Environmental and agrogeological research on the sandy area of the Danube-Tisza Hilly Region

Abstract

One of the most expanded sandy areas in Hungary is situated in the area bordered by the River Danube and Tisza, at the Great Hungarian Plain. This is the sandy steppe of the Danube-Tisza Hilly Region, where the sand made the formation of a very variable surface possible. This fact determines the flora, the fauna and also the characteristic of human activity. On the sandy area, variegated by forests and salt-affected soils, neither the relief nor the quality of the soil made the agriculture based on the cultivation of grain crops possible. Therefore a special, family-based cultivation was formed with growing of grape, fruits and vegetables, and with animal husbandry. At the same time, this region is one of the most volatile and sensitive areas of Hungary. This duality makes our work more difficult. On the one hand we have to complete the agrogeological evaluation that helps the more rational usage of the area, on the other hand we also have to create the environmental geological evaluation which determines the necessary limits of the area-utilisation. This task was solved by the comprehensive evaluation of geological, agrogeological and environmental geological maps prepared about the area. Separated maps were created about the geological formations of the target area, the rock development of the surface-near surface sediments, the permeability, the calcium-carbonate content, the depth of the groundwater, the depth of the groundwater under the Sea level, the total soluble salt content and the chemical type of the groundwater. With the help of the maps, the different agrogeological and environmental geological factors were marked by a scale from 1 to 5 (1 is the worse and 5 is the best mark), than comparing these marks the evaluation is performable and recommendation can be given for the protection and the usage.