GEOLOGICAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL PATRIMONY OF THE SOUTHERN DOBROGEA (SE ROMANIA).

The Southern Dobrogea is situated in SE Romania, being included, tectonic point of view, in the Moesian Platform. The Southern Romania is bordered by the Danube to the West and the Black Sea to the East. In the N, the Southern Dobrogea is bordered by the Capidava-Ovidiu subcrustal fault; towards south, it continues to the northern Bulgaria. In the Southern Dobrogea, a carbonate platform developed from Mesozoic (Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous), and continued through the Paleogene up to the Miocene. The Pliocene is mainly developed along the right side of the Danube, in low topographic areas, and is represented by the sedimentation of continental red clay successions. The Pleistocene is characterized by the sedimentation of continental red clays and the development of the loess deposits. This paper describes several protected geological and paleontological sites of the Southern Dobrogea. Some of them, i.e., ‘The Cernavodă Fossil Site’, contain a rich Early Cretaceous macro- and microfaunas, along with ‘The Limestone walls from PetroÅŸani’, exposing Upper Cretaceous and Middle Miocene rocks, and ‘CredinÅ£a Quarry’, enclosing rich faunas of Miocene mammals and mollusks, are protected areas of national interest. Other sites, significant for their geological exposures and paleontological context, are not yet protected, although their geoheritage is of an outstanding importance. The Southern Dobrogea is situated in SE Romania, being included, tectonic point of view, in the Moesian Platform. The Southern Romania is bordered by the Danube to the West and the Black Sea to the East. In the N, the Southern Dobrogea is bordered by the Capidava-Ovidiu subcrustal fault; towards south, it continues to the northern Bulgaria. In the Southern Dobrogea, a carbonate platform developed from Mesozoic (Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous), and continued through the Paleogene up to the Miocene. The Pliocene is mainly developed along the right side of the Danube, in low topographic areas, and is represented by the sedimentation of continental red clay successions. The Pleistocene is characterized by the sedimentation of continental red clays and the development of the loess deposits. This paper describes several protected geological and paleontological sites of the Southern Dobrogea. Some of them, i.e., ‘The Cernavodă Fossil Site’, contain a rich Early Cretaceous macro- and microfaunas, along with ‘The Limestone walls from Petroşani’, exposing Upper Cretaceous and Middle Miocene rocks, and ‘Credinţa Quarry’, enclosing rich faunas of Miocene mammals and mollusks, are protected areas of national interest. Other sites, significant for their geological exposures and paleontological context, are not yet protected, although their geoheritage is of an outstanding importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]