Annals of the University of Craiova

Series Geography

Tag: landslides

Research history and GIS-based methods: case study – the Moldavian Plateau

November 29, 2025 /
Domenic-Raul BECICA Marcel MÎNDRESCU 10.52846/AUCSG.26.05 10.52846/AUCSG.26.05
Abstract

This study presents an integrated assessment of geomorphological and hydrological risk inRomania’s Moldavian Plateau, combining manual inventories, high-resolution DEM/LiDAR, CorineLU/LC, geology–soils, Sentinel-2, and EGMS InSAR with HEC-RAS modeling and official 1% & 1%CC flood belts. The inventory maps 4,351 landslides, 3,343 gullies, 2,353 rill patches, and 17,681 sheet-erosion polygons – covering 28,900 ha (landslides), 4,661 ha (gullies), 21,500 ha (rill erosion), and 135,152 ha (sheet erosion), showing that areal processes dominate, while gullies and landslides mark acute instability nodes near settlement edges and infrastructure. Plateau-wide, the 1% AEP flood belt occupies 111,549 ha, expanding to 149,184 ha under the climate-corrected 1%CC scenario (+33.7%). Affected settlements increase from 398 to 451; intersected households from 10,514 to 14,112; and the estimated exposed population (excluding municipalities) from 27,350 to 36,700 (+34%). A HEC-RAS case study on the Suceava River (Mihoveni–Ițcani, Q2008 = 1,710 m³/s) indicates that levees shrink inundation footprints but raise depths and WSE (12.66→13.09 m; 285.93→286.86 m), highlighting trade-offs between footprint reduction and hydraulic load. The results support conservation agriculture on >8.5° slopes, grade-control and drainage where gullies approach settlements, targeted slope stabilization, and strict floodplain zoning paired with carefully engineered defenses.

 

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GEOMORPHOLOGICAL RISK AND VULNERABILITY OF THE SUBCARPATHIAN AND PIEDMONT SECTORS OF THE GILORT RIVER BASIN

March 9, 2025 /
Emil MARINESCU Sidonia MARINESCU 10.52846/AUCSG.25.03 10.52846/AUCSG.25.03

Abstract

Currently, geomorphological studies have been tasked with investigating a large part of natural hazards, so any study should end with a geomorphological risk map. The geomorphological risk maps take into account the analytical and synthetic integration of as many variables as possible to target both natural and social elements. In approaching the geomorphological risk assessment methodology, it is necessary to correlate each control factor with the map of current geomorphological processes and establish its weight of influence. A layer was created for each variable and the current processes were quantified by means of another layer by using Spatial Analyst – Density (ArcGIS). From the obtained layers, the numerical information was extracted according to a grid network, adopting a convenient size of the grid cell. Considering the dynamics of the current processes in the Subcarpathian and the Piedmont sector of the Gilort hydrographic basin (Romania), the geomorphological risk map was created for this space, highlighting four categories of risk (very low, low, medium and high). The obtained map has an important practical utility and includes the degree of vulnerability of the anthropogenic component to certain types of natural hazards.

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Soil erosion and landslides in Izvorul Muntelui lake area

January 31, 2021 /

Ioana Monica MUSCALU

Abstract

The basin of Lake Izvorul Muntelui, is located in the Carpathian Flysch, being limited by the slopes that belong to the Ceahlău, Bistriței, Stânișoarei Mountains. Due to the alternation of detrital deposits with different hardness, the slopes around the lake are affected by various forms of degradation, determined either by gravitational processes, such as; landslides, collapses or solifluxions, or processes and denudational phenomena such as: gutters, ravines, torrents. Of these processes, landslides are predominant, because in the petrographic structure of the flysh there are mainly rocks with advanced plasticity in contact with water, especially clays, marne or marny-clayey shale. The most landslides affected localities are: Poiana Teiului, Hangu, Bicaz, where hundreds of such gravitational processes have been identified, the effects of which are the destruction of households, dwellings, household annexes, blocking of communication routes, splitting villages in two parts by the transported and deposited deluvial material, but also the impediment of the traffic on DN 15, its blocking, the interruption of the traffic or its deviation. After the inventory of lands degraded land affected by landslides and the map of soil erosion, a series of amelioration measures were proposedin order to reduce the effects of these geomorphological processes.
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Present-day geomorphological processes in the Vediţa catchment

January 14, 2017 /

Alina BEJINARIU  Anişoara STAN

Abstract

The river Vediţa is situated in the middle section of the Cotmeana Piemont. It is delimitated Westwards by the hydrographical basin of the Vedea river and Eastwards by the hydrographical basin of the Cotmeana river. From a geological point of view, it is located in the Getic Ground, which was a sedimentation area. This area is made up of Cândesti Stata which are made of sand in alternation with gravel with lens of clay. This geological structure is the main factor for the present dynamics of the relief. In the hydrographical basin of the Vediţa river, the main processes regarding the relief dynamics are: torrents, scrunb in area, landslips and landslides. There are some elements which influence this processes, such as: the relief characteristics, the human land use and the climate parameters.

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The Annals of the University of Craiova. Series Geography is an international journal which provides an opportunity for the publication of original scientific contribution of interest to a wide readership and covering all branches of Geography. The journal first appeared in 1998, being edited by the Geography Department of the University of Craiova and reuniting scientific reviewers from prestigious national and international universities.

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