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 aris ...

in southwestern

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, at the western edge of the

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ; ) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and ...

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

Timiș River The Timiș or Tamiš (, , , ) is a river that flows through the Banat region of Romania and Serbia and joins the Danube near Pančevo, in northern Serbia. Due to its position in the region, it has been labeled as the "spine of the Banat". N ...

(to the east), Godeanu Mountains (to the northwest) and Râul Mare Valley (to the west), with the Râul Mare Valley serving as their natural border with the

Retezat Mountains The Retezat Mountains (, ) 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 Păpușa (Vârful Păpușa, "the Doll Pea ...

. They were declared a

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, respectiv ...

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

in 2007 due to their unique

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. Together with the Retezat, Godeanu and mountains, they constitute the only

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 ...

in Europe outside of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

Geology

Most rocks in the range are crystalline, with few areas with

sedimentary rock Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...

. As such, the mountains are massifs, cut by narrow valleys.

Limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

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

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

were present during the

ice ages 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 Gre ...

, leaving glacial calderas and small

glacial lakes 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 ...

, 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 municipal ...

Climate

Because of the Western climatic influences, the amount of

rainfall Rain is a form of precipitation where water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor 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. ...

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

calderas A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the st ...

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 atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...

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 Am ...

. * ''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