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The Balaton

| history | Geography | Storm warning |

History

There was a vast saline inland sea covering the territory of Hungary in the tertiary period of the history of earth. Its water was gradually diluted by the freshwater of the rivers. Coming to the end of the period, the orogenic forces became stronger and fragmented the substratum. Boulders of mountains and tables caved in and lifted up. The shallow sea changed into an even shallower lake called Lake Pannonia and volcanic activities began in the uplands north of Lake Balaton. The overflow of lava created the monadnocks of the Basin of Tapolca: the Badacsony, Mount Szentgyörgy (Mount St. George), the Csobánc and the Gulács. The volcanic post-activity resulted in the more than 100 geyser cones of the Peninsula of Tihany, and hollowed out the passages of the pond-cave at Tapolca. Having been dredged out, part of the Pannonian sand was cemented by the solutions of the thermal waters. Its remnants make up the so-called stone-sea in the vicinity of Salföld-Kovágóörs. The last chapter of this volcanic activity is marked by the uprush of carbonated mineral waters. The most popular among them is the mineral water of Balatonfüred and Kékkút (Blue Well).

The present surface of Hungary has been formed in the past one million years. The Mesozoic mountains, the Bakony among them, lifted up and became eroded. There were warmer and colder climates coming one after the other. The sagging of the Basin of Lake Balaton occurred in the last glacial-period, 22-25,000 years ago. Because of the cool and rainy weather the lake was much larger than now. The water-level was 12 m higher than the current surface of the water. The mountains of Tihany and Szigliget, the Badacsony and Mount Szentgyörgy (Mountain St. George) rose up like islands. About 12,000 years ago the warming up decreased the quantity of water and Lake Balaton almost ran dry. But then came a climate with more precipitation and the basin got filled up again. The fluctuation of the water-level is indicated by the terraces on the shore of the lake.

Geography

Lake Balaton is the biggest lake of Central-Europe today. Its surface is 596 square kilometers, its height above sea-level is 104 m. The average depth is three meters, the deepest is 12 m at the Peninsula of Tihany. The width of the lake is 5-6 km on average, but at its widest between Siófok and Alsóörs it is 12 km. The length of Lake Balaton is 77 km between Keszthely and Balatonakarattya. More water evaporates from its surface than it gains from the rainfall. The summer at Lake Balaton lasts from the end of May till the first half of September. The summer high of the water is 26-28C. The prevailing wind blows from the north coming over the Bakony.

The big lake of Hungary freezes over almost every year. The average thickness of the ice is 10-20 cm, but it has measured as many as 70 cm too. Owing to the intense cold the ice contracts and breaking off from the shore, it cracks up with ferocious noises. If the weather turns milder, the ice expands and the tables pile up alongside the earlier fissures and congestions develop. The fissures also result in long open passages in the water, these are the crevasses.

The reed, the typical plant of the belt along the shore, is cut in winter. Besides being a sought-after export article, the reed of Lake Balaton is very important ecologically too. It is a habitat. It is here that the water-birds lay their nests and this is the spawning place for fish. The reeds are indispensable in the matter and energy circulation of the lake and the act of self-purification. Hardly 1.5-2 % of the surface of water is covered by reed. This amount is about 40 percent less than the one assessed in 1968. The reeds are a clash-point of a kind, with the environmentalists speaking up for its preservation while the fans of aquatic sports would like there to be more jetties.

Storm warning

Between May 1 and September 30 there is a storm warning service at the lake signaling oncoming storms. Beacons installed around Lake Balaton give warnings of the expected strength of wind with an orange flashing light in two degrees.
30 flashes a minute, yellow-white, means a wind as strong as 40-60 km/h, 60 flashes a minute, red-white, means that the strength of the wind is stronger than 60 km/h. At the sign yellow-white the little ships and windsurfs can only sail offshore, but if the sign turns red they must withdraw into the landing place. The bigger sailing ships are permitted to stay on the open water at their peril.

Photos of Balaton