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GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF GULLYING IN APOLD DEPRESSION (CENTRAL ROMANIA)

Costea Marioara

Abstract

Evaluating geomorphologic conditions in the areas of gullies spreading represents an important step in the capitalization of land and spatial planning. The research was carried out in the Apold Depression (Southern Transylvania, Romania), a submontainous area of approximately 280 km2 characterized by homogeneous physical-geographical and anthropogenic conditions. Gullies (ravines) have been identified on an area of 33 km2 (11.79% of the depression). Morphometric assessment of the conditions of gullies spreading was performed per unit of area (1 km2), by direct measurement in the field and by analyzing 1:25 000 scale topographic maps. Geomorphologic indicators were analyzed on each square kilometer (ravening density, the relief energy of the versant affected by ravines, slopes length, slope gradient and exposition) in relation to landforms variables (depth, length, altitude of gully head). A total of 56 ravines grouped in 6 representative areas were inventoried. The results show an average number of 2-3 ravines/km2 and a density of gully between 0.225 and 2.79 km/km2. Developed mainly on clayey-sandy and sandy-loam deposits and on preluvisoils and luvosoils, the ravines from Apold Depression have lengths ranging from 100 to 1800 m and average depths of 3-5 m, some of them even reaching 10 m. They are spread mainly in the submountainous hills and in the glacis area, on hillsides with slopes between 4 and 34% with predominantly northern, north-eastern and north-western exposure. The presence of accentuated landforms in an area characterized by high values of geomorphologic indicators jeopardizes land use for certain utilizations. In this context, we consider that the morphometric variables of gullies and the indicators which describe the geometry of ravening slopes would be useful in the assessment of degraded land by water erosion.

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