Study of recent crustal movements in Romania: A review

An historical overview of geomorphological, geological and geodetical surveys carried out in Romania is presented. These studies have provided information concerning the recent crustal movements on the Romanian territory. Special attention was paid to the geodetical surveys carried out in ''specific study areas'' during the last 25 years in order to verify some geodynamic hypotheses. In this way, the uplift tendency of the Carpathian orogen has to be emphasized. There is a clear separation between the northern part of Eastern Carpathians where the highest vertical velocities are pointed out (+5 mm/y) and the rest of the mountain chain, characterized by a moderate upheaval (+2 mm/y). The bending zone of the Carpathian foredeep is affected by a relatively strong subsidence (-2 mm/y). The Carpathian foreland units appear as a relatively stabilized area. The Transylvanian basin occurs as an almost stable zone. The Romanian sector of the Pannonian basin is characterized by continuous subsidence movements, the intensity increasing from east to west. The western part of the Moesian Platform is relatively stable. Unlike it, the eastern sector with a large surface extension occurs as an important subsidence area, the sinking movements being more intense to the east, near the Black Sea coast. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd