Environment

The Relief

Because of the fact that, in most of the part, the district's limit follows the water (cumpana) of the river Strei, a left affluent of Mures, to which are added the upper basins of the Jiu and the White Cris, the mountainous relief belongs only partially to important groups of mountains.

These mountaineous massifs, through their geographical features, belong to two important divisions of the Carpathians, represented into the district in almost equal proportions, namely the Mridional and the Occidental Carpathians, each underlining its own features.

The mountains from the Meridional Carpathians group have asimetric-versed profile abrupt towards North and long towards South and are made mainly of crystalline schists, folded into (panze de sariaj), fragmented by tectonic lines along which some compartments have been heighted (Retezat, Parnag) and others lowered (depressions Hateg,petrosani), are very solid, have an altitude of about 1500 m (maximum altitude goes over 2500 m) and a glacier relief very well developed.

From the Meridional Carpathians' group, in the limits of the Hunedoara district are partially present two massifs well individualized, namely Mounatains Godeanu and Parang, each being divised into a series of peaks belonging to the different mountaineous massifs that spread more or less radial from the two important (orografice) and hydrographic nodes.

The Parang Mountains represent the second mos important massif from the Meridional Carpathians whose peaks are present in the Hunedoara district. From this spreaded mountaineous mass (Parang is the massif with the greatest width from the Meridional Carpathians - about 70 km), bordered by the Jiu narrow pathm, Hategului depression, Orastiei Hills, Olt narrow path and the Oltenia Subcarpathian depression interst us only in the Noth-West sector of the Parang Mountains and the West one of the Surianu Mountains, two out of five subdivisions of the (orohidrografic) node Parang.

The limit between the two mountain groups is constituted by the East Jiu Valley and the Lotru Valley which, flowing in opposite directions, through a passage situated in the prolonging of the Cernea passage, dominated by heights over 200-300 m arelative altitude, separates the mountain sectors with different morphological characters.

The Parang Mountains, called like this because of their highest peak - Parangul Mare (2518 m by the lates measurements), wrongly noted on certain maps under the name of Mandra (a peak situated somewhere southern with an altitude of 2324 m), presents similar morphological features with the Retezat, Godeanu and Tarcu Mountains. In their case too many of the peaks coming from the North-West and West from the main peak, oriented North-South, separating the upper basins of the East Jiu and Lotru, go over 2000 m.

The highest level, between 1800 and 2200 m absolute altitude, is little represented in Parang. It can only be followed on the main narrow peak wich unfolds between Poiana Muierii - 1804 m, in the North and Coasta Rus - 2306 m in the South, dominated by a few peaks of which the most important are: Costisele-1910m, Capra-1928m, Ciobanul Mare-1944m, Pietrele-2155m etc.

Of this comes off towards North-West a peak that is higher than the previous one (over 2300 m), reduced to a sharp and indented crest whose most important peaks are, from South-East to North-West: Mandra- 2324 m, Parangul Mare- 2518 m, Parangul Mic (or Petrosanilor)-2073 m. Only at this end, on very small surfaces, the upper level can be recognized.
The level of 1400-1650 m has a much bigger development, surrounding towards West an north the highest peaks. It can be observed under the form of erosion witnesses in Gemanarii Hill- 1636 m, Cioca Stoinitii- 1466 m and Muncelul Jietului- 1526 m.

The inferior level staged at 1000-1250 m and situated at the border of the previous one is also presented under the form of erosion witnesses and can be reconstituted through the connecting of Ogrinului- 1110 m, Muntele Dealul Negru- 1113 m, Plaiul lui Godian- 1227 m and Dealul Cimpii- 1036 m.

The most spectacular morphological feature of the Parang Mountains is their glacier relief, meeting here a complete range of the respective relief forms: the crest Parang - Carja, glacier circuses at the springs Rosiilor, Slaveiului and Mijei and many glacier lakes as well as the glacier valley of Jiet are the most representative and picturesque at the same time.

The Sureanu Mountains (known on the maps and fronm literature under the name of Sebesului Mountains) are situated in North of East Jiu Valley and Lotrului Valley, presenting contrasting aspects compared to the Parang. The place of the sharp crests and the glacier relief is taken here by rounded long peaks, little ondulated, with monotonous landscape that spreads in a fan from the highest peak, descending in large steps towards the Hategului Depression and the Orastiei Hills.

The (denudare) surface Boracu (1800-200 m) is little represented here, being reduced to a single narrow peak orinted North-West - South-East (followed by the district's limit), dominated by a few high peaks: Dealul Negru-1853 m, Comarniceului-1893 m, Auselul- 2006 m, Sureanu- 2059 m and Varful lui Patru- 2130 m (the highest in this sector). The reduced extension of this surface is dued mostly because of the presence of the crystalline schists of the genetic tissue little resistant to erosion, crossed from place to place by small granite and (granodiorit) showings, no always very evident in the relief. This litological constitution ecplains the lack of the glacier relief that we would expect to find in these mountains that go higher than 2000 m, exposed almost everywhere towards North. To this is added the closeness and the low level of the local erosion basis, as well as the gradual heightening of the massif, that ordered the fast regressive progress of the valleys that fragmented and gradually reduced the surface of this level.

On the other hand the other inferior (denudare) levels, Raul Ses and Gornovita, are very well represented, here being present almost in exclusivity all the peaks of the Western Sureanu: the peaks Scoruset- 1512 m, Godeanul- 1655 m, Jigurul Mare- 1497 m, are only a few of the most important remains of the Rau Ses level. The greatest extent has though the surface of Gornovita, 1000-1200 m, which forms a large step surrounding the massif, dominating with 300-600 m the nearby depressions: Hateg and Orastiei passage. Coasta Taii- 1054 m, Paltinul- 1205 m, Fata Mare Hill-1248 m, are only a few of the most important heights here.

Contrasting to the haughty and very varied relief of the mountains, the intra-mountaineous depressions show up, introducing variety in the district's landscape. We are talking about the Petrosani and Hateg depressions, well morphologically drawn, framed by high mountains and bordered by tectonical lines, along which the two depressions gradually deepend, constituting basic levels close to the waters descending from the mountains, that deposed here the erosion material.

The Petrosani depression, axed on the two Jiu, dominated by the heights of Retezat, Valcan, Parang and Sureanu, is one of the most important coal basins in our country. It has a length of about 35 km on the direction West - East and a width that varies between 3 to 9 km. The lowest altitude (560 m) reaches the confluence of the two Jiu. Communication with the nearby regions is done through the Jiu Valey narrow path and through the Banita (Merisor) passage, along which is one of the crossing lines of the Meridional Carpathians.

The Petrosani Depression is bordered by tectonical lines very well underlined through level differences of a few hundred meters, and was formed through gradual sinking strating in the oligocen. Because of this fact the neogen deposits forming the filling of the tectonical basin reach the thickness of about 800 m and have a very varied litological constitution, following of the time succeding if the marine, lake and continental sedimentation phases. In these deposits are held 25 layers of coal of different thicknesses, exploited only partially.

Regarded in general, the relief of the Petrosani Depression is very fragmented because of the valleys that descend from the surrounding mountains, that, through the deepening of the neogen deposits ( the aleternation of the blocks of grit stone and clay, conglomerates), digged narrow deep valleys of 200-300 m. A series of heights constitute a porch (an erosion piedmont) that dominates Jiu Valley with 150-200 m, making the crossing from the mountaineous region to the depression one.

Programs, environment plans

The Petrila town constitutes the object of the Action plan for the environment, the project being the result of an initiative of the Inspectorate for Environment Protection Deva collaborating with the Prefecture and the District Council Hunedoara and is assisted and financially sustained by the Regiona Centre for Environment for Central and Eastern Europe through the local office in Bucharest - REC Romania. The project was officially launched at the date of 17 March 2001 and will last till the end of March 2002, with funds allotted for the elaboration process of PLAM at a district level in Hunedoara and Valcea of about 15000 USD.

As it happened in other countries where this program has started some time ago, we hope it will have a positive impact on all the inhabitants in the district. One of the essential conditions for success will be the active implication of all the citizens through initiatives and volunteer participation in covering the necessary road.

PLAM has high potential to solve the environment problems at a local level. The implication of the authorities and the capacity of the citizens to mobilize in actions ment to prevent pollution as well as environment protection are the two pillars on which our initative stands.

With the help of the representatives of the civil society, through PLAM a vision on the community we live in will be elaborated, sources of pollution will be identified, environment priorities will be set and necessary specific actions will be accomplished. In the different stages of the project periodic public consultancies will be made through specifical means. The opinions of the citizens will count a lot in taking decisions.

A hot-line will be launched where environment problems may be signaled (pollution air, sil, wastes, forest clearing, land slides, epidemics, cultural patrimony, green and leisure areas destruction etc.). A special mail box will be made to collect citizen initiatives. The civil society will be permanently informed through mass-media means (press, radio, television) about the project's evolution and we will ask for its participation every time it will be needed.

Source: DEEP