the serious lack of raw- materials after the 2nd World War, the change in raw-material sites due to the new borders of the country, and the forced change in heavy in
dustry, energy-production and centralized economic life. The heavy-industry and mining- oriented work of the Geological Survey, which lasted until the mid seventies, with its all advantages and disadvantages, dates back to this time.
The main task of the Geological Survey was intensified raw-material prospecting. The ur
gent problems of the reconstruction required practical research in the Survey, as stated by Szalai, T. (1952a). The dual administration (the geological and mining branches belonged to the Ministry of Industry, whereas the agrogeologi- ca! branches belonged to the Ministry of Agri
culture), then the change in the levels of direc
tion (Geological and Mining Center of the Min
istry of Industry, Geological Department of the Ministry of Mining and Energy, Geological Management of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, Hungarian Geological Authority), and the frequent changes of directors (Tibor Szalai, Gyula Vigh, Sándor Vitális, László Majzon, Jenő Noszky, Kálmán Balogh, Jenő Noszky, Miklós Kretzoi) made it impossible to spell out the basic tasks of the Survey or to do effective work, even though many talented geologists worked in the Geological Survey at that time.
Geological mapping touched the bottom; local geological mapping, based on individual ideas, was performed during raw-material prospect
ing on 5 sites in 1949 and on 121 sites in 1952.
At the same time, more than 30 different raw- material sites (9 in 1949 and 65 in 1953) had to be cadastrally surveyed and evaluated. This work was done by 18 and 70 geologists, respec
tively, so the survey was frittered away; it was unsuitable for publications and had only pro forma results.
The difficulties increased with the frequent internal and external re-organizations. In 1949 the Survey parted with the Soil Science Depart
ment. Between 1950 and 1953 it had to give scientists to the OFKFV (i.e. Mining Research
and Deep Drilling National Company), to the coal, iron and ore-mineral mining geological branches, to MASZOBAL (i.e. Hungarian-Soviet Bauxite and Aluminium Company), MASZOLAJ (i.e. Hungarian-Soviet Oil Company), FTV (i.e.
Geodesical and Soil Mechanical Company), and sometimes to the highest authorities (21 geolo
gists and 21 technicians). This brain drain, and the 30 year-long interruption of agrogeologica!
research wasn't compensated by the "Peat Re
searching Group", transplanted from the Minis
try of Agriculture, nor by the employment of freshly graduated young geologists from Eötvös Loránd University, where Prof. Elemér Vadász started geologic courses.
However, despite these serious difficulties, some conceptual and organizational decisions of this period still influence the present life of the Survey, directly or indirectly.
Besides the obligatory organization of local and industrial Geological Services, Vitális, S.
(1950) regarded the nation-wide, centralized ge
ological research and systematic geologic map
ping, as the 3rd most important task of the Sur
vey, which took into account all the require
ments of industry and agriculture. The (name
less) Report of the Director in 1951 [see as igaz
gatói) 1953 among the References] emphasizes that Hungary needs a nation-wide multidimen
sional survey, based on industrial and agricul
tural requirements, and not experts' opinions.
He had the same ideas about raw-material pro
specting; he considered consulting and data re
cording as the main task of the Survey.
The geological mapping of the low-land areas started, supported by shallow drilling and cadastral survey of groundwaters. This work continued at a changing rate, but after 30 years finally had excellent results. There were some attempts at the hydrogeological establishment of water supply for big organizations and re
gions, for the multifaceted investigation of karst-water (1950), rather than just minor hy
drological consulting and permits for well drilling. The results of this period are the begin
ning of radioactive raw-material prospecting (1948-1949) and the establishment of engineer
ing geology (1948). Later the Survey joined the work of the Budapest underground railway net
work (1952), made the hydrogeological assess
ment of the power stations along the Danube (1953), established the Geological Database (based mainly on the data of the mining and other surveys that came out during nationaliza
tion), and compiled the first review of the geo
logical technical literature (1949). Some new de
partments were also established: Department of Engineering Geology (1948), Department of Petrology (1948), Laboratory of Sedimentary Rocks (1950), DTA Laboratory (1951), Depart
ment of Inventory (1950). The latter worked out the first cadastral raw-material statement of the country (according to the situation of 1st January 1953). Joining the geological survey on the low-land areas (1951), palynological re
search started (1950). The Department of Laboratory Investigations (not the Department of Paleontology) began the determination of forams and ostracods.
The worst year was 1953. After the libel action and arrest of Sándor Vitális, the establishment of the Hungarian Geological Authority (1953), and the previously mentioned growth of projects, the (nameless) Report of the Director in 1953 [see as I gazgatósági) 1954 among the References] is satisfied with the "suppressed" and "decreased"
work of the groundwater and artesian well net
work all over the country, geological mapping, and Quaternary research on the Great Hungar
ian Plain, and organization of collections, in the interest of practical, every-day surveying.
During the drastic re-organizations, there was only one department of geological mapping, a paleontologic laboratory, the museum and two other laboratories, in addition to the six depart
ments of raw-material prospecting.
The forthcoming more pleasant periods are reflected in that Report of the Director, in which he desires that the Survey could "do its own tasks". The encouraging development of hy
drogeological work started [short-lived Depart
ment of Karst Hydrogeology, orders of OVF-VI
TUKI (i.e. National Water Management Author
ity and Water Resources Research Centre, re
spectively) for national cadastral survey of soil- groundwater], which was soon followed by its separation from the Survey. Cooperation with the University started during geological map
ping in the Gerecse Mts, possibly because of the lack of specialists. Geological mapping in the Mecsek and Buda Mts also started at that time.
A four-month long course was organized for technicians, and the first appointments, based on scientific qualifications were made (2 Academy Doctors, 11 "Candidates"), which im
proved the education of the staff.
The flurried and confused work, focused on raw-material prospecting, finally showed the lack of scientific basics. Compilation of all the former data on geological maps at a uniform
Fig. 1. Publishing activity of the Hungarian Geological Survey (1949-1991)
1. Total number of publications (maps, explanation volumes for the maps, monographs, publications, reports), 2. Separate volumes, booklets, 3. Maps A: Number of pieces, B: Year
1:25 000 scale was a good initiative. Some of these maps are still used today by some institu
tions for those areas where no new mapping was carried out or no other data were pub
lished. These maps were also profitable, when the national geological map of Hungary at 1:300 000 scale, and some other maps at 1:200 000 scale were edited. A positive change was the establishment of the Palaeontological and Chemical Departments, which were only groups before, and the declaration of the Hungarian Geological Database.
The few publications of the Survey are shown in diagrams of Figs. 1, 2. The number of reports about geological mapping, stratigraphy and even raw-material prospecting decreased. A slight increase can be observed in the number of
paleontologic reports, because of the above mentioned principles. The total number of pub
lications in the Survey between 1949 and 1958 is shown in Fig. 1, too; where the line of achieve
ments stagnates at a very low level. An out
standing result of this period was the editing of a covered geological map of the Bakony Mts at 1:25 000 scale, which was compiled from earlier documents (the so called "bauxite map"), and the geological map of Hungary at 1:300 000 scale, which reflected the knowledge about the geology of the country at that time. An impor
tant result was the recognition of the genesis of the manganese deposits in the Bakony Mts (1954), and the beginning of palynological re
search (Quaternary in 1952, other sediments in 1954).
The contradictions of this period, which was unsuitable for creative work, are reflected in the rate of publications compared to the number of researchers and technicians: in 1945 31 geolo
gists and 42 technicians worked in the Survey, while in 1953 this rate was 104:181.
At the end of this period, the revolution in 1956 made geologic research impossible. Some specialists emigrated, and the staff was re
stocked with young geologists who got their degrees in 1955-56. The unfinished research projects all became fruitless work.
PERIOD OF RENEWAL (1958-1969) This period was very important in the latest history of the Survey. Despite the financial, or
ganizational and personnel problems, a gran
diose conception developed, which possessed sufficient tasks, methods, organization and staff. It resulted in systematic and intensified basic research, alignment with European stand
ards, geological mapping, methodological re
search, and the beginning of syntheses of the re
sults and their publication.
The historical antecedent of this development was the realization by the Hungarian Geological Authority of the importance of long-term plan
ning for geological research and the significance of expertise. It established the Geological Coun
cil, clarified the principles of geological research together with the best experts, and graded the prospecting areas from an economic perspective (1955). The development of this process was delayed by the events of the 1956 revolution, but the programs were prepared in 1957. Pro
fessional discussions were mainly about the re
search methods for the investigated areas, about the rate of laboratory investigations and ques
tions of organization.
The most important external event that in
fluenced the Survey was the re-organization of OFF (i.e. Hungarian Geological Authority) in 1962, which belonged further to the Council of Ministers and was called the Central Office of Geology. The "Credit for Prospective Research", which was controlled by the Survey since 1966, and the short-lived "New Economic Mecha
nism" in the sixties had a brightening effect, which increased demand and released the re
striction on the number of staff.
The aims of the new director of the Survey (József Fülöp) were: concentrated research on certain localities, the fortification of laboratory
investigations, and the modernization of docu
mentation in the framework of equal units of analysis-synthesis and publication. As a basic scientific method, he advanced long-term, or
ganized research and publication of comprehen
sive monographs about certain areas. The struc
ture of the Survey was built up of departments, according to research areas and specialists, who had a close relationship with the field-work ge
ologists. The large-scale research projects all over the country (hydrogeology, map editing, database, library, museum) had their own de
partments. Development of the organization was marked by the establishment of major de
partments in 1965 (geological mapping, labora
tory investigations, documentation). The Geo
chemical Department (1963) developed from some groups in the Geophysical Institute and from some researchers in the Geological Survey.
The laboratory of OFKVF (i.e. Mining Research and Deep Drilling National Company) at Vár
palota has belonged to the Geological Survey since 1964. Because of the crowded central building in Budapest, further settlements and laboratories were constituted in the country, too (sedimentology at Szolnok, rock physics at Pécs-Vasas, soil mechanics at Balatonfüred, stores of rock samples and cores at Rákóczi- telep, Szolnok, Pécs-Vasas and Szépvízér, and local research bases at Nagyirtás-puszta and Sárospatak).
Extensive research has been done on some outstandingly important areas, concerning geo
logical mapping and raw-material prospecting in the eastern Mecsek Mts (coal, lignite, uranium), in the northern Bakony Mts (bauxite, manganese, brown coal), in the Dorog basin (brown coal), in the Mátra Mts (ore minerals), in the Tokaj Mts (different mineral resources) and on the Great Hungarian Plain (hydrogeology, agriculture, construction raw-materials). Field
work geologists, as well as specialists of miner
alogy, petrology and paleontology focused their research on certain geological times and loca
tions, and this comprehensive work, after the preparation in 1957, emerged in 1958.
The novelty and international uniqueness of this grandiose work is represented by the fol
lowing:
- profound preparation (evaluation of all the previous data of mapping and literature);
- geologic mapping, according to continuous sections in a regular network at a detailed scale (1:10 000 and 1:25 000 in the mountain areas, 1:100 000 in the low-land areas);
- detailed field-work and data recording, supported by artificial outcrops, shallow and deep drilling, later by geophysical methods (1963), systematic evaluation of satellite and aerial photographs (1968), and finally by agri
cultural, engineering-geological, hydrogeologi
cal, raw-material prospecting, and environmen
tal-geological data;
- wide-ranging laboratory investigations of numerous samples, which could support sui
table stratigraphic, structural, magmatic, genetic and applied geological models as well as facies distribution;
- separation of objective field-work data, which can be documented, and subjective ele
ments during the editorial work in 2-21 ver
sions of the same scale and publication;
- preservation of rock samples and cores for possible reproduction of the whole research, and for further special investigations.
The simultaneous success of these criteria was a real novelty in geological mapping at that time. Besides geological mapping, 25 pages of Comecon "Unified Geological Map System" at 1:200 000 scale were prepared (1963), which (partly) covered the territory of Hungary, and had uniform sections and keys. The disadvan
tage of the compiled work was, that the new re
sults were reflected only on the maps of the low-land areas. However, the authors enclosed volumes of explanations, which discussed the whole geological literature of the area, and also contained hydrogeological and economic geo
logical data.
The first series of these new maps of the Mátra and Tokaj Mts came out in 1964 (their continuous publication lasted until 1982). The monographs of the Bakony Mts were published between 1961 and 1991. It was an outstanding result, that in the year of the Centennial of the Survey, we could publish proof maps at various scales, partly with an explanation in English, on which all data had been strictly secret before (Veszprém: 1:200 000, Szolnok: 1:100 000, Mád:
1:25 000, Hasznos, Komló and Kesztölc:
1: 10 000 scales).
In addition to all these efforts, the Survey was even able to improve its activity. Instead of the partly useless hydrogeological research of the past, and the hydrogeological experts' opin
ion, which were later delivered to the com
petent hydrological institutions, two respectable works were published: the Soil Groundwater Atlas of Hungary (1961) and the Hydrogeologi
cal Atlas of Hungary (1962). Besides the re
search of soil groundwater in the Great Hungar
ian Plain, the investigation of deep-origin and thermal waters became conspicuous. Thermal- water research concluded with the successful establishment of 19 wells. Investigation of the first group of wells of deep-origin waters at Jászladány (1964) proved the fruitful character of this work. A three-decade-lasting monitoring of 74 wells yielded many useful data for recog
nition of the hydrogeology of Hungary.
Research on the Great Hungarian Plain also resumed at that time. A turning point was the consideration of engineering geological require
ments (1963), and the publication in atlases of deep structures (based on different geophysical measurements) during the common directorship of the Geological Survey and Eötvös Loránd Geophysical Institute of Hungary.
Conceptions of geological mapping and pub
lishing changed in some aspects after 1965:
- new areas were included in geological mapping efforts (Buda Mts), and preparation started on some other areas (Cserhát- and Bör
zsöny Mts);
- a 4th generation of thematic geological mapping started in the surroundings of Balaton (1967) with engineering geological aims, and in Budapest (1968) (development of methodology, geological mapping at 1:10 000 scale together with cross-sections, soil mechanics, petrophysi
cal and other laboratory investigations). The first published map was the Tihany Atlas at 1:10 000 scale;
- geological mapping continued until the stage of raw-material prospecting. During this survey, some economically outstanding results arose: exploration of the Liassic coal in the Me
csek Mts, brown coal in the Bakony Mts and in the Lencse Hill at Dorog, ore minerals at Gyön
gyösoroszi, and the preparation of mining at Recsk.
A decisive change resulted from all these works: the idea of regional raw-material prog
nosis (forecasting) arose even in 1963. Its first result was the three-version geological map of the Lower Miocene coal in Borsod at 1:100 000 scale (1966,1967), and the prognostic map of the Liassic coal in the Mecsek Mountains at 1:50 000 scale (1968), with a volume of explanation.
The first, unfortunately unsuccessful, attempt at geochemical prognostic research was the cadastral survey of rare earth elements.
The Survey made enormous efforts in pub
lishing its results. The Annual Report was re
newed with the publication of many scientific
Fig. 2. Maps, published by the Hungarian Geological Survey (1949-1991)
1. Detailed maps at 1:10 000 and 1:25 000 scales, II. Prognostic and wall-maps at 1:25 000 and 1:100 000 scales, III. Maps at 1:100 000 and 1:200 000 scales (Great Hungarian Plain, Little Hungarian Plain), IV. Maps at 1:500 000 and less scales, V. Maps at 1:200 000 scale, A: Number of pieces, B: Year
reports and papers (1960), and the postponed volumes of the previous five years were re
trieved. Later the Annals and the series of Geo- logica Hungarica were also renewed. The volumes came out regularly, and contained the outstanding results of other researchers, too.
The development of publication of maps is shown in Fig. 2.
After 1961 regular reports of meetings (after 1965 even in the regional centers in the country, too), from 1963 the volumes of
"Long-Term Geological Research", which con
tained bore-hole data, from 1968 the Group of Information, and from 1967 a self-controlled printing-office, all made the work of the Sur
vey more open and easily accessible for exter
nal institutions.
The scientific problems, research methods and results of the Survey were presented on an international platform at the International Me
sozoic Conference in 1959. At the centennial celebrations, both the formal relations of development (reconstruction of the building, improvement of the laboratories, collections and library), and of effective research (geologi
cal mapping, basic research, raw-material pro
specting, publications) were demonstrated. All these results were due to the reliable staff: there
specting, publications) were demonstrated. All these results were due to the reliable staff: there