Industry Establishing Effects of Mineral Raw Materials in the Dorog Micro-Region

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae Agriculture and Environment, 1 (2009) 130-134 Industry establishing effects of mineral raw materials in the Dorog micro-region Zsófia VÖRÖSK I1 1Department of Geography, Faculty of Human Geography, University of Miskolc, Miskolc, Hungary, [email protected] Manuscript received 09.30. 2009; revised 10. 25. 2009; accepted 10. 30. 2009 Abstract: The Dorog micro-region extends on the countries eastern border and includes 15 settlements. The region has a favorable position, it’s local and positional energies are significant. The potential energy is given by the fact, that the River Danube are Budapest are close, while it’s local energy was given by the coal for quite a long time. Nowadays it has not got such significance, but it had an important role in forming the industrial structure of our days. Lignite mining was the reason of changes in what the region went through. The population did not work anymore only in the agricultural areas, they started to work in the mines too. Two settlements passed through serious changes. Dorog became a town as the industry’s graceful effect, and Tokod became a parish. The coal mining attracted several attaching industries, such as chemical industry and other tightly attaching industries. Not only coal, but sand and limestone brought changes to the settlement’s life, and their effect is still appreciable. I am about to present this change in my essay. Keywords: mining, coal, industrial geography 1. Introduction In the Dorog micro-region mining had some kind of bond with 10 settlements. As an extractive industry, it allured processing industry to the area. Because of it’s determining role, mining had a great influence in the region’s process to become a heavy industrial centre. From industry establishing aspect, the area has every feature to become a heavy industrial centre. 130 Industry establishing effects of mineral raw materials in the Dorog micro-region 131 2. Material and Methods The introduction of industry and changes in the industry’s structure in the Dorog-micro region is part of my PhD research. From this enormous subject, I analyze the raw materials and the industry built on it. Particularly I use interviews and the technical literature. The written documentaries are supplemented by fieldwork experiences. In my essay, I am going to survey the minerals role from the bunch of natural elements that had some kind of effect on the industry’s geographical post. 3. Results and discussions A. Geological structure The Dorog coal-basin is enclosed by the River Danube, the Pilis and the Gerecse. The base of the basin is the Triassic dachstein limestone and dolomite [1]. The water, that constantly endangered the basin’s mining, came from the karstic hollows of the basis. The sea sedimentation continued in the Jurassic and in the Cretaceous era. After the sea’s shrunk back, as the effect of the hot but rainy climate, the basin collected the dross and other erosion products that came from the neighbors. These parts were rich in flora and fauna, later; their remains were covered and separated from air by shoreline a deposit that is how the coal- sedimentation began. The coal yards were made of arboreal and boggy, non- arboreal plants. Their age is early and mid Eocene and Oligocene [2]. The limestone and the dolomite are covered with broadly 10 meter of thick coal yard. The bitumen content raised during the coal-sedimentation as an effect of the alkaline water in the karstic area. The average heating value of the eocenic lignite is 16500 kJ/kg, but we can find some with a value over 20000 kJ/kg [3]. After the Eocene, in the basises Oligocene sand, marl, pebble, on the edges pannon delta pebble, clay, sand and fresh-water limestone were deposited. The quaternary period’s deposits are being represented by the fresh-water limestone, loess, slope-silts, living water sand and pebble [4]. B. Coal and industry From the energy source materials, the Eocene lignite had the greatest quantity. Coal mining became the foundation of the heavy industry, and several other industries settled down in the area to serve it. Coal mining started in the basin at 1781. In the XIXth century coal was brought to the surface in Csolnok, 132 Zs. Vörösk i Tokod and Sárisáp. Huge amount of coal became an ingredient at brick fabrication and at lime-burning. Since 1838 the Dorog coal mining has documentations too [5]. At the end of the century, they had to go deeper and deeper to find coal, and – because of the local conditions – they had to count with serial water bursts. Later, this fact determined the profile of the miming machine factory, because it’s main product was the suction-pump. Among pumps, they produced sorter machines and sand-extracting machines. Later, as an operable part of the corporation, the factory got separated from the Dorog Coalmines and started to operate individually. Nowadays it’s name is Techno-Product Kft. and privately owned. The Dorog Power plant - which was established in 1906 – helped to save mines from water bursts. In the same year silt sealing was installed. In 1924, a coal still was introduced to use up the coal dust and for the coal’s chemical utilization. This facility was closed in 1967 [5]. After that, the corporation became the Dorog plant of the K¡ bánya Pharmaceutical Factory. In 1984 the company, in conjunction with two other corporations, founded a refuse burner in Dorog. Nowadays it is called SARPI Dorog Enviromental Kft, and it’s main profile is hazardous waste disposal. In 1931 „A” briquette factory was installed in Dorog to utilize the coal dust and make it saleable. In 1948 a „B” factory was installed too. Both plants were in use until 1992. After the war, the request for coal was enormous due to constructions and expansions. The fuel satisfied residential needs, there were no power plant use attached, which later meant disadvantage. The golden ages of coal mining in the area were between 1960 and 1967. Coal sorter was built in Tokod in 1966. However, at this time, the conversion of energy structure began; therefore the coal mining was dropped. In 1971, new mines were established near Tokod and Kesztölc. In 1982 the Lencsehegy II. mine (near Kesztölc) was established from company loan. Three years later in Tokodaltáró a new, up-to- date briquette factory was installed to utilize the coal dust from Lencsehegy. From 1992 only the Lencsehegy II. mine was in use until 2003 when the company was divested [5]. C. Building materials and building industry From building materials limestone and sand mining was important. Six settlement had own stone-pit, from these two is out of use. The first quarry was opened in 1905 by Sándor Schmidt. This mine is the still working limestone mine in the Hungária hill near Dorog [5]. The mine is the property of the Baumit Kft among the Tokod mine. The plasterwork factory, which represents the building industry in the micro-region, is based on these mines. Industry establishing effects of mineral raw materials in the Dorog micro-region 133 The stone mines in Kesztölc and Bajna work in low capacity and serve local needs. The situation of the mine in Kesztölc is notable, because it is in the border of Duna-Ipoly National Park, therefore it needs considered cultivation. These material occurrences did not allured attached industries. Sand mining went on in Máriahalom and Tokod. The sand from Máriahalom was used in constructions. Due to the small size of the mine, it served local needs. The Tokod sandmine was more significant. In 1892 glassworks, later glass factory settled down in Tokod because of the sand’s great quality. From 1906 coal mining needed huge amount of sand, it is a necessary material in silt sealing. Thanks to the glass factory, Tokod became an important centre in the basin after Dorog, and affected the building a new briquette factory there in 1966. D. Other raw materials From other raw materials in the Dorog micro-region, the Cornish-stone mining was important. It is only mined in the border of Sárisáp. The mineral is necessary in producing china and fine-ceramics. E. Industry nowadays Initially the natural elements determined what kind of industry could settle down in the area. Nowadays the attached industries provide modern, up-to-date factories in the region, such as the battery factory of Sanyo Hungary Kft in Dorog, or the Rosenberg Hungária Kft in Tokod produces HHVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) appliances. These factories used the good potential energies in the decadent heavy industrial region. 4. Conclusion With using the raw minerals and the opportunities given by the exposure in the Dorog micro-region different industries settled down. These always were that kind of industries which satisfied the economical needs. There are factories with a great past, such as the K bánya Pharmaceutical Factory which is now Richter Gedeon Chemical Industry. Interesting; but in the region, there is no cement factory, paper factory or automotive-factory although these are popular industries. The reason could be that the Dorog micro-region is in a close connection with the Esztergom micro-region. In the nearby regions these „missing” industries can be finding. The manpower moves freely in the regions that almost fuse. We need further research to reveal why the two regions are in 134 Zs. Vörösk i this close connection. Furthermore, we have to examine how unique or how general this connection between micro-regions. Acknowledgements Publishing of this journal is supported by the Institute for Research Programmes of the Sapientia University.

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