Revista de Geomorfilogie, tomul I, 1997 Jpoteze asupra formarii Dunarii pe teritoriul romanesc Hypotheses upon the Danube Valley on the Romanian territory Formarea Dunarii in sectorul roménesc, ca organism hidrogralic actual, a constituit un obiect de mare interes pentru geografii roméni si straini mai ales incepand cu secolul al 19-lea, cand impunerea rezolvarii unor probleme ale navigabilitatii fluviului a impulsionat cercetarea stiintifies. Analizele componentelor genetico- evolutive si de peisaj au condus Ja necesitatea diferentierii. unui numar de sectoare si subsectoare distincte ale vi Dunarii, concepute diferit, in functie de autor. Conform scopului urmarit, in cadrul studiului de fat prevaland elementul genetic, acestea au fost sistematizate in trei sectiuni: defileul Portilor de Fier (Bazias-Gura Vaii), Dunarea inferioara de cimpie (Gura Vaii-Braila), Dunarea maritima si delta, dintre care primele doua constituie obiectul propriu-zis al acestei lucrari. 1. | CONCEPfI! PRIVIND GENEZA DEFILEULUI DUNAREAN. Defileul dunarean al Cazanelor sau af Portilor de Fier desparte, pe o distanta de 134 kun, at&t zona muntoasd de legatura dintre Carpati si Balcani, cat si Podisul Mehedinti de Miroci Planina (fig. 1), adincindu-se, pe cea mai mare parte, eu peste 200 m intr-un culoar tectonic si de eroziune de varsta mio-pliocena, larg in paztea superioara de pana la 10 km. Morfologia defileuiui a facut obiectul mai multor studii de sinteza sau de analiza partiala, din care sau desprins inevitabil Juliana Armas, 1. Benea The forming of the Danube River on the Romenien territory, as a hydrographic organism, has been an object of great interest tor the Romenian and foreign geographers, as well. This interest has begun with the 19th century, when navigation problems along the aiver stimulated the scientifical approaches. The analysis of genesis, evolution and Jandseape elements has led to a differentiation of 2 number of specific sectors and subsectors of the river course, variedly settied by different authors, According to the purpose we here follow, the genetic approach prevailing in this study, these sections have been systematised as being three in number: the Iron Gates Defile (Bazias - Gura Vaii); the lower Danube - in the plains (Gura Vait - Braila); the maritime Danube and the Delta. The the first two sectors give the object of this paper. 1. CONCEPTIONS REGARDING THE GENESIS AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE DANUBE’S DEFLE. The Danube's Defile - the Iron Gates or the Cazane Defile - separates (along 134 kam) dhe montainous area which links the Carpathians with the Balkans, the Mehedinti Platean and the Miroci Planina (Fig. 1). It deepens, on its most length, with more than 200 m in a tectonic and erosion track of Mio- Pliocene age, wide to 10 km 2t the upper part. The morphology of this defile was the object of many analythical or symtethical studies, from which the first hypotheses upondiferite conceptii asupra formarii sale: (37, 15, 58, 7, 12, 21, 22, 23, 7, 62, 9, 3, 4, 47, 13, 14, 27, 28, 39, 41, 52, 34, 35, 40, 11, 10, 16, 42, 49, 50). © prima grupare a acestor modalitati de explicare a sectorului de defilen a fost sistematizata de Posea gi colab. in 1969. Geneza Dunarii, incadrindu-se in dificila fnjelegere a formarii valor transversale carpatice (42), a primit, uneoti pe suportul acelorasi argumente, solutii diferite: — amplasarea pe un sistem de lini rupturale, perpendiculare pe axa Carpatilor si Balcanilor (15, 7), — ipoteza revirstrii Lacului Panonic (58, 12), Ulterior s-au detasat cele doua mecanisme de bavi in aparijia vailor transversale: antecedenta si__captarea, sustinute initial de Cvijic si respectiv Valsan. Ambele teorii au ca punct comun de plecare faptul de necontestat ca aparitia defileului a fost pregatita de sirul bazinelor miocene existente aici dupa formarea suprafefei Almijului, @. Ipoteza antecedentei, formulata pentru prima data de A. Penck in 1895, a fost emisé int-o forma mai completa, dar numai probabil, de Cvijic in 1908. Pe baza unor cartari de detaliu, acesta indica prezenta unei stramtori marine miocene, amplasati pe aliniamentul uneia sau a mai multor vai Premiocene din actualul defileu. Stramtoarea miocena se extindea din bazinul Milanovac spre Bahna, der numai fn sarmatian se dezvoltase o legatura de la Orsova catre Sip, preluata in pliocen de catre Duniire (Pontischer Talboden). derularea evenimentelor trecerii de la valea premiocent la stimtoarea miocena si apoi_ la valea dunareana pontica, Cvijic considera ca apele miocene au preluat initial cursul unor vechi vai, patrunzfind astfel in sectoarele de la Milanovac, Orsova si Bahna, unde au generat doua golfuri despartite de o cumpéna Greben - Liubcova. Aceasia dispare in timpul mediteranianului (1, cand spre Bahna, dar numai in sarmatian, se realizase 0 strémtoare ce unea bazinul pontic de cel getic. ih sarmatian se revine la vechea cumpana intre Greben-Liubcova, stratele sarmatiene ajungind in vest doar pana la it’s genesis inevitably derived:(37, 15, 58, 7, 12, 21, 22, 23, 7, 62, 9, 3, 4, 47, 13, 14, 27, 28, 39, Al, 52, 34, 35, 40, 11, 10, 16, 42, 49, 50). A first attempt to classify the hypothesis upon the defile genesis was made by Posea et al. (1969). The genesis of the defile, as a part of a more complicated phenomenon (the genesis of transverse Catpathiar valleys) (42), has received different answers, sometimes supported by the very same arguments, such as: - the valley's setting on 2 wanscarpathian system of faults (15, 7) — the idea of the flood of a Pannonian Lake towards East (58, 12). Later, iwo basic mechanisms have came on the spot: the antecedence and the river capture, being at first supported by Cvijie and respectively by Valsan. Both theories have a common starting point: the genesis of the Danube’s Delile had been prepared by a series of Miocene basins which existed after the Almaj erosion surface was formed. The antecedence hypothesis was first formulated by A. Penck in 1895 and fully develloped, but only theoretically, by Cvijic in 1908. According to a very detailed mapping of the area, the second author indicates the presence of a pre-Miocene marine channel, sited on one or more pro~ Miocene valleys within. the defile. The Miocene valley lew from the Milanovac basin towards Babna river and during the Sarmatian only that valley had developed 2 slope from Orsova towards Sip; the Danube followed that valley only in Pliocene (Ger Pontische Talboden). Remaking the course of the events: the pre-Miocene valley, the Miocene strait the Pontian Danube’s valleys, Cvijic considered that the Miocene waters firstly overtook the track of some old valley. thus reaching the Milanovac, Orsova and Bahna areas, where they created two bays, separated by the Grebea-Liubcova watershed. This watershed disappeared during the Mediterranean Hl, when a strait connecting the Pontic and Getic lakes came into being. During the Sarmatian, the old watershedPescazi, iar fn est pana Ja Orsova. in acelasi timp, Cvijie aratt ca depunerile sarmatice ocupau zona de la Orsova - Bahna, trecand si spre Sip, unde prezinta o inclinare spre bazinul getic. Acoperirea acestor formatiuni cu detritus pliocen si pleistocen gros este considerata ca indic&nd vechi delte san conuri mati de dejectie care functionau in cele trei bazinete lacustre de la Orgova, Dubova si Milanovac. Argumentul de bazi in favoarea ipotezei_antecedenci este reconstituirea, de catre Cvijic, a vaii pontice la nivelul de 260- 300 m altitudine relativa, sapat direct in suprafata de 400-450 m (Gomovita, din pliocenul mediu, stabilita insa de Cvijic ca fiind premiocena), Incercarea de a incadra Ja unitatea de vale existent’ intre Orsova-Bazias si portiunea de deasupra localititilor Sip - Podvarska (370 - 450 m altitudine absoluta), este argumentaté insa in mod forjat prin unitatea de pietrisuri cuartitice suportate de toate cele patru sectoare ale vaii pontice (Cazane, bazinul Milanovac, Moldova Noua, Sip - Podvarsks) si de supozitia unor “‘riscary ondulatorii” care au condus la deformarea si amplasarea la diferie altimdini a unor portiuni restrinse din cadrul_peneplenei Miroci si a vechii albii a Dunarii. Coea ce Cvijic considera deasupra localitajilor Sip - Podvarska, drept find vechiul fund de vale, s-a dovedit a fi, in fapt, partea superioara a unui piemont-glacis format la contactul podisurilor Miroci Mcehedinti cu lacul levantin ai Depresiuni Getice si care cobora pana deasupra terasei de 95-115 m (42). Totodata, Cvijic exclude suprafata care apare in continuitate cu cea a Cazanelor si a celor din bazinul Milanovac (22), suprafata ce indied o scurgere inisiala spre vest si o legaturd a culoaralui marin spre lacul getic pe directia Bahna - Baia de Arama sinu pe la Sip - Portile de Fier. Alt argument, stabilirea unui imens con dunarean in Oltenia (fapt sustinut si de Liveanu si Ghenea, 20), s-a dovedit a fi rezultatul colmatarii lacuiui din Campia Romina cu pietrisurile aduse in villafranchian de catre rfurile Carpatilor Meridionali, .conducind la _extinderea Piemontului Getic spre sud. Ulterior, studiile us reappears, the Sarmatian rock-layers extended westward to Pescati and eastward to Orsova town only. Cvijic demonstrated that the Sarmatiaa deposits also occupied the Orsova- Bahus area, reaching Sip, where they fall towards the Getic Lake. The thick cones of Pliocene and Pleistocene detritic deposits were considered old deltas or large fans which were developing in the three lake basins at Orsova, Dubova and Milanovac. The most important argument for the antecedence hypothesis is, according to Cvijic, the reconstruct of the Pontian valley, at 260-300 m relative altitude, directly imposed into the Garnovita erosion surface (400-500 m altitude), dating from the Middle Pliocene (Cvifie considers it as being earlier than the Miocene). He also tries, in a rather unnatural dnanner, to assimilate to the valley the unit existing between Orsova and Bazias - the scotion from above Sip-Podvirske (370-450 m absolute altitude). His arguments are the quartz gravels which lay above all the four sections of the valley (Cazane, Milanovac. Moldova Noua, Sip - Podvarska) and the supposition of some “waving movements” that led to local altitudinal differentiations within the Miroci peneplain and the old Danube’s valley. What Cvijic considered the upper patt of a piedmont-glacis proved to be an old river bed above Sip - Podvarska, which formed at the contact between the Mireci and Mebedingi Plateaus and the Levantine (Romanian) lake of the Getic Depression. It descends till above the 90-115 m terrace (42). In the same tine, Crijic excludes the Batna surfice from the Milanovac basin (22), thas indicating an initial westwards water-flow and link between the marine strait and the Getic Lake on the Bahna-Baia de Arami direction, not on Sip-Lron Gate one. Another argument, given by the prescace of a huge fan which the Danube built in Oltenia plain (argument sustained by Liteanu and Ghenea, 20), proved to be the result of the alluviation of the lake settled in the Romanian Plain with gravels brought by rivers coming fom the Southem Carpathians during the Villafranchian, thus contributing te the southwards extention of the Geticintreprinse de Posea, Grigore, Popescu (50), de la Universitatea din Bucuresti, au demonstrat faptul c& un fluviu precum Dunérea nu transporti elemente grosiere pe care sa le depuni la iesirea din defilen, acestea fiind macinate fn cadrul unor marmite cu adancimi de pint la 50 m, create in calcar prin procese de evorsiune pe fondul unei carstificari anterioare (66). favoarea trecerii nemijlocite de la strémtoarea marina mioceni la valea transversal est-vest au fost aduse ulterior si alte argumente, der care nu completeazi cu mult imaginea schifata de Cvijic in 1908. Mihiilescu (28) considera, prin similitudine cu alte rauri carpatice (Jiu, Olt, Buzau), persistenta Dunarii pe amplasamentul actual, iar Orghidan (34) aduce in sprijinul aceleiasi ipoteze prezenta faunei bentonice ponto- caspice relicte in Cazane si la Portile de Fier. Aceasta demonstreaza insa doar faptul ca in acest sector a cxistat in mod continuu 0 apa curgatoare sau lacustra, indiciu acceptat si de unii sustinatori ai captirii, iar fauna de la Portile de Fier ar fi putut ajunge aici si dupa captarea de la Vérciorova, transportata fiind de curentul Dunarii. Gheorghiu si Iancu (10) araté ca sectorul de defileu se afla incadrat de doua unitaji structurale inegal adancite, cel panonic si cel pontic, intre care an existat in mod permanent diferite cai de legaturé. 6. ipoteza caplarii, care are astizi cei mai multi adepti, a fost emisa pentru prima data de Peters in 1876, ulterior adoptata de catre Murgoci (30) si, doar tangential, de cate Emm. de Martonne, fiind insi fundamenta stiintific de Valsan, in 1918, dar pe baza cartarilor efectuate de Cvijic. Emm. de Martonne (21, 22, 23), indica posibilitatea unei captari prin deversare, fara a preciza o anume cumpana de apa. Inadvertentele in stabilirea une cumpene initiale a apelor au condus la desprinderea mai muitor variante in cadrul acestei teorii: — captarea peste o cumpana orientata pe aliniamentul Svinita-Maidanpek, este sustinutd de Valsan, care ajunge la concluzia unei captari post-levantine. Un réu ce curgea spre Campia Olieniei, avandu-si izvoarele in bazinul Milanovac capteaza Valea Porecica, m6 Piedmont. The studies realised by Posea, Grigore and Popescu (50), from Bucharest University, have shown that for such a big river as the Danube is, the transported elements must have been crushed into small pieces into giant's kettles of nearly 50 ms depth created in the limestone by evorsion processes duting 4 previous karstification (66). Some more arguments have been recently brought to sustain the antecedence, but they are not stronger than Cvijic’s arguments dating from 1908. Thus, Mibiilescu (28) considers, on a similarity basis with other Carpathian rivers (Jiu, Olt, Buziu) the persistence of the Danube on its present track; Orghidan (34) brings the argument of @ relict pontic and caspian bentonical fauna in the Cazane and Iron Gate areas. But he thus only succeeds to demonstrate the perpetual existence of a water-flow or a lake (some river-capture sustainers accept and use this argument also); the fauna from the Iron Gate area could have reached this place after the capture at Varciorova, as well, being brought here by | the Danube itself: Gheorghiu and Iancu (10) shave showed that the detile section is settled between two structural units unevenly subsident: the Pannonian and the Pontic ones, and there have permanently been different ways in which they communicated one to another. b. The River-Capture Hypothesis, that nowadays has the most sustainers, has been firstly brought to light by Peters (1876); then by Murgoci (30) and tangentially by de Martonne. Its scientifical basis has been built by Valsan, in 1918, but using Cvijic’s mappings. Ema. de Martonne (21, 22, 23) was indicating the probability of a spontaneous capture, but without mentioning a certain watershed. Some inadvertencies in setting the position of a watershed have led to soine variants of the capture theory: — the capture overpassing a watershed existing on Svinita - Maidanpek direction, supported by Valsan, who gets to the conclusion of a capture after the Levantine. A diver originated in the Milanovac basin andimpreuna cu Bolietinul, care se indreptau spre vest, citre Campia Panonic? - ipoteza unor capfaari succesive desfdsurate dinspre bazinu! Getic este formulata de Ficheux si Vergez-Tricom (9) si sustinuta ulterior de catre Radulescu, Silvia Tancu si Silvia Lupu (52), pe baza nivelului de baza mai scazut oferit de Oltenia. — Captarea in sectorul Portilor de Fier este ipoteza ultima, formulaté de Posea in 1964 (41) si aprofundata ulterior de Posea, Grigore, Popescu (50), pe baza cartirii si a racordirii datelor geomorfologice si geologice, cu accent asupra desfasuririi teraselor si a suprafejelor de nivelare. Suprafata Almajului, _ pediplena carpatica cea mai neteda, apare modelata pana in tortonian, fiind echivalenta suprafetei Borascu din Meridionali si situata aici 1a 800- 1100 m, de unde coboara in Podisul Miroci la 700 m. Ea aratt continuitatea strimtorii marine intre Orsova si Baia de Arama, peste Bahna, fapt sustinut si prin interpretirile geologice. insitarile ulteriowre au dus Ia modelarea altor doua trepte, cu inclinare spre bazinetele miocene. Cea superioara prezinta un aspect de culmi piemontane in Muntii Almajului, la 550 - 700 m, iar cea inferioara se dezvolta cu precadere pe stfinga Dunarii, indicdnd un culoar de vale lat de pand la 10 km, ce se continua spre Baia de Arama, inconjurind apoi Podisul Mehedingi. Urmatoarea etapa in evolutia defileului incepe prin crearea unei largi vai @ontischer Talboden la Cvijic, valea levantina fa Valsan, sau nivelul lui T8, racordat recent cu cel al umerilor de vale carpatici' ), avand o directie de curgere a apelor dinspre Cema si Bahna spre Depresiunea Panonica. inversa fata de cea actual, Evolutia defileului dunizean proprit- zis, sipat pe calapodul vaii levantine (romanian), incepe odata cu tecerea de la large vale pliocend la una ingusta, dominata de co eroziune sacadata in adancime, prin intermediul unei etape de tranzitie situata intre talvegul levantin si terasa a 5-a (de 90 - Grigore Posea, Ceqpapii Roménesti (1995), manusctis, 117 lowing to the East captured Porecica and Bolietinul rivers that were flowing westward, towards the Pannonian Plain. — a succession of captures from East to West - first formulated by Ficheux and Vergez-Tricom (9) and then supported by Réduleseu, Silvia lancu and Silvia Lupu (53) considering a much lower local base level of erosion was offered by the Oltenia Plain. — The capture in the Iron Gates section is the fast hypothesis. It was formulated by Posea in 1964 (41) and then develloped by Posea, Grigore, Popescu (50), who conmected geological and geographical data, focusing on the erosion surfeces and terraces. The Almaj planation surface, the Alattest Carpathian pediplain, seems to have been eroded up to Tortonian, thus being an equivalent of the Borascu surface in the Southern Carpathians. It is situated at an altitude of 800-1000 m and gently descends to the Miroci Plateau at 700 m. Thus, it indicates the continuity of a marine strait between Orsova and Baia de Arama. over Bala valley; geological arguments can also be given. The tectonic uplitts that followed caused the sculpturing of two other surfaces that gently descend towards the Miocene basins. The upper one is given by piedmontan intertluves at 550-700 m altitude in the Almaj Mountains. The lower ane goes mostly along the left side of the Danube, indicating a vailey track of no more than 10 kin width. It then continues to Baia de Arama, going around the Mehedinti Plateau. The next stage of the defile starts by creating a large valley (Pontischer Talboden according to Cvijic, the Levantine valley according to Valsan or the 8th terrace, recently connected to the Carpathian replats'). The waers were running trom Cema and Babna to the Pannonian Depression, that is opposite to the present day direction. The evolution of the Danube’s Defile itself, deepened into the very Levantine (Romanian) valley, begins with the passing trom the large Pliocene valley to a repeated|y } Grigore Posea, The Romanian Carpathians (7995), smanuseript100 m), de la sfarsitul careia s-a produs inversarea scurgerii dinspre vest spre est. Dovada acestui fapt este si conul de dejectie care a functionat in tot acest rastimp pe malul sting, la Deliblat, in Iugoslavia (36). Argumente in favoarea directiei initiale de curgere spre Depresiunea Panonica sunt oferite si de bilanful hidrologic negativ al acestui bazin, impus de catre climatul pliocen. Cauza captarii este vizuti att in miscarile de fniljare de la ‘inceputul cuaternarului, cat si intr-o schimbare general de clima, care a condus spre un bilant hidrologic pozitiv. Toate acestea au format conditiile unei captiri prin eroziune regresiva dar si prin deversare, peste cumpana de la Portile de Fier. 2. CONCEPT PRIVIND FORMAREA DUN@RI INFERIOARE (DE CAMPIE) De la Gura Vaii pana la Braila, valea Dunttii se desfasoara pe mai mult de 730 km, reunind cea mai mare diversitate a elementelor fizico-geogratice ‘intdlnite mai jos de defileu. Acest fapt isi gaseste explicatia in modul de formare si evolutie a vaii sub influenta oscilatiilor continue ale nivelului de baza din cuatemar, in particularitaile tectonice recente si actuale ale intregii regiuni strabatute de fluviu, a reducerii pantei scurgere sia variabilitatii factorilor climatici. Pe tot acest penultim sector, valea Duniirii prezint{ un caracter predominant asimetric, cu un mal drept abrupt, erodat, si unul sting Jos, cu terase ce se pierd treptat in cdmpie. Studiile avand ca obiect problematica Dunérii inferioare de cfimpie sunt numeroase, dar oarecum necoerente, unele adancindu-se in analize de detaliu, dar pe distanje restrinse, sau mai mici: (55, 31, 32, 8, 59, 60,61, 63, 64, 25, 26, 2, 18, 43, 44, 45,46). Geneza Dunarii inferioare a primit formulari ce se pot incadra la dous categorii de studii: — cele care fncearca explicarea aparitiei vai Dunarii prin grefarea acesteia pe un sistem de falii tectonice (falia Dunarii), constituie gruparea ipotezelor gealogice; = cele cu o abordare complexa, geograficd, integrand formarea fluviului in us sculptured one. There is also a transition stage between the Levantine valley and the Sth terrace (of 99 ~ 100m).It is the very time when the waterflow reversed from West towards East. A solid reason is the alluvial Yugoslavia (36). Some arguments to to the Pliocene climate, there was a lack oi rainfall in that area. The cause of the capture is given by the uplifts of the area at the beginning of the Quaternary and the change of the climate ix the Panonian Depression into @ drier one. All of these created the conditions for a river capture, by regressive erosion and. spontaneous captures, over the Iron Gate watershed. 2. CONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE GENESIS. AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE LOWER (IN THE PLAIN) DANUBE. The Danube’s valley between Gure Vaii village and Braila city, longer thax 730 km, represents the part that contains the &teatest variety of the geographic elements downstream the Iron Gate. An explanation of these facts could be the way the river’s genesis and evolution were influenced by the continuous vatiations of the base level during the Quatemary, the tectonic particularities of this region, the diminishing of the flowing slope together with the variability of the climate. All along this section, the valley asymmetrical: the right bank is high and permanently eroded and the left one is lower, with terraces that gradually disappear downstream. Many studies have been made upon this pazt of the Danube but they are somehow uncoherent; there are detailed analysis of small or larger areas, as well (56, 31, 32, 8, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 25, 26, 2, 18, 43, 44, 45,46). The genesis of the lower Danube was explained by two large groups of studies: : -the geological hypothesis, trying to explain the the Danube’s Valley on geological basis, mainly on a system of faultscontextul mai larg al evolutici Campiei Romane. 2. Ipotezele geologice isi au originea in explicatia data la inceputul secolului de Cobaicescu si Draghiceanu, care intelegeau geneza Dunarii in legatura cu prezenja unor falii axate in lungul ei. Aceastd idee a fost combatuté ulterior de Murgoci (33) si infirmata definitiv prin fhsisi datele geologice mai recente (1). AL. Dimitrescu-Aldem (8), considers fluviul “orientat de-a Jungul unui geosinclinal sarmatic”, ram&nand inca la ideea unui sistem de falii locale, diferite ca orientare. Totodata el individualizeaza trei sectoare ramase “clasice”; Drobeta-Turmu Severin - Gura Oltului; Olt - Calarasi si Calarasi - Braila. 6. Ipotezele geogratice au rolul cel mai insemnat in elucidarea genezei vaii Dunarii in sectorul de campie. G. Valsan analizeaza. succint sectorul dintre Olt si Arges si contactul cimpiei cu lunca, factind observatii asupra teraselor cu convergentele si divergentele lor specifice, ca urmare a unei lasari lente spre est (58), ajungdnd in final la concluzia, formulata inca de Cvijic: “valea Dunarii in Campin Romana este o formatiune cuaternaré tot mai recenté cu cat ne apropiem de varsare” (8). Abordarea cea mai completa a acestei teme aparfine insd lui Gr. Posea (44, 45, 46, 47), care o formuleaza in contextul mai larg al genezei Campiei Roméne, fara a neglija aspectele locale. Astfel, el detaseaza trei sectoare de vale, fiecare dezvoltind o problematica aparte: © sectorul Gura Vaii - Olt * sectorul Olt - Mostistea * sectorul Mostistea - Braila. — Sectorul Gura Vati - Olt rit probleme specifice raportului_—dintre Piemontul Getic si valea Dunarii; schimbarile continue de curs ale fluviutui, in aparenta contradictie cu omogenitatea relativa a regiunii drenate; stabilirea numarului de terase. Clar exprimata printr-o denivelare piemont-terase, intre Gura V4Aii-Drincea, limita nordica a vai Dunarii se estompeaza in portiunea Ceardng - Perisor, de unde continua pana la Jiu. intre Jiu si Oltea apare greu de 9 (the Danube’s Fault, for example). ~those of a more complex approach, integrating the Danube's Valley into the Jarger context of the genesis of the Romanian Plain. 4 The geological hypotheses. appeared at the begianing of this century, when Cobélcescu and Draghiceanu tried to explain the Danube’s Valley by the presence of some faults along the river. Their hypothesis was lately denied by Murgoci (22) and it was also infirmed by the more recent geological data (1). Al. Dimitrescu-Aldem (8), in his geomorphological study of the Danube from Tumu Severin town to Braila city considers that the Donube oriented itself along a “Sarmatian geosyncline”, thus persisting in the idea of a local system of faults, variedly oriented. He also separates three sections of this part of the valley, still considered to be “the classical ones”: Drobeta-Turnu Severin town - the Olt river, the Olt - Calarasi town and Calarasi - Braila city. b. The geographical hypotheses are the most important ones for explaining the genesis of the Danube's valley in the plains. G. Valsan makes a short analysis of the valley between the Olt and the Arges rivers, following the floodplain contact with the terraces; then he studied the relations between the terraces as a result of the light eastward subsidence (58). He finally reaches the conclusion that confirms Cvijic’s Aypothesis: “the Danube's Valley, ail along the Romanian Plain, is a Quaternary landform, as newer as it goes eastwards” (3). The most complex approach - up to the present days - are the studies Gr. Posea realised (44, 45, 46, 42), integrating Danube’s genesis and evolution into the darger context of the Romanian Plain, without neglecting the Jocal aspects. Thus, he separates three sectors of the valley, each of them rising specitic problems: © the Gura Vaii village - the Olt river ° the Olt- Mostistea river © the Mostistea - Braila town. — The first part, from Gura Vaii downstream to the Olt river as some specific aspects to discuss: the relation between thedefinit, dar este evident faptul ca in dreptul Oltului terasa 5-a Dundtii se pierde. Posea (43) considera cd esie vorba despre o etapa in formarea Dunari Campiei Romane, marcata de patrunderea primului nivel de terasa din defileu, care se insinueaza imediat sub Piemontul Getic (probabil in Riss 1), pana la Olt (tabelul 1), Marginea lacului din cdmpie, in care se depunea complexul mamos al pleisto- cenului mediu, atingea linia Negrasi, unde riurile carpatice construiau complexe deltaice. Faptul ca formatiuni deltaice acopereau si Bumasul atrage atentia asupra unei subsidenfe momentane, active la est de Olt. La acesiea se adauga climatul post- villafranchian, mai putin arid, constituind cauzele unei captiri a Dunarii panonice peste defileul Portilor de Fier si o inaintare brusca a acesteia pana la Olt. in timpul cuaternarului, Dunarea isi avea cursul Ja capatul unor largi conuri aluviale construite de rdurile ce coborau din Peninsula Balcanica. Marea Neagri se afla in’ stadiui Paleoeuxin (tabelul 1), cu un posibil golf in nordul Deltei, influentind direct sau prin emisari nivelul lacului Getic. Schimbarile de curs pe care le suporta Dunarea in mersul sau actual (Drobeta Tr. Severin-Hinova-Pristol, CalafatRast si Dabuleni- CorabisTumu Mégurele) se datoreaza unui complex de factori cu actiune diferita ca intensitate in timp si spatiu: zona de ridicare Vidin-Plenita, Depresiunea Lomuiui, majore fiind miscarile tectonice (36). in privinta teraselor, se remarca succesiunea completa a acestora, in numar de cinci (43); unii autori indica ins un numar de opt (67). Precizarea morfologica devine destul de dificila, nisipul acoperind fruntile teraselor, loessul parazitfnd sau chiar fuzionand pe alocuri cu depozitul aluvionar nisipo-prafos, la care se mai adauga deformarile tectonice, devierea continua spre sud a Dunarii ete, —Sectorul Olt ~ Mostistea prezinta, ca elemente definitorii, patrunderea Dunarii prin sudul Bumasului, prelungirea cursului spre nord-est pina la Mostistea si racordabilitatea telativa a teraselor dunarene cu cele ale Argesului. Seu Danube’s Valley and the Getic Piedmont; the Danube’s changings of direction, appearently contradicting the uniformity which is the main caracteristic of this region and, finally, the number of terraces, The northern limit of the Danube’s Valley is very clear from Gura Vaii village to Drincea river, but less evident between Cearing and Porisor villages, where the oldest levels of the valley disappear into the surface of the piedmont. The limit then continues to the Jiu river and it disappears again between the Jiu and the Olt rivers. Yet, there is one more evidence; the Sth terrace of the Danube disappears when reaching the Olt river. Posea (43) considers this to be a certain stage during the “Danube and the Romanian Plain evolution, marked by the continuing of 2 terrace level from the defile, that insinuates right under the level of the Getic piedmont, down to the Olt river (probably Riss 1), (Tabie 1). The margin of the lake that was covering the Romanian Plain was somewhere on the Negrasi line. The rivers running from the North were building large deltas at this level. The lake was over the Bumas Plain, where “ihe mary complex” of mid- Pleistocene age was put in site. All these were caused by strong subsident movements eastward the Olt river. Consequently, under a new climate (after Villatranchian), the Iron Gate capture being fully realized, the Danube was boldly flowing to the East, to the Olt river, where the end of the lake had been settled. During the Quatemary period, the Danube had its valley at the end of the lange alluvial fans that were built up by the rivers running from the Balkan Peninsula. The Black Sea was in the Paleoeuxin stage, and 2 bay might had been in the north of the Danube Delta influencing the level of the Getic lake, directly or by means of some tributaries (Table 1). The change of the Danube's direction (Drobeta-Tumu —_—_ Severin-Hinova-Pristol, Calafat-Rast and Dabuleni-Corabia-Tamu Magurele localities), are due t a complex of causes that activated with different strength in time and space. There is about the rising of the Vidin - Plenita area, the Lom Depression,