Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 1 GEOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTARY CHARACTERIZATION OF THE RODNA MOUNTAINS - RODNA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (EASTERN CARPATHIANS, ROMANIA) Vasile Timur CHIŞ * * Maramureş Museum, Nature Sciences Department, Piaţa Libertăţii 15, Sighetu Marmaţiei, Maramureş County, Romania, RO-435500, [email protected] KEYWORDS: Romanian Carpathians, location, limits, relief, general characterization, hydrology, climate, protected areas. ABSTRACT This paper, “Geographical introductary characterization of the Rodna Moutains - Rodna Mountains National Park”, represents a brief description of the Rodna Mountains where occurs one of the most important protected areas of Romania. This paper includes information regarding: location, limits, relief and general characterization, hydrology and climate, protected areas of the Rodna Mountains, both within the Rodna Mountains National Park and from different areas of its surroundings. RESUMEN: Caracterización geográfica de introducción de la Montaña Rodna - Parque Nacional Montañas Rodna (Cárpatos Orientales, Rumania). Este artículo „Caracterización general de la Montaña Rodna - Parque Nacional Montañas Rodna”, representa una breve descripción de las montañas Rodna, donde hay una de las más importantes áreas naturales protegidas de Rumania. El artículo incluye información relativa a: límites, relieve y caracterización general, hidrología y clima, áreas protegidas de las Montañas Rodna, ambos del Parque Nacional Montaña Rodna y de diferentes áreas de sus alrededores. REZUMAT: Caracterizare geografică introductivă a Munţiilor Rodna - Parcul Naţional Munţii Rodna (Carpaţii Orientali, România). Această lucrare „Caracterizarea generală a Munţiilor Rodna - Parcul Naţional Munţii Rodna” reprezintă o descriere introductivă a Munţiilor Rodna, unde se află una dintre cele mai importante zone protejate din România. Această lucrare cuprinde informaţii referitoare la: amplasare, delimitare, relief şi caracterizare generală, hidrologie şi climă, zone protejate din Munţii Rodna, atât din Parcul Naţional Munţii Rodna, cât şi din diverse zone limitrofe acestuia. 2 V. T. Chi ş – Geographic introductary characterization of the Rodna Mountains (1 ~ 14) GEOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS Localisation The Rodna Mountains (Fig. 1) are localized in the Transylvania-Maramure ş areas (Romania) and are part of the northern group of the Eastern Romanian Carpathians. Within the northern group of the Eastern Romanian Carpathians, the Rodna Mountains are surrounded by: the Ţible ş Mountains at West, the Maramure ş Hills in North-West, the Maramure ş Mountains at North and North-East, the Suhard Mountains at East, the Bârg ău Mountains and the N ăsăud Hills at South. Figure 1: The Rodna Mountains landscape. Limits The geographic limits of the Rodna Mountains are delimited by few landforms. The western limit is represented by the Sălăuţa Valley, between the Co şbuc Village and Ştef ăni ţa Hill (Bistri ţa-Năsăud County), the Şetref Pass (818 m a.s.l.) and the Carelor Valley, the village of S ăcel (Maramure ş County), up to the confluence with the Iza River. The northern and the north-eastern limits are the valley of Iza River, Moisei Hill (the Moisei Pass), Vi şeu Valley and Prislop Pass (situated at an altitude of 1,416 m) (Maramure ş County). The eastern limit is given by the Bistri ţa Aurie River, the Rotunda Creek, Rotunda Pass (1,217 m in altitude), Preluci Creek and Some şul Mare River up to the village of Valea Mare (Bistri ţa N ăsăud County). The southern and south-eastern limits are the N ăsăud Hills between Co şbuc Village and the city of Anie ş and, from that point forward, the Some şul Mare River up to the Valea Mare Village (Bistri ţa N ăsăud County). Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 3 Geographical and geological characterization The Rodna Mountains are the tallest most massive mountains of the Eastern Romanian Carpathians, distinguished by their heights surpassing 2,200 m, the length of the mountain range of almost 50 km and their area of 1,300 km 2. The range is a profoundly asymmetrical over raised horst, due to its crystalline structure as well as to the fault lines determining the sinking of the neighboring areas. This tectonic character is emphasized on the northern side of the range by the short steep slope of the almost 1,000 m deep Drago ş Vod ă fault line and the long gentle sloping of the Some ş fault line. Most of the Rodna Mountains range is composed of metamorphic rocks (Bretila series, Rebra series and Repedea series), containing gneiss, micaceous schist, amphibolites, quartzite, greenschists and graphitic schist, and crystalline limestone. In the southern part, due to Neocenic volcanic activities there are rhyolites, dacites, andesites and basalts. The metamorphic nucleus is surrounded by limestone, sandstone, siltstone, conglomerates and mudstones. Although unitary, the Rodna Mountains can be divided in three distinct compartments due to their morphological and orographic particularities. Ineu is the most eastern compartment and forms an orographic centre culminating with the pyramid shaped Ineu Peak (Fig. 2) of 2,282 m. From this centre are spreading the secondary ridges: Piciorul Tomnatecului (Tomnatec II Peak, 1,967 m), Piciorul Ple şcu ţei Ridge (2,041 m a.s.l.), Gajei Ridge (Gajei Peak 1,847 m), Piciorul Ineu ţ (Ineu ţ Peak 2,222 m a.s.l., Ro şu Peak 2,113 m a.s.l., Cob ăş el Peak 1,835 m a.s.l.), Cur ăţ el Ridge (1,851 m a.s.l.), Piciorul Cr ăciunel (1,704 m), mountain’s main ridge (Coasta Neted ă Peak 2,060 m, Ci şa Peak 2,036 m, Omu Peak 2,134 m a.s.l., Cl ăii Peak 2,121 m a.s.l., G ărg ălău Peak 2,159 m) and its secondary ridge leading to Corongi ş Peak (1,987 m). The mountain is mainly formed of strongly metamorphosized crystaline rocks (granate micaceous schists, paragneiss, epimorphic schists - Repedea series), sericitous grafitous schists, amphibolites, limestone, often covered by glacier deposits and scree. Pietrosu is the central compartment of the mountain, being separated from the other two by the Tarni ţa B ătrânei Saddle (1,735 m) at West and Gala ţi Saddle (1,882 m) at East. This sector is morphologically divided in three branches: a. a first branch situated between Gala ţi Saddle and the Rebra Peak 2,119 m, and represents the main ridge of this mountain with altitudes over 2,000 m as Rebra Peak 2,119 m, Gropilor Peak 2,063 m, Cormaia Peak 2,033 m, Repede Peak 2,074 m, Negoiasa Mare Peak 2,041 m a.s.l., Puzdrelor Peak 2,189 m a.s.l., Galaţi Peak 2,048 m a.s.l., from where the longest secondary ridges are breaking. b. Pietrosu branch is separating towards north from the central branch from the Rebra Peak 2,119 m, here being situated the tallest peaks of Rodna Range, Pietrosu Rodnei Peak 2,303 m (Fig. 3), Grohotu 2,203 m, Buh ăiescu Mare Peak 2,268 m, Buh ăiescu Mic Peak 2,221 m a.s.l. c. the third branch is situated between the Rebra Peak 2,119 m and Tarni ţa B ătrânei Saddle (1,735 m) being emphasized by Gropilor Peak 2,063 m. Bătrâna is the third compartment situated between Tarni ţa B ătrânei Saddle (1,735 m) and Şetref Pass (818 m) and is forming an orographic centre with valleys in a radial disposition around Muncelu Râios Peak of 1,703 m a.s.l. (Fig. 4) and B ătrâna Peak of 1,710 m a.s.l. (Fig. 5). The mountain is formed of sandstone, mudstone, menilites, bituminous schists (Bor şa strata), siltstone flysch, wild flysch, bituminous schists (Valea Carelor strata). 4 V. T. Chi ş – Geographic introductary characterization of the Rodna Mountains (1 ~ 14) Figure 2: Ineu Peak. Figure 3: Pietrosu Rodnei Peak. Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 5 Figure 4: Pasul Pietrei and Muncelul Râios Peak. Figure 5: Bătrâna Peak. 6 V. T. Chi ş – Geographic introductary characterization of the Rodna Mountains (1 ~ 14) Figure 6: Izbucul Izei (The Iza River spring). Figure 7: Pe ştera Izei (Iza’s Cave). Transylv. Rev. Syst. Ecol. Res. 9, (2010), "The Rodna Mountains National Park" 7 There are four main characteristic features of the Rodna Mountains. The denudation topography, for which T. Murariu established the presence of four erosion surfaces and I. Sârcu showed that only one surface is suitably represented, the Cerbul surface, which he assimilates to the B ătrâna surface identified by T. Murariu. The glacial topography is represented by cirques (Pietrosu, Buh ăiescu, Repede, Negoiescu, Cimpoiesei, Bistri ţei Aurii, Ineu and Lala), moraines (on Lala, on Bila, on Putredu, along Bistricioara River), erratic blocks, glaciers valleys. The periglacial topography is represented by sandars (Lala, Bila and Pietrosu), protalus remparts (on Cob ăş el, on Puzdrele), tills (Ineu), kames (Rodna, Fa ţa Mesei) and avalanche paths. The karst topography is poorly represented, only in form of limestone pavement, sinkholes, caves and subterranean streams - Piatra Rea, Bistricioara Valley, Mih ăiasca, Corongi ş, the springs of Iza (Fig. 6), etc. In Rodna Mountains around 90 caves have been mapped, from which we cite the most prominent: Izvorul T ăuşoarelor (T ăuşoarele Spring), Jgheabul lui Zalion (Zalion’s Gully), Pe ştera lui M ăglei (M ăglei’s Cave), Pe ştera Zânelor (Fairies Cave), Pe ştera Izei/Iza’s Cave (Fig. 7), Pe ştera Laptelui (Milk Cave), Pe ştera Baia lui Schneider (Schneider’s Mine Cave), etc. Hydrology Superficial waters are represented by streamlets and lakes and are collected by different rivers. Iza River springs under the B ătrâna Peak and collects streamlets from the north- western side of the Rodna Mountains. The main valleys are: M ăgura Valley, Celaru Valley, Runcu Valley, Obcioara Valley, Toplicioara Mare Valley, Izcioara Valley, Teilor Valley, Repede Creek and Carelor Valley.