Fig. 12.2. Geological map of Hungary (www.mafi.hu)

There is a tectonic line called Zágreb-Hernád Line, which divides the country into two geological parts. It is a straight line from Zagreb to the Zemplén Mountains. South of the line the ground of the Hungarian basin was created on the northern shoreline of the Thetys Ocean and the edge of the Eurasian plate. North of the Zágreb-Hernád Line the ground of the basin was created on the southern shoreline of the Thetys and the edge of the Africa Plate. A great part north of the Zagreb-Hernád Line is a part of the African Plate, which was pushed into present-day Hungary during the creation of the Eurasian Mountain System. This process was followed by high volcanic activities and many scientists believe that the mass of andesitic rock erupting from these volcanoes caused the unusual thinness of the crust (26-27 km) under Hungary. This would explain why Hungary has a higher geothermal gradient than any other country on the European Mainland.

The geology of Hungary can be summarized into three main statements:

• 
  The ground of the basin isn’t one rigid and crystallized block of rock, but it consists of different parts with different origin and age.
  
• 
  The rocks of the Carpathian Basin weren’t created on their present place but were created in the Southern hemisphere and were travelling from there to their present location in millions of years.
  
• 
  The Zágráb-Hernád Line is nothing else than a former plate margin between the African and the Eurasian plates. To the north of it, rocks of African origin, while to the south of it, rocks of Eurasian origin can be found.
  

Hungary has a continental climate, with hot summers with low overall humidity levels but frequent rainshowers and mildly cold snowy winters. Average annual temperature is 9.7 °C. Temperature extremes are about 41.9 °C on 20 July 2007 at Kiskunhalas in the summer and −35 °C on 16 February 1940 Miskolc-Görömbölytapolca in the winter. Average high temperature in the summer is 23 °C to 28 °C and average low temperature in the winter is −3 °C  to −7 °C. The average yearly rainfall is approximately 600 mm. A small, southern region of the country near Pécs enjoys a reputation for a Mediterranean climate, but in reality it is only slightly warmer than the rest of the country and still receives snow during the winter (Fig. 12.3.).

1. Solar radiation: In Hungary, the southeastern parts have the highest irradiation values (Fig. 1), the region of Szeged reaches 4800–4900 MJ/m², also, the global radiation exceeds 4500 MJ/m² in large areas. The lowest irradiation values are around the northern mountains, here less than 4300 MJ/m² values could occur.