The Cheile Bicazului - Hășmaș ('' Bicaz Gorges -

Hășmaș Mountains The Hășmaș Mountains ( Romanian: ''Munții Hășmaș''; Hungarian: ''Hagymás-hegység'') are limestone and sandstone massifs located in Romania, in the Inner Eastern Carpathians group of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains The Carpathi ...

'') National Park is located in north-eastern

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 ...

, in the

Eastern Carpathians Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system. Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya Sy ...

mountain chain. The reservation territory is part of Neamț and

Harghita Harghita County (, and , ) is a county () in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a population density of ...

counties. The park administration is located in Izvoru Mureșului, in

Harghita County Harghita County (, and , ) is a county () in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a population density of ...

Geologic features

The park's most important geologic features are:Gheorghe Romanescu, Cristian Constantin Stoleriu and Andrei Enea * Cheile Bicazului (Bicaz Gorges), a deep canyon dug by the river

Bicaz Bicaz () is a town in Neamț County, Western Moldavia, Romania situated in the eastern Carpathian Mountains near the confluence of the Bicaz and Bistrița Rivers and near Lake Bicaz, an artificial lake formed by the Bicaz Dam on the Bistri� ...

* Lacu Roșu (the Red Lake) – a natural dam lake *

Most of the park's territory coincides with the syncline of the ''Hășmaș Massif'', over whose crystalline base lies a stack of sediments from the Mesozoic. In the Paleozoic, orogeny and tectonic shifts processes pushed older rocks formed in the Proterozoic over more recent rocks formed in the Cambrian.The end of the Paleozoic brings with it the formation of a geosyncline, which in the Triassic is covered by transgression of the sea waters.Thus, on the preexisting crystalline base (which currently appears on the periphery of the massif on the surface), a covering of conglomerates and hard limestone sediments was deposited in the Mesozoic seas over 6 major phases interrupted by terrestrial stages (when the area became temporarily dry land).These intermittent stages denuded the sediment thickness by subaerial erosion and shaped the landscape. The accumulation of sediments in the geosyncline was accompanied by their penetration by volcanic rocks at the end of the Lower Cretaceous. The marine species that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous seas left traces in the form of fossils, which are abundant in this area.

Diversity

Landscape diversity

The landscape of the ''Hășmaș Mountains'' takes the form of rounded limestone

ridges A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

with a peneplain appearance, from which the walls of the gorges drop away in the form of a precipice. The water of Bicaz, which springs from ''Lacul Roșu'' (Red Lake) flows through the cliffs, covering while descending a big level difference. The landscape there features monumental vertical rock walls with trees growing occasionally in the small available

habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

. The tributaries of the Bicaz have carved their own gorges in the area - such as those of ''Lapoșului'', ''Cupașului'', ''Șugăului'' and ''Bicăjelului'', embellished by rapids,

waterfalls A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several ...

or series of potholes. The subalpine meadow-covered ridges combine with patches of grassy vegetation on slopes and terraces. Viewpoints are formed by the intersection of cliffs with quasi-vertical walls and forests. The latter, sometimes compact spruce or mixed with

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

(less common), cover steep conglomerate slopes, whilst

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

trees sometimes grow in rock crevices.

Zones

The park's area of is divided into two zones: the special conservation zone (78%), and the protection zone (22%).

Natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

s: * Bicaz Gorge (Neamț County – 1,600 hectares and Harghita County – 2,128 hectares) * Lacu Roșu * (10 hectares) * (5 hectares) *Hășmașul Mare Massif, Piatra Singuratică (the Lonely Stone) and Hășmașul Negru (800 hectares)

Gallery

File:Lacul rosu1.jpg, Red Lake File:Bicaz Garganta.JPG, Bicaz Gorge File:Hășmaș Mountains.jpg,

File:Cheile Şugăului 01.JPG,

References

External links

Park's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheile Bicazului-Hasmas National parks of Romania Protected areas of the Eastern Carpathians Geography of Neamț County Geography of Harghita County Tourist attractions in Neamț County Tourist attractions in Harghita County