Chapter 57 - The Romanian Carpathians: glacial landforms from the Last Glacial Maximum (29–19 ka)

Abstract

Detailed geomorphological mapping over several decades has led to the conclusion that the Quaternary glaciation left a strong imprint in the geomorphological landscape of all mountain massifs higher than 2000m. They are present two main types of geomorphologic landscapes, the Borăscu glacial landscape, with glacial cirques developed at the edge of planation surfaces, and Făgăraș landscape, a typical alpine-style glacial landscape. In Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) phase, in lower mountain areas, glaciers were present only where a sum of local factors favoured their formation, a good example being Apuseni Mountains. For the Rodnei Mountains the highest of Eastern Carpathians, a 5-km long glacier descended to 1000m on Pietroasa Valley, corresponding to an equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) at 1340m, the frontal moraines being between 26.6±2.4 and 18.3±1.6ka. On the volcanic caldera’s walls of Călimani Mountains, small cirque and valley glaciers were present, and the upper conglomeratic structural plateau of Ceahlău Mountains was occupied by a small plateau glacier. In the Southern Carpathians in the Retezat Mountains, around 21±0.8–1.5ka 10Be ages, the glaciers descended to 1000–1050m during LGM. The Pietrele glacial complex covering an area of 27.3km2, and the corresponding ELA was at 1646m. The planation surfaces, a true peneplain, ubiquitous above 1800m in Godeanu, Ţarcu, Cindrel, Lotrului, and Şurianu Mountains and the marginal parts of the Retezat, Iezer, and Făgăraş Mountains favoured the development of plateau glaciers associated with conical glaciers and/or small ice caps.