ABSTRACT

Romania About 2% of the exposed land surface of Romania consists of karst (Onac & Cocean, 1996), but this figure is misleading, as in many cases Neogene or Quaternary deposits overlie older formations, which include carbonate and evaporate karst-forming rocks. The most important karst rocks are Mesozoic limestones, but caves are also recorded in dolomites, halite, conglomerates, and sandstones. In Romania, karst is mainly developed in the Southern and Western Carpathians, with the largest limestone area being located in the Banat Mountains (adjacent to the border with the former Yugoslavia).