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Integrated study of both water and sediment in lakes provides important information regarding the human impact on the environment. The current work is focused on the correlation between age, source, composition, and degree of human intervention over the last 178 years and health impact of sediments from Lacu Sărat Lake (Romania), one of the most important balneo-climateric resorts in the country. The novelty relies on the fact that this is the first time the temporal patterns of metal contamination and the human health effects associated with the metal exposure from sediment core samples have been assessed. The sediment contamination status was determined by evaluating several indices, such as the enrichment factor, geo-accumulation index, metal pollution index, and potential ecological risk index, etc. Results showed a significant accumulation of Cd, Cr, As and Ni and a major contribution of Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, Cr as well as Cu to the potential acute toxicity. The sediment quality guidelines emphasized a risk concerning the life and proper development of benthic organisms in Lacu Sărat Lake. Moreover, the incidental ingestion lifetime carcinogenic risk values for As and Cr suggest a potential risk of developing cancer. A strong human impact was observed especially between 1950 and 1990, which can be attributed to the rapid economic growth and intensive industrial development strategies pursued by the communist political regime in Romania.

Nannoplankton studies of the Transylvanian Turnu Roșu section, based on the presence of Reticulofenestra umbilicus, R. bisecta, R. lockeri, Helicosphaera compacta and Sphenolithus spiniger refer to Bartonian (middle Eocene) age. Th e brachiopod assemblage of Turnu Roșu contains four species. Th e assemblage is dominated by Gryphus kickxii, one of the most common brachiopod species of the European Eocene. Th e other three taxa are very rare (1–1 specimen). Terebratulina tenuistriata is also widespread in the Tethyan Eocene, while the genus Megerlia everywhere belongs to the very rare elements in the Paleogene. Th e fourth taxon is an unidentifi able fragmentary terebratulide which is clearly diff erent from the previously mentioned three taxa. Th e Bartonian Megerlia sp. specimen is the oldest known fossil record of the genus Megerlia and the family Kraussinidae. With 41 figures.

The benthic foraminiferal have been studied from mudstone-wackestones of the D5 Unit of the Dhruma Formation that represent the Middle Jurassic J30 maximum flooding surface of Sharland et al. (2001). The benthic assemblage consists of a mixture of smaller agglutinated species, Haplophragmoides, Kutsevella, Sculptobaculites, Trochammina), and calcareous species (Nautiloculina, nodosariids, ophthalmidiids, polymorphinids, and spirillinids) without any larger foraminifera. The assemblage is indicative of open-marine midshelf conditions, and contains a number of cosmopolitan taxa that are known from the Middle Jurassic in other areas of the Tethys. The recovery of open-marine and cosmopolitan smaller benthic foraminifera in the D5 Unit of the Dhruma Formation provides a new tool for identifying the J30 maximum flooding surface and correlating the interval with other regions of the Tethys.

The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of heavy metal (HM) pollution and its effect on microorganisms from rhizosphere soil in Baia Mare area (Maramures County, Romania). Two sites wit...

The dataset presents quantitative information on the taxa distribution of calcareous nannoplankton and smaller benthic foraminifera retrieved from the nummulitic accumulation in the Transylvanian Basin (Romania). Until now, only the larger benthic foraminifera and bryozoans were systematically studied, data on calcareous nannoplankton and smaller benthic foraminifera are scares. Our data comprise of quantitative information on the calcareous nannoplankton and smaller benthic foraminifera (raw individuals counts, relative abundance), diversity indices, benthic foraminifera dissolved oxygen index – BFOI and normalised data (ARCSIN values) used for clustering and principal component analysis. These data provide information on paleoenvironmental changes in the north-western part of the Transylvanian Basin during the middle Eocene (Bartonian) and can be used in any comparative study on the reconstruction and paleoenvironmental interpretation of the nummulitic carbonate reservoirs from Tethyan regions. The present data article is associated with the research paper “In the shadow of giants: Calcareous nannoplankton and smaller benthic foraminifera from an Eocene nummulitic accumulation (Transylvanian Basin, Romania)” by Bindiu-Haitonic et al. 2021 [1] .

Landslides determine increases and decreases in specific soil compounds which is affecting soil fertility. The recovery of soil fertility is a long process and may be used as an indicator of the landslide age and can contribute to the management plan of the affected area. In order to add to data about soil properties affected by landslides, the current study focuses on a young and shallow landslide from the western part of the Transylvanian Depression. Soil samples were analysed from a physico-chemical point of view (pH, organic matter – OM, total organic carbon – TOC, major cations, and iron content) in two places, at between 0 and 60 cm depth (inside and outside the landslide). The results obtained showed lower values of pH inside the landslide, low values of TOC and rock fragments in both places studied (inside and outside the landslide) and no differences in soil texture between disturbed and undisturbed soil. The ammonium, magnesium and calcium content was higher outside the landslide, the sodium level was slightly higher outside the landslide, while the potassium concentration was higher inside the landslide. This study offers new data regarding recovery of soil fertility and highlights the importance of gaining knowledge on soil properties of relevance to future measures to increase the fertility of agricultural soils.

Romania has a long history of hydrocarbon production and tens of thousands of boreholes have penetrated Miocene strata. Many well cores or cuttings have been either lost or damaged, but lab reports containing valuable petrographic, paleontological and structural data are still available. Most of the knowledge of the subsurface relies on old descriptions and interpretations used by the oil industry. These data have not been recently updated, while research results from the last decade suggest potential changes in stratigraphy, especially for the lower to middle Miocene succession. In order to update, calibrate, and reduce uncertainties regarding the subsurface stratigraphic record, we have reviewed the lab reports and used equivalent field samples for an updated interpretation of the lower to middle Miocene succession. Core and cutting descriptions from boreholes covering an area of ~10,000 km2 in the Diapir Fold Zone of the Eastern Carpathians have been selected and biostratigraphically re-evaluated based on microfossils and calcareous nannofossils. In many cases, highly uncertain ages were previously interpreted as Oligocene and early Miocene. Our recent data suggest that most of the lower Miocene is either difficult to determine or has been reinterpreted as middle Miocene (e.g., Cornu and Doftana formations). This significant change in ages requires an updated model for the timing of regional structural evolution and may open new exploration opportunities in this highly mature hydrocarbon area. This study demonstrates the need for a new complete and reliable stratigraphic framework for the whole Miocene stratigraphic record of the Eastern Carpathians.

Sediments belonging to the Oligocene Vima Formation (located in the north-western part of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania) have been investigated for calcareous nannofossils content. Biostratigraphically, the sedimentary succession is late Rupelian–Chattian in age, belonging to the NP24 —Sphenolithus distentusand NP25 —Sphenolithus ciperoensisbiozones, to CP19a —Cyclicargolithus floridanusand CP19b —Reticulofenestra bisectaSubzones and to the interval from CNO4 —Sphenolithus distentus/Sphenolithus predistentusCRZ to CNO5 —Sphenolithus ciperoensisTZ. The palaeoenvironment of the Fântânele section was reconstructed by means of calcareous nannofossils and statistics. Multivariate statistics were applied to the composition of autochthonous assemblages and the obtained clusters were used to assess the palaeoecological preferences of the nannofossils. We document changes from more stable open-marine regime, with temperate sea-surface temperatures interfering locally with influx of cooler water and enriched cool-nutrient supply for the late Rupelian–earliest Chattian (NP24), to shallower and possibly warmer near-shore marine eutrophic environment, with salinity fluctuations, increased terrigenous material run-off and freshwater influx for the remaining early Chattian (NP25).

Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, August 2018, Vol. 13, No. 2, p. 435 - 446

Nummulitic accumulations are an important component of the Eocene sedimentary record in the Neotethyan realm. Their age, paleoenvironmental significance and depositional model are almost exclusively based on the interpretation of the larger benthic foraminiferal assemblages. We show here, however, that the high-resolution study of the other, often neglected, microfossils (calcareous nannoplankton and benthic foraminifera) is crucial to better constrain the diversity and paleoenvironmental gradient along the nummulitic accumulation(s). The studied micropaleontological assemblages, recovered from the large Eocene (Bartonian) nummulitic accumulation in the northwestern Transylvanian Basin (Romania), suggest an inner shelf depositional environment. A depth and nutrient gradient along the nummulitic accumulation from the south to the north could be recognized. In the southern part of the study area the environment was shallow and oligotrophic with Zygrablithus bijugatus, Blackites inflatus, Neococcolithes dubius, Ericsonia spp., larger sized reticulofenestrids and epiphytic foraminifera taxa (Pararotalia, Lobatula and Cibicides) on a sandy substrate. The progressive deepening toward the north led to an increase in clay content and more nutrient-rich marine waters in which calcareous nannoplankton (especially Reticulofenestra minuta), agglutinated foraminifera and calcareous infaunal foraminifera (Nonion, Protelphidium and Reusella) proliferated. The calcareous nannoplankton and smaller benthic foraminiferal assemblages confirm and further constrain the Bartonian age of the studied nummulitic accumulation, previously based on the larger benthic foraminiferal SBZ 17 zone.

The increasing contamination of fresh water resources by trace metals and persistent organic pollutants is a major environmental concern. In the present study, we investigated, for the first time, the distribution, sources and ecological risk of trace metals and organic pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in surface sediments from a Southeastern European river (Somesu Mic River, Romania). Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn ranged from 0.04 to 0.4, 9.4 to 43.15, 7.2 to 65.6, 12.3 to 131.4, 14.7 to 47.7 and 42.1 to 236.8 mg kg−1 dw, respectively. Concentrations of total PAHs, PCBs and OCPs ranged from 24.8 to 575.6, 2.7 to 252.7 and 2.1 to 44.3 ng g−1 dw, respectively. Some sediment parameters, i.e., pH, total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic matter (OM) contents, played a significant role in the spatial distribution of contaminants. A combined analysis based on diagnostic ratios and multivariate analyses revealed PAHs originating mainly from pyrolytic sources. PCB compositions showed distinct contamination signatures for tri- to tetra-chlorinated PCBs, characteristic of contamination by Aroclor-1016 and -1254 technical mixtures. The dominant OCP congeners were α-HCH and p,p′-DDD, reflecting past use of technical HCHs and DDTs in agricultural practices. Metal source and pollution status was assessed using geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor, which indicate widespread pollution by Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni and Cu. The use of Sediments Quality Guidelines (SQGs), mean effect range-median quotient (m-ERM-Q) and toxic equivalent factor (TEF) indicated that the highest ecological risks occurred for PCBs and DDTs. This work presents not only initial baseline information on the extent of organic and inorganic contaminations in a river of ecological and economical interest, but also provides a diagnostic ratio/statistical combined approach that can be used to evaluate sediment quality in similar environments.

Muscovite is a mineral commonly found along quartz in sediments, where the latter is the mineral of choice in numerous optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating studies. Since muscovite cannot be efficiently eliminated following standard laboratory treatments, it is important to assess its luminescence properties. This study is focused on the investigation of muscovite hand-picked from a quartz sample extracted from loess and of museum specimens of muscovite in order to evaluate their potential implication in the OSL dating of quartz samples contaminated with muscovite grains. The obtained results show that generally applicable luminescence characteristics cannot be described for muscovite. In terms of the thermoluminescence (TL) response, all samples investigated display the same wide peak at 200 °C. The blue light and infrared (IR) sensitivities differ between the samples: 3 out of 5 samples present no or negligible level of OSL and IRSL response, while the other 2 samples are characterised by both blue light (2000–3400 counts in 0.31 s of stimulation for 10 mg of muscovite after irradiation with a dose of 136 Gy) and IR sensitivity (265–320 counts in 0.31 s of stimulation for 10 mg of muscovite after irradiation with a dose of 136 Gy). Based on the samples analysed in this study, aliquots of quartz contaminated with optically (blue light) sensitive muscovite would also be IR sensitive. Hence, potentially problematic aliquots can be identified via the IRSL purity test usually used in the OSL dating of quartz samples for detection of feldspar contamination. The impact of muscovite on dose determination for quartz was also tested and it was concluded that at least in the case of bright quartz, muscovite minerals do not influence the OSL measurements.

The Transylvanian region of Romania preserves some of the most unusual and iconic dinosaurs in the global fossil record, including dwarfed herbivores and aberrant carnivores that lived during the very latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) in an ancient island ecosystem (the Ha?eg Island). A series of artificial outcrops recently exposed during a hydroelectric project, the Petre?ti-Arini section near Sebe? in the Transylvanian Basin, records a 400+ meter sequence documenting the transition from fully marine to terrestrial environments during the Campanian–Maastrichtian. Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy indicates that the lower marine beds in this section, part of the uppermost Boze? Formation, can be assigned to the CC22 biozone, corresponding to the lower–mid upper Campanian. These beds smoothly transition, via a brackish-water unit, into the fully continental Maastrichtian Sebe? Formation. Dinosaur and pterosaur fossils from the uppermost Boze? Formation can be assigned a late Campanian age making them the oldest well-dated terrestrial fossils from the Ha?eg Island, and indicating that the classic Ha?eg dinosaur fauna was becoming established by this time, coincident with the first emergence of widespread land areas. Vertebrate fossils occur throughout the overlying Sebe? Formation at the site and are dominated by the small-bodied herbivorous dinosaur Zalmoxes. The dominance of Zalmoxes, and the absence of many taxa commonly seen elsewhere in Maastrichtian sites in Romania, suggests the possibility that either the Petre?ti-Arini section preserves a somewhat unusual near-shore environment, or the earliest Ha?eg Island dinosaur communities were structured differently from the more diverse communities later in the Maastrichtian. Alternatively, due to the limited sample size available from the studied succession, it is also conceivable that sampling biases give an incomplete portrayal of the Petre?ti-Arini local fauna. Support for any one of these alternative hypotheses requires further data from Petre?ti-Arini as well as from the larger Transylvania area.

In order to establish the age of the Bozeş Formation, which crops out in the SE Apuseni Mts., calcareous nannofossils investigations and U-Pb detrital zircon dating were performed on Stăuinii Valley deposits. The results were correlated, and further compared with previous fossil age data. The U-Pb detrital zircon age spectrum reveals a consistent Upper Cretaceous grain population, which yielded an age of 83 Ma (concordia age of 82.87±0.59 Ma), interpreted as the maximum deposition age, thus, marking the Lower Campanian as the initiation of sediment deposition. Based on the presence of some important taxa in the calcareous nannofossils assemblage, the age of studied deposits were assigned to Upper Santonian? – upper Upper Campanian. The Upper Santonianage is presumed by the presence of curved Lucianorhabdus cauyeuxii, reworked from older deposits. The Campanian stage is confirmed by the presence of Broinsonia parca parca, Broinsonia parca constricta and rare specimens of Ceratolithoides aculeus and Uniplanarius sissinghii. Both Reinhardtites anthophorus and Eiffelithus eximius indicate that the upper part of the Stăuinii section is ending in CC22 / UC15dTP – UC15eTP Subzones, thus in upper Upper Campanian. FO of Eiffellithus parallelus points to the same age. The calcareous nannofossils assemblages do not sustain the presence of the Lower Maastrichtian deposits on Stăuinii Valley, as mentioned by few previous studies based on Pachydiscus neubergicus.

Late Cretaceous foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton assemblages from the northern part of the Tarcău Nappe, Hangu Formation in the northern Eastern Carpathians are documented in order to reconstruct paleoenvironmental settings and biostratigraphy. The foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by flysch-type agglutinated taxa suggesting bathyal environments, close to the calcite compensation depth (CCD), and mesotrophic to oligotrophic conditions. The morphogroup analyses display variations in tubular and infaunal morphotypes suggesting different levels of oxygenation and seafloor disturbance caused by currents. Reddish hemipelagites containing only agglutinated foraminifera (dominant infaunal forms) occurring in the middle part of the section suggest an increase of water depth and changes in redox conditions. Based on foraminifera, the deposits were assigned to planktonic Globotruncana ventricosa and agglutinated Caudammina gigantea Zones. The first occurrence of Uniplanarius trifidus and last occurrence of Reinhardtites anthophorus demonstrate the presence of Late Campanian UC15cTP-UC16/CC21-CC23 calcareous nannoplankton Zones. Foraminiferal and nannofossil assemblages in the red beds have a high potential for stratigraphic correlation on a regional scale.

The process of pedogenesis on mine dumps (a case study: Aghireş mining area, Romania). The presence of mining, with all its specific activities carried on for decades, leads to an inevitable change in the evolution of environmental factors. Among these, and especially in the conditions of open-cast mining, the soil is definitely affected. The present study examines the soils developed on mine dumps in Aghireş mining area. It is noted that depending on how the mine dumps were managed, a differentially pedogenesis process started on their surface. Under these conditions, in order to determine the physical characteristics of soils in question, four sampling points were chosen, plus a fifth one with the role of control sample. The final results show clear differences between the physical parameters of investigated soil samples depending on the pedogenesis conditions, differing between the planted dumps and those without a protective vegetation cover.

The lithology, sedimentology and biostratigraphy of the Bozes Formation, which crop out in the SE Metaliferi Mountains (Apuseni Mts.) have been investigated in order to establish the age of the deposits and the depositional environment. The sedimentary structures and facies are interpreted as indicating a deep-water depositional environment, representing part of a submarine fan lobe. Three facies assemblages have been identified and described. Calcareous nannofossils were used to determine the age of the investigated deposits. The presence of Lucianorhabdus cayeuxii and Calculites obscurus indicates the CC17 biozone, while UC13 Zone is pointed out by the continuous occurrence of Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis and the absence of Broinsonia parca parca. Thus, the age of the studied deposits is Late Santonian -?Early Campanian.

Study of an upper Santonian to upper Campanian hemipelagic succession from the southern part of the Romanian Eastern Carpathians enables us to establish an integrated biostratigraphy based on planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils and to compare this record with the agglutinated foraminiferal biozonation used for the Carpathians.Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were investigated using several methods, such as agglutinated and calcareous benthic foraminiferal morphogroups, and the benthic foraminiferal oxygen index in order to determine their response to environmental parameters in the basin (correlated with sea-level maxima documented by regional sea-level curves for the Tethys). A pattern of changes in benthic foraminiferal communities associated with increased organic carbon flux and rising sea-levels can be summarized as follows in the studied succession. As sea-level begins to rise there is an increase in the proportion of calcareous benthic foraminifera at the expense of agglutinated foraminifera within the benthic assemblages (earliest Campanian, mid-late Campanian). Once sea-level rises, an increase in the elongate keeled morphotype of agglutinated foraminifera (shallower water forms) can be observed, and if sea-level remains high for an extended period (as in the early Campanian) then an invasion of both agglutinated and benthic calcareous foraminifera characteristic of outer shelf-upper slope environments take place in the basin. The variations in tubular and deep infaunal morphotypes of agglutinated foraminifera are ascribed to varying levels of organic carbon flux. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

An Early Miocene biserial foraminiferal event in the Transylvanian Basin (Romania)Investigations of the Lower Miocene of the Transylvanian Basin reveal particularly high abundances (> 90 % of total foraminifera) of small sized biserial foraminifera (Bolivina/Streptochilus). This biotic event has not been noticed in the Transylvanian Basin so far probably owing to the facies misinterpretation and the small size of the specimens. SEM investigations allow more precise identification of biserial planktonic taxa and more accurate taxonomic interpretations. The high abundance ofBolivina/Streptochilusassemblages provide evidence for paleogeographic connections to the Indo-Pacific area and support new paleoenvironmental interpretations at the transition from the Early to Middle Miocene in relation to the paleoceanographic events. Both planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton suggest a late Burdigalian age. A newBolivina/StreptochilusAbundance Biozone is proposed just below the Early/Middle Miocene boundary.

Planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages from an Upper Albian to Lower Turonian interval in the East Carpathians were investigated in a well and in an outcrop from the Stoeneşti – Cetăţeni area (Dâmboviţa Valley), Romania. The benthic foraminiferal extinction that occurred at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary and the first stage of the faunal recovery are documented here for the first time in the Romanian Carpathians. Bioevents and changes in the foraminiferal record from this area show that low oxygen conditions occured already in the Late Cenomanian, as suggested by the presence of radiolarian-rich shales. Impoverished assemblages of small, thin walled agglutinated foraminifera are present in the lowermost Turonian after the benthic-free interval corresponding to the “Bonarelli Level”. Calcareous nannofossils are also documented from this level in the well from the Stoeneşti locality.

Planktonic and benthic foraminiferal assemblages from an Upper Albian to Lower Turonian interval in the East Carpathians were investigated in a well and in an outcrop from the Stoenesti - Cetaţeni area (Dâmboviţa Valley), Romania. The benthic foraminiferal extinction that occurred at the Cenomanian/Turonian boundary and the first stage of the faunal recovery are documented here for the first time in the Romanian Carpathians. Bioevents and changes in the foraminiferal record from this area show that low oxygen conditions occured already in the Late Cenomanian, as suggested by the presence of radiolarian-rich shales. Impoverished assemblages of small, thin walled agglutinated foraminifera are present in the lowermost Turonian after the benthic-free interval corresponding to the "Bonarelli Level". Calcareous nannofossils are also documented from this level in the well from the Stoenesti locality.

The present study is an approach of the issues related to the biostratigraphy of the Western Transylvanides. The research provided exact age data for the Feneş Formation, Valea lui Paul Formation, Bozeş Formation and Râmeţi Formation. The age of the formations was established based on the calcareous nannoplankton assemblages in Barremian-Campanian range. The lithological features together with the new age data allowed us to modify the boundaries between formations; accordingly the knowledge on the structure of South Apuseni Mountains required changes, too. The new data also imply the modification of the existent geological maps of the region. Based on the identified calcareous nannoplankton assemblages, the following zones were defined: CC6 – Late Barremian, CC9 – Lower Cenomanian, CC14 – Late Coniacian and CC17, CC18, and CC19 for Campanian.

Foraminiferal and calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Eastern Carpathians (northern part of the Tarcau Nappe, Romania) were documented and correlated in order to reconstruct the palaeonvironmental settings and provide a biostratigraphic framework of the Plopu Formation. The benthic foraminiferal assemblages are dominated by flysch-type agglutinated taxa, suggesting a bathyal palaeodepth with frequent oscillations of the carbon compensation depth. The agglutinated foraminifera morphogroup analyses suggest different levels of organic matter influx and oxygenation. Both the foraminifera and calcareous nannofossil assemblages suggest a shift between the warm mid Eocene to the cooler late Eocene climate. Biostratigraphic data based on calcareous nannofossils (NP15–NP19/NNTe8–NNTe12 biozones) helped to establish the age of the formation. Four assemblages of benthic agglutinated foraminifera ( Psammosiphonella cylindrica – Nothia excelsa ; Paratrochamminoides spp. – Trochamminoides spp.; Karrerulina spp.– Reticulophragmium amplectens ; Spiroplectammina spectabilis ) correlated with calcareous nannofossil bioevents supported the placement of the mid to late Eocene transition within the Plopu Formation.

In order to clarify some of the issues regarding the mineralogical content and the source area of the Cretaceous deposits from Ampoi Valley basin (Southern Apuseni Mountains) fourteen lithologic logs were drawn from the Ampoi Valley both side tributaries (Slatinii, Ruzi, Vâltori, Valea lui Paul, Fenes, Calineasa, Fierului Brook, Bobului, Satului, Tauţi, Galaţi, Presaca Ampoiului, Valea Mica and Valea Mare brooks). The main sedimentary rock types were identified (conglomerates, wacke and lithic sandstones, clays, and marls). The sandstones were classified according to the ternary diagrams. Their petrographic features revealed both a magmatic and a metamorphic source area for them.