The Țarcu Mountains are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the southwestern

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, at the western edge of the

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the P ...

. They are located between the Bistra Valley (to the south),

Timiș River Timiș may refer to: *Timiș County, a county in western Romania *Timiș (river), a river in western Romania and Serbia *Ținutul Timiș, a former administrative unit of Romania *Temes County, a former administrative county (comitatus) in the hist ...

(to the east),

Godeanu Mountains The Retezat–Godeanu mountain group is a subgroup of mountains in the Southern Carpathians, Romania. It is named after the highest mountains in the group, the Retezat Mountains. Boundaries The Retezat–Godeanu group of mountains is bounded: *i ...

(to the northwest) and Râul Mare Valley (to the west), the last one being a natural barrier between them and the

Retezat Mountains The Retezat Mountains ( ro, Munții Retezat, hu, Retyezát-hegység) are one of the highest massifs in Romania, being part of the Southern Carpathians. The highest peak is Peleaga (Vârful Peleaga), at an altitude of . Other important peaks are ...

. The Țarcu Mountains have been declared

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectively ...

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

since 2007 because they shelter valuable

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and spectacular

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

. Together with the

, the

and Cernei Mountains they form the last European

Intact Forest Landscape An intact forest landscape (IFL) is an unbroken natural landscape of a forest ecosystem and its habitat–plant community components, in an extant forest zone. An IFL is a natural environment with no signs of significant human activity or habitat f ...

, if we do not take

boreal forests Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces ...

(from

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

) into account.

Geology

Most rocks in the range are

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

line, with few areas with

sedimentary rocks Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles t ...

. As such, the mountains are

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

s, cut by narrow valleys.

Limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

is found only in a few places. Erosion has formed several very prominent platforms, such as the Borăscu platform.

Glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

were present during the

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

s, leaving glacial calderas and small

glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10,0 ...

s, such as the

Bistra Lake Bistra may refer to: Name Female's name in Bulgaria Populated places * Bistra, Silistra Province, a village in Silistra Province, Bulgaria * Bistra, Targovishte Province, a village in Targovishte Province, Bulgaria * Bistra, Croatia, a village i ...

Climate

Because of the western climatic influences, the amount of

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

in the Țarcu Mountains is quite large. Snow may fall at altitudes above 1500 metres at any time in the year, while the snow pack usually lasts from October or November until June or even July in the glacial

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

s of the highest peaks.

Important peaks

* ''Vârful Țarcu'', 2190 metres, has a

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

on its top. * ''Vârful Pietrii'', 2192 metres, dominating the Bistra Lake. * ''Vârful Căleanu'', 2190 metres. * '' Muntele Mic'', 1802 metres, has a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

. * ''Măgura Marga'', 1503 metres, dominating the Marga village. * ''Vârful Cuntu'', 1441 metres, has a

nearby.

External links

Intact Forest Landscapes

Tarcu Mountains Natura 2000 Site, in Romanian

Carpathians Mountains, in Romanian
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarcu Mountains Mountain ranges of Romania Mountain ranges of the Southern Carpathians Geography of Caraș-Severin County Banat