Morphometrical Analysis of Microdepressions in the Central Baragan Plain (Romania)

In the Eastern part of the Romanian Plain, covered with loess or loess deposits, negative microforms (microdepressions) are developing, known in literature as „crovuri”, but they also have local given names like “gavane” or ”padine”. From geomorphological point of view, ”crovurile” are depressions, (ease subsidences) in loess or loess deposits covered plains, having circular or ellipsoidal shape, with diameters from few meters to 1-2 km, and a depth of 1-3 m. In the Central Baragan Plain a number of 387 microdepressions with a medium density of 0.11 depr/km2, that covers about 5% from plain's surface, it has been determined on topographic maps on scale of 1:50.000. Parameters like surface (S), Perimeter (P), lenght (L), width (l), have been calculated as weell as microdepression's alignment and different coefficients (indicators of shape). The microdepressions are concentrated especially in the central-north part of the plain with NNE-SSV and NE-SV alignment. The investigation shown big differences between the microdepressions from the north side (which overlaps to the Holocene sands area) and those from the Central part of the plain; the first ones have smaller dimenssions, are elongate and a bit sinous, and the latter have bigger dimessions (surface, depth) and round sinous shapes. Also, in the Northern part, the number and density of microdepressions have bigger values.