Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS 2 (Lat. Monies S...

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V05, Page 384 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS 2 (See also:

Lat. Monies Sarmatici; Med. Lat. Monies Nivium) , the eastern wing of the See also:great central See also:mountain See also:system of See also:Europe. With the exception of the extreme See also:southern and See also:south-eastern ramifications, which belong to See also:Rumania, the Carpathians See also:lie entirely within See also:Austrian and 2 The name is derived from the See also:Slavonic word Chrb, which means mountain-range. As Chrawat, it was first applied to the inhabitants of the region, whence it passed in the See also:form Kra pat or Karpa as the name of mountain system. In See also:official Hungarian documents of the 13th and 14th centuries the Carpathians are named Thorchal or Tarcaal, and also Monies Nivium. Hungarian territory. They begin on the See also:Danube near See also:Pressburg, surround See also:Hungary and Transylvania in a large semicircle, the concavity of which is towards the south-See also:west, and end on the Danube near Orsova. The See also:total length of the Carpathians is over Boo m., and their width varies between 7 and 230 m., the greatest width of the Carpathians corresponding with its highest See also:altitude. Thus the system attains its greatest breadth in the Transylvanian See also:plateau, and in the See also:meridian of the Tatra See also:group. It covers an See also:area of 72,600 sq. m., and after the See also:Alps is the most extensive mountain system of Europe.

The Carpathians do not form an uninterrupted See also:

chain of mountains, but consist of several orographically and geologically distinctive See also:groups; in fact they See also:present as great a structural variety as the Alps; but as regards magnificence of scenery they cannot compare with the Alps. The Carpathians, which only in a few places attain an altitude of over 8000 ft., lack the bold peaks, the extensive See also:snow-See also:fields, the large glaciers, the high waterfalls and the numerous large lakes which are found in the Alps. They are nowhere covered by perpetual snow, and glaciers do not exist, so that the Carpathians, even in their highest altitude, recall the See also:middle region of the Alps, with which, how-ever, they have many points in See also:common as regards See also:appearance, structure and See also:flora. The Danube separates the Carpathians from the Alps, which they meet only in two points, namely, the Leitha Mountains at Pressburg, and the Bakony Mountains at See also:Vacz (Waitzen), while the same See also:river separates them from the See also:Balkan Mountains at Orsova. The valley of the See also:March and See also:Oder separates the Carpathians from the Silesian and Moravian chains, which belong to the middle wing of the great central mountain system of Europe. The Carpathians See also:separate Hungary and Transylvania from See also:Lower See also:Austria, See also:Moravia, See also:Silesia, See also:Galicia, See also:Bukovina and Rumania, while its ramifications fill the whole See also:northern See also:part of Hungary, and form the quadrangular See also:mass of the Transylvanian plateau. Unlike the other wings of the great central system of Europe, the Carpathians, which form the See also:watershed between the northern seas and the See also:Black See also:Sea, are surrounded on all sides by plains, namely the great Hungarian See also:plain on the south-west, the plain of the Lower Danube (Rumania) on the south, and the Galician plain on the See also:north-See also:east. The Carpathian system can be divided into two groups: the Carpathians proper, and the mountains of Transylvania. The Carpathians proper consist of an See also:outer See also:wall, which forms the frontier between Hungary and the adjacent provinces of Austria, and of an inner wall which fills the whole of Upper Hungary, and forms the central group. The outer wall is a complex, roughly circular mass of about 600 m. extending from Pressburg to the valley of the Viso, and the See also:Golden Bistritza, and is divided by the Poprad into two parts, the western Carpathians and the eastern or wooded Carpathians. Orographically, therefore, the proper Carpathians are divided into: (a) the western Carpathians, (b) the eastern or wooded Carpathians, and (c) the central groups. (a) The western Carpathians, which begin at the Porta Hungarica on the Danube, just opposite the Leitha Mountains, and extend to Ranges. the Poprad river, are composed of four See also:principal groups: the Little Carpathians (also called the Pressburg group) with the highest See also:peak Bradlo (267o ft.); the See also:White Carpathians or Miava group, with the highest peak Javornik (3325 ft.), and the Zemerka (3445 ft.) ; the Beskid proper or western Beskid group, which extends from a little west of the Jablunka pass to the river Poprad, with the highest peaks, Beskid (3115 ft.), Smrk (4395 ft.), See also:Lissa See also:Hera (4350 ft.) and Ossus (5106 ft.): and the Magura or Arva Magura group, which extends to the south of Beskid Mountains, and contains the See also:Bahia Gora (5650 ft.), the highest peak in the whole western Carpathians.

(b) The eastern or wooded Carpathians extend from the river Poprad to the See also:

sources of the river Viso and the Golden Bistritza, whence the Transylvanian Mountains begin, and form the See also:link between these mountains and the central groups or High Carpathians. They are a monotonous See also:sandstone range, covered with extensive forests, which up to the sources of the See also:rivers Ung and See also:San are also called the eastern Beskids, and are formed of small parallel ranges. The northern two-thirds of this range has a mean altitude of 3250 ft., and only in its southern portion it attains a mean altitude of 5000 ft. The principal peaks are Rusky Put (4264 ft.), Popadje (5690 ft.), Bistra (593640, Pop See also:Ivan (6214 ft.), Tomnatik (5035 ft.), Giumaleu (6077 ft.) and Cserna Gora (6505 ft.), the culminating peak of thewhole range. To the eastern Carpathians belongs also the range of mountains extending between the Laborcza and the Upper See also:Theiss, called Vihorlat, which attains in the peak of the same name an altitude of 3495 ft. As indicated by its name, which means " burnt," it is of volcanic origin, and plays an important part in the See also:folklore and in the superstitious legends of the Hungarian See also:people. (c) The central groups or the High Carpathians extend from the confluence of the rivers Arva and Waag to the river Poprad, and include the highest group of the Carpathian system. They consist of the High Tatra group (see TATRA MOUNTAINS), where is found the Gerlsdorfer or See also:Franz Josef peak (Hung. Gerlachfalvi-Cssics), with an altitude of 8737 ft., the highest peak in the whole Carpathian Mountains. On its west are the Liptauer Magura, with the highest peak the Biela Szkala (69oo ft.), and on its east are the Zipser Magura, which have a mean altitude of 3000 ft. South of the central groups lies a widely extending mountain region, which fills the whole of northern Hungary, and is known as the Hungarian highland. It is composed of several groups, which are intersected by the valleys of numerous rivers, and which descend in sloping terraces towards the Danube and the Hungarian plain.

The principal groups are: the Neutra or Galgoc Mountains (4400 ft.), between the rivers Waag and Neutra; the See also:

Low or Nizna Tatra, which extends to the south of the High Tatra, and has its highest peaks, the Djumbir (6700 ft.) and the .Kralova Hola (6400 ft.) ; this group is continued towards the east up to the confluence of the Gollnitz with the Hernad, by the so-called. Carpathian See also:foot-hills, with the highest peak the Zelesznik (2675 ft.). West of the Low Tatra extend the Fatra group, with the highest peak, the Great Fatra (5825 ft.), to the south and east of which lie the Schemnitz group, the Ostrowsky group, and several other groups, all of which are also called the Hungarian Ore Mountains, on See also:account of their richness in valuable ores. South-east of the Low Tatra extend the Zips—Gomor Ore Mountains, while the most eastern group is the Hegyalja Mountains, between the Topla, Tarcza and Hernad rivers, which run southward from See also:Eperjes to See also:Tokaj. In their northern portion, they are also called S6var Mountains, and reach in their highest peak, Simonka, an altitude of 3350 f t., while their southern portion, which ends with the renowned Tokaj See also:Hill (165o ft.), is also called Tokaj Mountains. The smaller groups of the Hungarian highland are: on the south-west the Neograd Mountains (2850), whose offshoots reach the Danube; to the east of them extends the Matra group, with the highest peak the Sasko (3285 ft.). The Matra group is of volcanic origin, rising abruptly in the great Hungarian plain, and constitutes one of the most beautiful groups of the Carpathians; lastly, to its east extend the thickly-wooded Bukk Mountains (3100 ft.). Throughout the whole of the Carpathian system there are numerous mountain lakes, but they cannot compare with the Alpine lakes either in See also:extension or beauty. The largest and most Lakes. numerous are found in the Tatra Mountains. These lakes are called by the people " eyes of the sea," through their belief that they are in subterranean communication with the sea. The western and central Carpathians are much more accessible than the eastern Carpathians and the Transylvanian Mountains. The principal passes in the western Carpathians are: passes.

Strany, Hrozinkau, Wlara, Lissa and the Jablunka pass (1970 ft.), the principal route between Silesia and Hungary, crossed by the See also:

Breslau-See also:Budapest railway; and the Jordanow pass. In the central Carpathians are: the road from Neumarkt to Kesmark through the High Tatra, the Telgb.rt pass over the Kralova Hola from the Poprad to the Gran, and the Tylicz pass from Bartfeld to See also:Tarnow. In the eastern Carpathians are: the Dukla pass, the Mezo-Laborcz pass crossed by the railway from Tokaj to See also:Przemysl; the Uszok pass, crossed by the road from Ungvar to Sambor; the Vereczke pass, crossed by the railway from See also:Lemberg to See also:Munkacs; the Delatyn or Korosmezo pass (3300 ft.), also called the Magyar route, crossed by the railway from See also:Kolomea to See also:Debreczen; and the Stiol pass in Bukovina. The Carpathians consist of an outer See also:zone of newer beds and an inner zone of older rocks. Between the two zones lies a See also:row of Klippen, while towards the Hungarian plain the inner See also:Geology. zone is bordered by a fringe of volcanic eruptions of See also:Tertiary See also:age. The outer zone is continuous throughout the whole extent of the chain, and is remarkably See also:uniform both in See also:composition and structure. It is formed almost entirely of a See also:succession of See also:sand-stones and shales of Cretaceous and Tertiary age—the so-called Carpathian Sandstone—and these are thrown into a See also:series of isoclinal folds dipping constantly to the south. The folding of this zone took See also:place during the See also:Miocene See also:period. The inner zone is not continuous, and is much more complex in structure. It is visible only in the west and in the east, while in the central Carpathians, between the Hernad and the headwaters of the Theiss, it is lost beneath the See also:modern deposits of the Hungarian plain. In the western Carpathians the inner zone consists of a See also:foundation of Carboniferous and older rocks, which were folded and denuded before the deposition of the succeeding strata. In the outer portion of the zone the See also:Permian and Mesozoic beds are crushed and folded against the core of See also:ancient rocks; in the inner portion of the zone they See also:rest upon the old foundation with but little subsequent disturbance.

In the eastern Carpathians also, the Permian and Mesozoic beds are not much folded except near the outer margin of the zone. The Klippen are isolated hills, chiefly of See also:

Jurassic See also:limestone, rising up in the midst of the later and softer deposits on the inner border of the sandstone zone. Their relations to the surrounding beds are still obscure. They may be " rootless " masses brought upon the See also:top of the later beds by thrustplanes. They may be the pinched-up summits of See also:sharp anticlinals, which in the See also:process of folding have been forced through the softer rocks which See also:lay upon them. Or, finally, they may have been islands rising above the See also:waters, in which were deposited the later beds which now surround them. The so-called Klippen of the Swiss Alps are now usually supposed to rest upon thrustplanes, but they are not strictly analogous, either in structure or in position, with those of the Carpathians. Of all the See also:peculiar features of the Carpathian chain, perhaps the most remarkable is the fringe of volcanic rocks which lies along its inner margin. The outbursts began in the later part of the See also:Eocene period, and continued into the See also:Pliocene, outlasting the period of folding. They appear to be associated with faulting upon the inner margin of the chain. Trachytes, rhyolites, andesites and basalts occur, and a definite See also:order of succession has' been made out in several areas; but this order is not the same throughout the chain. The Carpathians, like the Alps, form a protective wall to the regions south of them, which enjoy a much milder See also:climate than those Climate, situated to the north.

The vegetation of these regions is Flora naturally subjected to the different climateric conditions. Rtuaa. The mountains themselves are mostly covered wi th forests, and their vegetation presents four zones: that of the See also:

beech extends to an altitude of 4000 ft.; that bf the Scottish See also:fir to woo ft. higher. Above this grows a See also:species of See also:pine, which becomes dwarfed and disappears at an altitude of about 6000 ft., beyond which is a zone of See also:lichen and See also:moss covered or almost See also:bare See also:rock. The highest parts in the High Tatra and in the Transylvanian Mountains have a flora similar to that of the Alps, more specially that of the middle region. Remarkable is the sea-See also:shore flora, which is found in the numerous See also:salt-impregnated lakes, ponds and marshes in Transylvania. As regards the See also:fauna, the Carpathians still contain numerous bears, wolves and lynxes, as well as birds of See also:prey. It presents a characteristic feature in its mollusc fauna, which contains many species not found in the neighbouring regions, and only found in the Alpine region. See also:Cattle and See also:sheep are pastured in great See also:numbers on its slopes. The Carpathian system is richer in metallic ores than any other mountain system of Europe, and contains large quantities of See also:gold, minerals. See also:silver, See also:copper, See also:iron, See also:lead, See also:coal, See also:petroleum, salt, See also:zinc, &c., besides a great variety of useful See also:mineral. A great number of mineral springs and thermal waters are found in the Carpathians, many of which have become frequented watering-places. The systematic and scientific exploration of the Carpathians See also:dates only from the beginning of the 19th See also:century.

The first ascen-See also:

History. See also:sion of the Lomnitzer peak in the High Tatra was made by one See also:David or Johann See also:Frohlich in 1615. The first account of the Tatra Mountains was written by Georg See also:Buchholz, a See also:resident of Kesmark in 1664. The See also:English naturalist, See also:Robert Townson, explored the Tatra in 1793 and 1794, and was the first to make a few reliable measurements. The results of his exploration appeared in his See also:book, Travels in Hungary, published in 1797. But the first real important See also:work was undertaken by the See also:Swedish naturalist, Georg Wahlenberg (178o-1851), who in 1813 explored the central Carpathians as a botanist, but afterwards also made topographical and See also:geological studies of the system. The results of all the former explorations were embodied by A. von Sydow in an extensive work published in 1827. During the 19th century the measurements o the various parts of the Carpathians was under-taken by the See also:ordnance survey of the Austrian See also:army, which published their first See also:map of the central Carpathians in 187o. A great stimulus to the study of this mountain system was given by the foundation of the Hungarian Carpathian Society in 1873, and a great See also:deal of See also:information has been added to our knowledge since. In 188o two new Carpathian See also:societies were formed: a Galician and a Transylvanian.

End of Article: CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS 2 (Lat. Monies Sarmatici; Med. Lat. Monies Nivium)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
CARPACCIO, VITTORIO, or VITTORE (c. 1465-c. 1522) 		[next]
CARPATHUS (Ital. Scarpanto)

Site © 2006 - Net Industries