DACIAN BASIN - GeoEcoMar

3.2. Dacian Basin sediment thickness distribution
The possibility to compare the two sources of information covering the entire
area of the Dacian Basin is unique and extremely useful for the sedimentological
investigation. There are numerous detail differences between the isopach maps
in the lithologic - paleogeographic atlases edited by Saulea et al. (1964; 1969) and
Hristescu et al. (1962-1963). However, the Dacian Basin images of the sediment
thickness distribution achieved by the two teams of authors show similar major
patterns.
3.1.3. Recently published isopach maps
A detailed isopach map was prepared by Damian (1996), regarding Pontian deposits
from the area at the south and east of Buzău town (Fig. 3.8). Borehole data are
presented and located, making the isopach map clear and logical. Seismic sections
have also been used for the construction of the isopach map.
In recent years, the Focşani Depression, an area affected by high subsidence
and located in the northern part of the Dacian Basin, was the object of advanced
structural studies, promoted by the Tectonics Department, Faculty of Earth and Life
Sciences at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Two isopach maps have been produced
within these investigation projects (Tărăpoancă, 2004; Leveer, 2007). Based on
thickness data resulted from seismic sections these maps cover a restricted surface
focused on the Focşani Depression area.
3.2. DACIAN BASIN SEDIMENT THICkNESS DISTRIBUTION
Having a good stratigraphic background and an advanced and checked up paleogeographic
presentation, the isopach maps drawn by Saulea et al. (1969) are our main
source of sediment thickness data. The other isopach maps offer data to confirm (or
not) the Saulea et al. sediment thickness information (since the maps have been conceived
four decades ago) and provide complementary details when necessary.
3.2.1. Thickness of the Middle- Late Sarmatian (s.l.) sediments
According to the Saulea et al. (1969) isopach map (Fig. 3.2), for the Middle (upper
part) and Late Sarmatian (s.l.) time interval, the sediments accumulated in the Dacian
Basin are distributed within two areas of unequal extent.
The most important area of sediment accumulation is in front of the Eastern
Carpathians, in the northern extremity of the Dacian Basin (Focşani-Buzău area) up
to the bend zone of the Carpathians. The thickest (400m) sediments occur in the
central part of the basin sedimentary area. This thickness of sediments decreases to
zero toward the southern and eastern limit of the basin.
The second area of sedimentary accumulation is delineated in the western extremity
of the Dacian Basin, Saulea et al. (1969) marking the thickness of the depos-
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