Where is carpathian mountains located

Photo source: Trecator. This is a truly beautiful region, that can be explored by train, car, or even on foot. The road and the railroad follow the bank of the Jiu river, constantly switching between the left and right side through bridges and tunnels in the mountain.

Domogled — Valea Cernei is the largest natural park in Romania , as well as one of the oldest. It got its status due to the large number of thermal springs, lakes, caves, and the more than species of plants and animals that populate it.

Photo source: Romania Resorts. The whirling rivers of the park make it a perfect place for rafting enthusiasts , and the strong flow of the water is bound to give you an adrenaline rush.

The reservation is also a perfect spot for mountaineering , being dominated by mountains with steep walls. The Rodnei Mountains National Park is one of the most important parks in Romania , due to the geology and geomorphology of the mountains, but also due to the numerous species of flora and fauna, as well as glacial relics. Photo source: Timp Online. The area is filled with landmarks and there are several routes that one can take in order to explore the area. For most of the routes you can take a chairlift from Borsa, which will give you some extraordinary view over the plateau, and then you can visit the Iezer Lake, the Stiol Lake, or the Horses Waterfall.

Piatra Craiului is pretty much Heaven on Earth for the lovers of adrenaline and mountaineering. It is full of challenging hiking and climbing routes, but they reward those who are up to the challenge with some truly stunning views.

The mountain offers some tracks for beginners as well, but the sights are not as good. Besides the stunning views, the national park is home to a large biodiversity as well as several touristic attractions, among which Bran Castle. With over 50 glacial lakes , thousands of species of plants and hundreds of species of birds, the Retezat National Park is by far the best place to go in order to escape the stress and the routine of the day-to-day life.

The area is visited by almost Most of them have a duration of 2 to 4 hours , and you can discover the natural landscapes as well as the flora and fauna without putting in much effort.

Depending on the season, there are a lot of activities that can be done in the park. During the warmer seasons, it is used for hiking, mountain biking, mountaineering, cave exploring, swimming or sunbathing, but during winter, the park is the perfect place for ski lovers.

Besides the 14 National Parks , Romania also has 18 Natural Parks , all of which account for a rich and diverse flora and fauna. Romania has one of the largest remaining areas of undisturbed forest in Europe , an extensive network of rivers as well as the largest part of Europe's largest wetland, the Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains also provide a wide range of activities that can be enjoyed, from taking off-road tours through the Jiu Valley and hiking in the Bucegi Mountains, to bird watching from the cliffs of the Apuseni Mountains and horse riding on the Transylvanian Plateau, near the traditional villages with fortified churches, included in the UNESCO World Heritage patrimony.

The Carpathian Mountains Without having the fame of the Alps or the Himalayas, The Carpathian Mountains mesmerize with their sometimes terrifying wilderness. The Carpathian Mountains Discover Romania. Photo by Stefan Cosma The name of the mountains is derived from the old Dacian tribes called "Carpes" or "Carpi", who lived in the area of the present-day Romania, stretching from the north-eastern side of the Black Sea to the fields of Transylvania. Recommended tour Off-road day trip through the Carpathian Mountains Throughout the ages, the Carpathian Mountains have played important roles in Romania's defense system.

Read more. Threats to the environment of the Carpathian Mountains Land abandonment, habitat conversion and fragmentation, deforestation, unsustainable forestry and agricultural practices and pollution are resulting in the loss of the Carpathian landscape and biodiversity. European Commission European Environment Agency. European Commission. European Environment Agency. Quarternary formations such as glacial deposits, alluvial deposits, and loess in the depressions are widespread. The tectonic structure of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains is complex and is still being investigated by geologists.

Generally, however, the structure is characterized by zonation and nappes. The Carpathian Mountains were formed during the Alpine orogeny in the Tertiary period. Prior to that, from the end of the Paleozoic to the Cretaceous period, mountains of the Hercynian orogeny late Paleozoic era , known as the Protocarpathians, existed in their place. In the Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary periods the Protocarpathians were destroyed and were replaced by geosynclinal depressions filled with seawaters.

The Rakhiv Mountains and isolated cliffs klippen are remnants of the ancient mountains. In the geosynclines flysch was deposited to a depth of 5,—7, m. In the Upper Tertiary period the present mountains rose at the site of the geosynclinal depressions. Their formation was accompanied by violent volcanic effusions. The contours of the Carpathians were formed in the first half of the Miocene epoch. In the middle of the period the Carpathians underwent partial peneplanation, which was interrupted by uplifting followed by peneplanation again.

The present relief of the mountains is the result of the two peneplanations, which produced large, flat surfaces and terraces at several altitudes. Transverse dislocations, which cut across the structural zones and frequently provide a path for rivers , play an important role in the geological structure of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

See diagram: Carpathian Mountains in Profile. Zonation is characteristic of the tectonic structure of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The Ukrainian Carpathians are typical mountains of medium height with rock of low resistance. Gentle, broad, and little-dissected ridges and parallel valleys contrast with the deeply incised up to 1, m transverse valleys with steep slopes that are the result of the relief's rejuvenation.

Only the highest parts of the Carpathians—mainly the Hutsul Alps and Chornohora —display a high-mountain landscape owing to past glaciation.

Rock fields appear only here and, more markedly, in the Gorgany Mountains , but even the highest peaks of the Carpathians are covered with clays and continuous vegetation. See map: Carpathian Mountains, Morphology. Despite a certain generally perceived uniformity of landscape, the Ukrainian Carpathians can be divided into a number of regions, based on different geological structure and altitude.

These tend to form longitudinal belts stretching from the northwest to the southeast as is typical of all the Carpathians. The belts comprise 1 the high, outer flysch belt, separated by 2 the Middle-Carpathian Depression from 3 the inner, high flysch belt—the Polonynian Beskyd , which is in turn separated by 4 the Inner Carpathian Valley from 5 the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians. The landscape varies within each belt.

See map: Carpathian Mountains, Division. The outer high belt of the Beskyds, which corresponds to the outer anticline, rises steeply beginning at — m above Subcarpathia. The lower parts of this belt have a well-developed banded structure with a trellised drainage pattern: the longitudinal ridges, with steeper northeastern slopes and gentler southwestern slopes, are built of limestones and are separated by parallel wide valleys carved out of soft marls and clay.

In the higher parts ridges forming a feathered pattern with transverse valleys predominate; clearly defined peaks, rock fields, and weak traces of glaciation are evident.

Several groups can easily be distinguished in the outer Beskyds: 1 the lowest range—the Middle Beskyd—which lies between the bend of the Sian River and the Turka - Boryslav line; 2 the High Beskyd , which rises above the Middle Beskyd by — m and extends to the east of it as far as the Mizunka River its peaks are Mount Parashka , 1, m, and Magura Ridge, 1, m [see Magura mountains ] ; 3 the Gorgany Mountains—the highest Syvulia, m and most continuous part of the Outer Beskyds, which stretches to the Prut River ; and 4 the lower Hutsul Beskyd , sometimes known as the Pokutia -Bukovynian Carpathians Hordyi Peak, 1, m , which stretches to the Suceava River in the east.

The Middle-Carpathian Depression is a basin of gently contoured, low-mountain topography with an elevation — m below that of the two high sandstone zones. The main Carpathian watershed runs along this belt on a line from the source of the Sian River to the source of the Prut River, as do the main mountain passes such as Uzhok Pass m , Veretskyi Pass m , and Yablonytskyi Pass m.

The central part of the depression 25—30 km wide borders on the High Beskyd and is the most developed part. The Polonynian Beskyd is the highest and most blocklike part of the Eastern Carpathians. In the past it was the main watershed. Its broad and gentle tops are covered with meadows, the remnants of former peneplains, and provide a sharp contrast with the narrow valleys, which are almost 1, m deep.

Postglacial cirques, some of them filled by lakes , appear on the mountain slopes. West of the Uzh River the ridges of the Polonynian Beskyd form a banded pattern and in a few places rise above 1, m. Farther east it consists of the high massifs Rivna 1, m. Borzhava 1, m , Krasna 1, m , Svydivets 1, m , and Hoverlia 2, m.

In eastern Bukovyna the flysch zone shrinks to 40 km in width, and the division between the flysch belts disappears, forming the East Bukovynian Beskyd. This applies particularly to the Hutsul Alps 1, m. The lower Chyvchyn Mountains , which are built mostly of crystalline schists, and the Bukovynian part of the range have gentler outlines, which are not much different from those of flysch mountains. Its absolute elevation is — m; it can, however, reach m in passes. Formed out of volcanic strata, the valley has gentle outlines and contains a series of terraces.

Small longitudinal streams flow along it into the right-bank tributaries of the Tysa River. The basin has an elevation of — m and is covered with thick layers from the Miocene period, with saline strata. The last belt of the Ukrainian Carpathians consists of the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians , which rise steeply for — m above the Tysa Lowland and attain an elevation of —1, m.

These mountains consist mainly of effusion centers joined by lava streams. The landscape is defined by massive, broad ridges, picturesque volcanic rings the remains of craters , and cones.

A narrow band of gentle foothills stretches below this range. West of the Laborets River, Oslava River, and Sian River the Carpathians consist only of a low flysch belt, 30—40 km wide, on both sides of the main watershed. This is the Low Beskyd. It is preceded by low foothills — m in elevation, which broaden out in the north and encompass the large, flat Gorlice - Sianik Basin a continuation of the Middle Carpathian Depression.

The highest peaks of the Low Beskyd hardly reach 1, m, and the passes lie at an elevation of — m the Tylych Pass [ m], Duklia Pass [ m], and Lupkiv Pass [ m]. The climate of the Carpathians is determined by the climate of the adjacent plateaus, the height of the mountains, and the relief. Seasonal variations which also affect the Danube Lowland in barometric pressure from the winter maximum to the summer minimum have an important influence.

The mountains protect southern Transcarpathia from the flow of cold air from the north. However, warm air masses from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean bring cyclones and heavy rainfall to the southern and western slopes. Annual precipitation varies from to 1, mm and is usually —1, mm, depending on altitude and local conditions, such as the position of the slopes.

The basins of the upper Teresva River and Tereblia River receive the largest amount of precipitation, while the intermontane depressions are relatively dry.

The southern slopes get — mm more precipitation than do the northern slopes at the same altitude. Most of the precipitation occurs in June and July; the least, in January and February. In general, almost two-thirds of the precipitation comes in the warm half of the year; hence summers are quite cloudy, and winters are sunny. Like all mountain climates, the climate of the Carpathians is subject to many local variations: the weather of the northern slopes differs from that of the southern slopes, gentle Foehn winds visit some parts, and temperature inversions occur in wintertime when the air is warmer on the slopes than in the valleys, which are filled with heavier, cold air.

The Carpathians are rich in rivers. The rivers are fed mostly by snow and rain. Flash floods are common in the spring and summer.

In the Carpathians the soils are determined by the type of parental mountain rock, elevation, and vegetation cover. The brown podzol forest soils are the most common, but they are not homogeneous. They vary from areas covered with beech woods to areas of fir-tree forests and are different still in deforested, farming areas which have light-brown forest soils.

The brown soils are acidic and of low fertility; hence, lime and mineral fertilizers are required for their improvement. The peat podzolic soils on the southern slopes of the Volcanic Ukrainian Carpathians are more fertile. Various meadow soils are found in the valleys. Above the timberline there are mountain podzol soils, mountain meadow soils, and peat soils, often containing many rock fragments. The vegetation of the Ukrainian Carpathians belongs to the Central European province.

Except for that of the Low Beskyd , the flora here is much richer than in the Western Carpathians and includes many Balkan and Transylvanian species and a number of endemic forms. At one time all the Carpathians were covered with forest and topped with meadows and rock fields.

Even today about one-half of the region is forested. All the mountain vegetation belts are represented in the Ukrainian Carpathians. The lowest belt, up to an altitude of — m, consists of deciduous and mixed forests, which contain mostly oak and some hornbeam , maple , linden , elm , birch , and pine.

In Transcarpathia , up to an altitude of m, there are also some warm-climate species such as the chestnut and walnut.