studia universitatis babeş – bolyai geographia 1

GEOMORPHOSYSTEMIC CONDITIONALITIES IN PEDOGENESIS
The rhodic eutricambosoils
These types of soil appears as patches more or less extended in the South-eastern
part of the Pădurea Craiului Mountains (the Roşia Depression), in the upper basin of the
Vida Valley, in the Vadu-Crişului - Măgeşti sector etc.
Considered by some authors as relict soils or paleosoils, the rhodic eutricambisoils
formed under conditions different than the present ones (its profile containing at least a
Pleistocene horizon). The specific of these soils is given by the parental base, which
contains limestones (of different ages, structures, textures, colors) and bauxite. The areas
where these soils formed are characterized by an annual temperature higher than 9°C,
average annual precipitations of at least 700 mm and annual aridity index higher than 35.
The natural vegetation consists of bunches of Quercus cerris, Q. Farnetto, Q. Robur,
Fagus silvatica, Carpinus betulus, Fraxinus excelsior, Cornus mas, Coryllus avelana, as well
as human made pastures with Andropogon ischaemum, Festuca valesiaca, F. Sulcata. The
characteristic karstic relief is made of less steep slopes, terraces, dolines, etc. In some areas,
beside the typical rhodic eutricambosoils, some lithic subtypes also appear.
The districambosoils
They develop under a cool and humid climate, which leads to a reiterated
percolative hydric regime. The parental rocks of thedistricambosoils consist of Permian,
Medium and Lower Jurassic formations represented by conglomerates and acid and
intermediate sandstones in the Eastern sector corresponding to the Iada Valley. This type of
soil also appears in the Central-eastern part on Medium Triassic deposits. The
districambosoils facilitate the development of pure or blended beech-trees, as well as that of
some acidophilus herbs.
The protisoils class- the lithosoils
In the studied area, this type of soil is correlated to the presence of some compact rocks
(more or less physically weathered) and to a weak chemical weathering. The organic mass, in
various phases of putrefaction, accumulates in an A or O horizon as a consequence of the
installing of the cormophite andthalophite vegetation. The so formed profile, very superficial,
represents the incipient stage in the evolution of this type of soil. The lithosoils are the bestindividualized
soils in the Pădurea Craiului Mountains. It should also be mentioned that we
could differentiate other soil subtypes too, especially at the transition from one type to another.
REFERENCES
1. Balintoni, I.(2001), Short outlook on the structure of the Apuseni Mountains. Field trip Guide,
4-th Regional Meeting of I.F.A.A., Edit. Presa Universitară Clujeană (in Bucur, I., Filipescu,
S., Săsăran, E., eds).
2. Bleahu, M. (1982), Relieful carstic, Edit. Albatros, Bucureşti.
3. Bucur, I., Cociuba, I. (2001), Upper Jurassic – lower Cretaceous deposits from Pădurea
Craiului, 4-th Regional Meeting of I.F.A.A., Edit. Presa Universitară Clujeană (in Bucur, I.,
Filipescu, S., Săsăran, E., eds).
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