The Șureanu Mountains, (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Mühlbacher Gebirge'', Hungarian: ''Kudzsiri-havasok''), belong to

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 ...

's Parâng range in 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 ...

, with peaks frequently exceeding . The mountains are located north of Romania's

Jiu Valley The Jiu Valley ( ro, Valea Jiului ) is a region in southwestern Transylvania, Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains. The region was heavily industrialised and th ...

, in the

Hunedoara Hunedoara (; german: Eisenmarkt; hu, Vajdahunyad ) is a municipiu, city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southwestern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boș (''Bós''), Groș ...

and

Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...

counties. They border the Cindrel Mountains to the east and the

Lotru Mountains Lotru Mountains ( ro, Munții Lotrului) are a group of mountains that are part of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It bo ...

to the southeast. The

Parâng Mountains The Parâng Mountains (; hu, Páring-hegység) are one of the highest mountain ridges in Romania and Southern Carpathians, with the highest peak, Parângu Mare, reaching 2,519 m. Description The Parâng Mountains are located in the south-western ...

are to the south, separated by the

Jiul de Est River The Jiul de Est ("Eastern Jiu", previously also known as ) is a headwater of the river Jiu (river), Jiu in Romania. Its source is in the Șureanu Mountains. At its confluence with the Jiul de Vest in Iscroni, the Jiu is formed.Hațeg Depression and the Orăștie Corridor, lie 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 ...

and the

Poiana Ruscă Mountains The Poiana Ruscă Mountains (part of the Western Carpathians) are a Carpathian mountain range in western Romania. The mountains are situated roughly south of the Mureș River, northeast of the Timiș River, and west of the Strei River. The Bega R ...

, while to the north, across the

Mureș River Mureș may refer to: * Mureș County, Romania * Mureș (river) in Romania and Hungary (''Maros'') * Mureș culture, a Bronze Age culture from Romania See also * Târgu Mureș, the capital of Mureș County * Ocna Mureș Ocna Mureș (; la, Salina ...

valley, lie the

Apuseni Mountains The Apuseni Mountains ( ro, Munții Apuseni, hu, Erdélyi-középhegység) is a mountain range in Transylvania, Romania, which belongs to the Western Romanian Carpathians, also called ''Occidentali'' in Romanian. Their name translates from Rom ...

. The Șureanu Mountains are divided into the Sebeș Mountains to the east and the Orăștiei Mountains to the west. In all, they cover an area of . The highest peak is Peter's Peak (''Vârfu lui Pătru''), at ; other peaks are Șureanu Peak, at and Vârfu Negru, at , as well as Aușelu, Comărnicelul, Gropșoara, and Pârva peaks. They are primarily a highland with meadows and pastures, with very large forested area throughout the surrounding high mountains. In the southern area of these mountains there is a

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 ...

region with several caves, hills, and gorges. Lacul Sureanu,Muntii Sureanu,Romania

Lake Șureanu (also known as the Bottomless Lake) is a

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 ...

situated at an altitude of , east of Șureanu Peak. It covers , has length , maximum width of , and maximum depth of . The Șureanu Mountains are traversed by several rivers, mostly flowing north towards the Mureș. * The Cugir River has its source under Peter's Peak, at an altitude of ; it starts at the confluence of

headwater The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...

s Râul Mare and Râul Mic in the town of

Cugir Cugir (; German: ''Kudsir, Kudschir'', Hungarian: ''Kudzsir'') is a town in Alba County, Romania. Declared a town in 1968, it administers seven villages: Bocșitura (Hungarian ''Boksiturahavas'', German ''Potschitur''), Bucuru (''Bukuruhavas''/' ...

. * The Orăștie River has its source near Zebru Mountain, at an altitude of . * The Pianul River has its source in

Pianu Pianu (german: Pien; hu, Felsőpián) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It has a population of 3,390 and is composed of five villages: Pianu de Jos (''Alsópián''), Pianu de Sus (the commune center), Plaiuri (''Plainte ...

commune. * The Sebeș River starts from the Oașa Lake and separates the Șureanu and Cindrel mountains. * The

Strei River The Strei ( hu, Sztrigy) is a left tributary of the river Mureș in Transylvania, Romania. The upper reach of the river, upstream of the village of Baru, is also known as ''Râul Petros''. It flows through the town Călan and the villages Petr ...

has its source above

Baru ''Baru'' is an extinct genus of Australian mekosuchine crocodilian. It was semi-aquatic, around 4 m (13 ft) in length. Being semi-aquatic its habitat was around fresh pools of water in wet forests, ambushing their prey, much like moder ...

commune.

Notes

Mountain ranges of Romania Mountain ranges of the Southern Carpathians {{Romania-geo-stub