Near the village of Ploské in the foothills of the Slanské Hills there is an important geological locality Tufová gorge. It is a little-known area, which is unique but deserves attention, as it is it is the only tufa gorge in Slovakia.
Tuff is a sedimentary rock of volcanic origin, composed of fine-grained volcanic outcrops, mainly volcanic ash, dust or pumice, which were deposited in layers at varying distances from volcanoes on land and in aquatic environments. The gorge was formed by the incision of a watercourse into the soft tuff bedrock. The most beautiful part of the gorge is right at the beginning, it is about 50 metres long and is a nicely shaped tuff with walls 7-10 metres high. Later on the gorge is more difficult to pass because of fallen trees. However, these give it a mysterious character. When the snow melts or after heavy rains, the gorge is full of water.
Another interesting feature of the site is that here we can find pieces of petrified wood. These are washed up from the overburden formed by the Varhanov gravels. The petrified or petrified wood originated 20 to 200 million years ago, where the wood was buried under sediment that protected it from the influence of oxygen and thus prevented the wood from decomposing. All organic materials were converted into minerals, mainly silicates such as quartz, while the structure of the wood was preserved.
If we move a few kilometres further to the village of Rankovce, we can visit the nature reserve Rankovské skaly. The reserve was declared in 1976 on an area of 23.7 ha in order to protect an important rock complex with numerous protected species of plants and animals.
The Rankovské rocks themselves are a relic of a smaller stratovolcano of pyroxenic andesites 50-80m high. The lofty peaks of the rock walls are overgrown with thermophilic vegetation. Maple and lime forest communities have developed on the rubble bedrock, which are home to several rare bird species such as the golden eagle, brown curlew, long-tailed owl and various songbirds. The rock complex offers views of the entire Torysa valley, part of the Slanské vrchy, part of the Zemplínské vrchy, the town of Košice, the Košice basin, Čergov, the Volovské vrchy and Čierna hora. If the weather is favourable, you can see up to the peaks of the High Tatras.
As there is a 5th level of protection, it is forbidden to move outside the marked hiking trail, to pick berries, to encroach on forest vegetation and damage vegetation and soil cover, to catch, kill or hunt animals and to disturb the peace and quiet. The rocks can be reached by a green hiking trail from the village of Herľany, where, if you are lucky, you will see the Herlian geyser spouting.
Source of text and photos: Regional Nature Conservation Centre Prešov
