ROMANIA
Padurea Craiului Mountains
The scarcely populated wooded limestone plateau of the Padurea Craiului Mountain which is rich in karstic phenomena is the North-Western extensión of the Bihor Vládeasa Mountains in the Apuseni Mountains.
Padurea Craiului Mountains
The scarcely populated wooded limestone plateau of the Padurea Craiului Mountain which is rich in karstic phenomena is the North-Western extensión of the Bihor Vládeasa Mountains in the Apuseni Mountains.
The Padurea Craiului Mountain has a well defined geological structure consisting of Permian and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The aspect of the surface shows signs of tectonic development. 
The Mesozoic sediments covering 83% of the mountain developed in three main sedimentary cycles (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous): the continental and shallow-sea series (conglomerates, sandstones, schists) were followed by the sedimentation of carbonic rocks accumulated in a sandbank and lagoon environment. The karstic rocks formed in these three main periods constitute 40% of the mountain. The relief elements and the development of the river network shows the varied tectonic arrangement of karstic and non-karstic rocks.
The Mesozoic sediments covering 83% of the mountain developed in three main sedimentary cycles (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous): the continental and shallow-sea series (conglomerates, sandstones, schists) were followed by the sedimentation of carbonic rocks accumulated in a sandbank and lagoon environment. The karstic rocks formed in these three main periods constitute 40% of the mountain. The relief elements and the development of the river network shows the varied tectonic arrangement of karstic and non-karstic rocks.
The tectonic factor is an indispensable condition for karstic development as water attacks limestone which easily dissolves along tectonic faults, cracks and strata.
The mountain has deep valleys often formed along anticlinal axes (e.g. Misid Valley). In some places there are steep slopes and vertical rock faces between the planinas and the valleys separating them. Water-courses often scoop gorges in limestone blocks (Crisul Repede Gorge, Topa, Vida, Boiului-Cutii Gorge).
The mountain has deep valleys often formed along anticlinal axes (e.g. Misid Valley). In some places there are steep slopes and vertical rock faces between the planinas and the valleys separating them. Water-courses often scoop gorges in limestone blocks (Crisul Repede Gorge, Topa, Vida, Boiului-Cutii Gorge).
The presence of karstic rocks affects surface development even if their proportion is smaller than that of other rocks. As there is no natural out flowing, corrosión took the place of linear erosión developing the present shape of the mountain. The karstic relief (dolinas, uvalas, blind valleys, gorges, closed karstic valleys and last but not least the cave system) constitutes one of the main values of Padurea Craiului which is most important from this perspective in the Carpathians.
The beauty of Padurea Craiului, mainly the North-Western and the South-Eastern part is that it is covered by woods. Forest of tranquillity that invite to be explored and walked along. The exokarstic formations (karrenfelds, sink-holes, dolinas, uvalas, blind valleys, dry valleys, gorges, passes, closed karstic basins and branching) constitute an individuality of the mountain.
EXPLORING
One of our exploring days we started the hike from the town of Tarina towards North on a well path road walking along a karstic valley spread with many hole of the water erosion which is the normal relief of the area.
The beauty of Padurea Craiului, mainly the North-Western and the South-Eastern part is that it is covered by woods. Forest of tranquillity that invite to be explored and walked along. The exokarstic formations (karrenfelds, sink-holes, dolinas, uvalas, blind valleys, dry valleys, gorges, passes, closed karstic basins and branching) constitute an individuality of the mountain.
EXPLORING
One of our exploring days we started the hike from the town of Tarina towards North on a well path road walking along a karstic valley spread with many hole of the water erosion which is the normal relief of the area.
Ancient mines are still open, left as the memory of the exhaust and that as dawn closes, start to hollow vapor and moisture of the difference between the temperature inside adorning the environment with the touch of mysticism that Romania has, more due to the legend of vampires.
As it is told the trees will not let you see the forest. As we hike
along the road and enter into the wood, trees start to bench as a welcome to foreighners of this land or as an advertising to have prudence. You can only here your steps and if you listen carefully your heart beat and the sound of the same forest inside your chest.
As it is told the trees will not let you see the forest. As we hike
along the road and enter into the wood, trees start to bench as a welcome to foreighners of this land or as an advertising to have prudence. You can only here your steps and if you listen carefully your heart beat and the sound of the same forest inside your chest.The beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most frequent deciduous species of this forest so as the hornbeam-beech forests (Carpino fagetum) are also frequent. In this land there is no path to be ride on so even if you reach the ridge is not possible to find or see it. After some hours of hiking we reach the wooded peak of Merisorul, turning again South towards the Scaunul Craiului peak to descend rapidly in a run trough the forest to again ascent towards East to reach at dawn the Parsaia peak.
The Pádurea Craiului Mountain is inhabited by the animal world of the deciduous forests. From among mammals we must metion the wolf (Canis lupus), the fox (Vulpes vulpes), the deer (Capreolus capreolus). The stag (Cervus elaphus) and the night-hunting wild cat (Felis silvestrís) are rare but still existent. 
The main characteristic of the Pádurea Craiului Mountain are the dispersad villages on the karstic plateaus, such as Tomnatic and Zece Motare. Almost the whole área of the mountain is habited, but the households are far away from each other.
Only dashes of rocks in many places reminds us the karstic nature of these woods and that beneath our feet lie enormous underground systems that wait to be explored. During this expedition we also explored several mountain areas in the Emperor forest where are many places to get lost.
UNDERGROUND SYSTEMS
The other attraction of the mountain is constituted by the endokarst formations, especially the multilevel cave-systems.
One of this most interesting and fascinating 
subterranean system is the Cave of the Bones developed in Triassic limestones, has a water arise that supplies this necessary liquid to the near town of Varciorog, it is itself a natural reservation. To explore this cave you most be conscience that you may not leave nothing inside and you may take nothing with you except your images. The entrance to the Bone cave is a minor entrance that reaches a meter wide and leads to wet galleries sometimes narrow and some too wet.
The other attraction of the mountain is constituted by the endokarst formations, especially the multilevel cave-systems.
One of this most interesting and fascinating 
subterranean system is the Cave of the Bones developed in Triassic limestones, has a water arise that supplies this necessary liquid to the near town of Varciorog, it is itself a natural reservation. To explore this cave you most be conscience that you may not leave nothing inside and you may take nothing with you except your images. The entrance to the Bone cave is a minor entrance that reaches a meter wide and leads to wet galleries sometimes narrow and some too wet.After the entrance there are spread more that 500 meter of labyrinth, narrow and wet galleries that right develop towards North with polished walls due to the pass of water flows. After crossing an ancient gate the conduct just 
narrows more strangling the left space at only half a meter and turning the exploration into a muddy festival of suffer. When there is almost a little space left appears a little windows which lets you recover your normal size, think that speloleogist sometimes diminish till we fit through, and appears a huge hall where the river flows on a layer of small boulders. This is the principal gallery of the system with more than 4 Km. long developed along the river. Enormous paths on which on each sides are bigger halls colonized by litogenic forms such as stalagmites and stalactites.
As we river up the gallery in the meander areas, appear mountains of sediment composed by mud an boulders. The principal gallery reaches a tremendous hall where begins the lake of the caves and gradually sinks to become inundated.
narrows more strangling the left space at only half a meter and turning the exploration into a muddy festival of suffer. When there is almost a little space left appears a little windows which lets you recover your normal size, think that speloleogist sometimes diminish till we fit through, and appears a huge hall where the river flows on a layer of small boulders. This is the principal gallery of the system with more than 4 Km. long developed along the river. Enormous paths on which on each sides are bigger halls colonized by litogenic forms such as stalagmites and stalactites.As we river up the gallery in the meander areas, appear mountains of sediment composed by mud an boulders. The principal gallery reaches a tremendous hall where begins the lake of the caves and gradually sinks to become inundated.
In the cold empire of eternel darkness, the water is the millenary artisan of this fragile new continent. That the silent profoundness hardly reveal its beauties carved in calcite is proved by the poor mental representations of the human being for caves, seen as somber rock, cold and tarnished. Nude. Only those with a special tenacity and agility to squeeze through the walls of rock and specially to those with true respect for the works of nature, the caves take off their veil of silence revealing their splendor molded in calcite. As Jules Verne said " the most powerful attraction are those of abyss"
No comments:
Post a Comment