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The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps;<ref>Comănescu, Laura, & Alexandru Nedelea. 2016. Geomorphosites Assessments of the Glacial and Periglacial Landforms from Southern Carpathoans. In: Maria Radoane & Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe (eds.), Landform Dynamics and Evolution in Romania, pp. 215–248. Cham: Springer, p. 202.</ref><ref>Quinn, Joyce Ann, & Susan L Woodward. 2015. Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, p. 138.</ref> Template:Langx Template:IPAc-ro; Template:Langx) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania.<ref>Carpathians.pl Template:Webarchive</ref> They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and Cerna Rivers in the west. To the south they are bounded by the Balkan Mountains in eastern Serbia.
HeightsEdit
The Southern Carpathians are the second highest group of mountains in the Carpathian Mountain range (after Tatra), reaching heights of over 2,500 meters. Although considerably smaller than the Alps, they are classified as having an alpine landscape. Their high mountain character, combined with great accessibility, makes them popular with tourists and scientists.
The highest peaks are:
- Moldoveanu Peak, 2,544 metres – Făgăraș Mountains
- Negoiu, 2,535 metres – Făgăraș Mountains
- Parângu Mare, 2,519 metres – Parâng Mountains
- Omu Peak 2,514 metres – Bucegi Mountains
- Peleaga, 2,509 metres – Retezat Mountains
Despite the heights, some of the most accessible passages in the Carpathians in Romania are along the rivers, which cross the mountain range (the Olt River) or form wide valleys (along the Prahova River Valley or along the Jiu River Valley).
GeologyEdit
The South Carpathians represent an intricate pile of tectonic nappes, overthrusted from west eastwards during the Austrian (Middle Cretaceous) and Laramian paroxysmal phases, corresponding to various plate fragments. The napes are (from west eastwards): the Supragetic, Getic, Severin and Danubian Units. The Getic Nappe was identified by Murgoci (1905),<ref>Murgoci, G.M., 1905. Sur l'existence d'une grande nappe de recouvrement dans les Carpathes meridionales. C. R. Acad. Sci., 7: 31.</ref> while the general understanding over the Alpine structure of the South Carpathians was later refined by Codarcea (1940),<ref>Codarcea , A., 1940. Vues nouvelles sur la tectonique du Banat meridional et du Plateau de Mehedinți. D. S. Inst. Geol. Rom., 20: 1–74.</ref> Codarcea et al. (1961),<ref>Codarcea, A., Răileanu, G., Pavelescu, L., Gherasi, N., Năstăseanu, S., Bercia, I. and Mercus, D., 1961. Guide des excursions. Carpates Meridionales, București, 130 pp.</ref> Năstăseanu et al. (1981),<ref>Năstăseanu, S., Bercia, I., Iancu, V., Vlad and Hârtopanu, I., 1981. The structure of the South Carpathians (Mehedinți – Banat Area). Guidebooks series, 22. IGR, Bucuresti, 3–100 pp.</ref> Săndulescu (1984),<ref>Săndulescu, M., 1984. Geotectonica României. Editura Tehnică, București, 336 pp.</ref> Săndulescu and Dimitrescu (2004),<ref>Săndulescu, M. and Dimitrescu, R., 2004. Geological structure of the Romanian Carpathians, Florence, 48 pp.</ref> and Mutihac (1990).<ref>Mutihac, V., 1990. Structura geologică a teritoriului României. Editura Tehnică, Bucharest, 419 pp.</ref> The first to apply the global tectonics concepts for the Romanian Carpathians were Rădulescu and Săndulescu (1973).<ref>Rădulescu, D. and Săndulescu, M., 1973. The plate-tectonics concept and the geological structure of the Carpathians. Tectonophysics, 16: 155–161.</ref>
The Supragetic, Getic Nappes as well as the Danubian Units represent units with both a metamorphic basement and a sedimentary cover, while the Severin Nappe includes only a sedimentary sequence. The Getic Nappe and the Danubian Units sediments include a Palaeozoic sequence (Upper Carboniferous, Lower Permian) and a Mesozoic sequence (Lowermost Jurassic – Middle Cretaceous). The Supragetic Nappe comprises mainly metamorphosed rocks (gneisses, micashists), while the Severin Nappe includes only Upper Jurassic – Lower Cretaceous sediments.
Mountain rangesEdit
From east to west, four mountain groups can be identified, separated by different river valleys.
- Bucegi Mountains group – between the Prahova and Dâmbovița Rivers.
- Bucegi Mountains (Munții Bucegi)
- Piatra Craiului (literally: "Rock of the King")
- Leaotă Mountains (Munții Leaotă)
- Făgăraș Mountains group – between the Dâmbovița River and the Olt River.
- Făgăraș Mountains (Munții Făgărașului)
- Iezer Mountains (Munții Iezer; literally: "Mountains of the Deep Lake")
- Cozia Mountains (Munții Cozia)
- Parâng Mountains group – between the Olt River and the Jiu River.
- Parâng Mountains (Munții Parâng)
- Șureanu Mountains (Munții Șureanu/M. Sebeșului)
- Cindrel Mountains (Munții Cindrel/M. Cibinului)
- Lotru Mountains (Munții Lotrului; literally: "Mountains of the Thief")
- Căpățână Mountains (Munții Căpățânii; literally: "Mountains of the Skull")
- Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group – between the Jiu River and the Timiș and Cerna Rivers.
- Retezat Mountains (Munții Retezat; literally: "Hewed Mountains")
- Godeanu Mountains (Munții Godeanu)
- Vâlcan Mountains (Munții Vâlcan)
- Mehedinți Mountains (Munții Mehendinți)
- Cerna Mountains (Munții Cernei)
- Țarcu Mountains (Munții Țarcu; literally: "Pen Mountains").
- Poiana Ruscă Mountains
The first two groups are steepest on the North side, and the last two are steepest on the South side.Template:Citation needed
GalleryEdit
- Muntii Bucegi vazuti de pe Postavaru.jpg
Bucegi as seen from Postavaru massif
- Caraiman Cross on Bucegi mountain top.jpg
Caraiman Cross on mountain top
- Bucegi.jpg
Coștila 400 meters high wall
- Caraiman summit.JPG
View from Bușteni
- Vf-scara4.jpg
Scara summit in Bucegi Mountains
- Bucegi Sphinx, Romania.jpg
The Sphinx of Bucegi
- 01 Magura, Romania - Piatra Craiului mountains.jpg
Piatra Craiului Mountains
- Bucegi jepiimici.JPG
Jepii Mici Peak in Bucegi Mountains
- BaleaLac4.jpg
Lake Bâlea in Făgăraș Mountains
- Detaliu Custura Saratii.jpg
Challenging hiking trail
- Lake Podragu.jpg
Podragu Lake
- Transfagarasan twisty road.jpg
Transfăgărășan alpine road
- Gory Fogaraskie (Fagaras Mountains) 67.jpg
Regular footpath in Făgăraș Mountains
- Custura Saratii.jpg
Custura Sărătii (in the center of the photo)
- La Zaplaz, Piatra Craiului.jpg
La Zaplaz landmark
- Zarnesti.JPG
Piatra Craiului ridge in winter
- Parang-21.jpg
Landscape in Parâng Mountains
- Parang mountain image 1.jpg
Parâng alpine scenery
- Parang-38.jpg
Shelter in Parâng mountains
- Parang-32.jpg
One of many Parâng glacial lakes
- Jezera v pohoří Retezat.jpg
Glacial lakes in the Retezat Mountains
- Retezat-VfBucura.jpg
Bucura Peak in the distance
- Retezat Mountain - Retezat Peak 04.JPG
Sunset on Retezat Peak
- Chata u Bucury.jpg
Salvamont shelter in Retezat
- Retezat Mountain - Spring Waterfall 02.JPG
Waterfall in Retezat National Park
- Lacul Bucura.jpg
Bucura Lake
See alsoEdit
- Romanian Carpathians
- Divisions of the Carpathians
- Iron Gates, at the South-Western end
- Prahova Valley, at the Eastern end