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ANTHROPO-SALINE AND KARSTO-SALINE LAKES FROM OCNA ŞUGATAG -

MARAMUREŞ (ROMANIA)

Article · December 2008

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Lakes, reservoirs and ponds, vol. 1-2: 80-89, December 2008
©Romanian Limnogeographical Association

ANTHROPO-SALINE AND KARSTO-SALINE LAKES FROM

OCNA ŞUGATAG – MARAMUREŞ (ROMANIA)

Gheorghe ŞERBAN
„Babeş-Bolyai” University, Faculty of Geography
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
[email protected]

Abstract
The basin of diapir anticlinal from Ocna Şugatag entered into the accelerated transformation soon
after the cessation of exploitations (the beginning of the years '60). Along of the most 50 years of
evolution formed and disappeared lacustrine basins, all on natural way in little dolines, mostly all of
them, through the breakdown of galleries or halls of salt exploitation, with the individualization of
greatest lacustrine basins. These dynamics rearward are very accelerated, the evidence beeing the
crumbling of some portions of borders with a rhythms of 0.5 – 1.5 meters on year. The phenomenon
of collapse of the mines is far from beeing finished because the most of these (Mihai and Dragoş)
are little affected and the support piling have a reduced diameter. In conditions of the exploitation of
the brine from underground in balneary aim, it is possible that in short time to asist to new lakes
formation with an bigger surface than ones existing.
Keywords: diapir, anthropo-saline lakes, karsto-saline lakes, brine use, epoch and spatial
evolution, risk phenomena.

1. INTRODUCTION

The scientific researches about quality of salt water from lakes began something
more later (the IXth century), and were made by doctors, chemists or biologists to the
solicitation of the administration of the salt mines, in the aim of touristic or treatment bases
improvement. On this line, can be mentioned Pataky S., to Ocna Sibiului (1820), Hanko I., to
Turda (1844) and to Sovata (1879), Lengyel B., Telegdi L. and Roth V., to Sovata (1898),
Entz G. (1886), following several physico-chemical parameters (temperature, salinity), or
biotic constitutive of the salt lakes water.

80
 The researches are intensified in the first half of the XXth century: Kalecinszky S. (1901
- Sovata), Visky J. (1911 - Turda), Maxim I. Al. (1929-1943 - Sovata, Sic, Ocna Sibiului, Turda)
etc. and were directed especially on the physico-chemical parameters study, but also on the
dynamics of the lake basins.
In the second half of the same century appears the first lymnological studies and
complex hidrogeographical studies elaborate by Gâştescu P. (1963 and 1971) and more
later by Sorocovschi V. (2005), as well as studies about the lake basin dynamics
accomplished by Marosi P. (1959 - Ocna Mureş), Pişota I. and Popa Gh. (1960 - Sovata),
Bobeică I. (1969 - Ocna Sibiului), Panait I., Şişman I. and Bobeică I. (1969 Sovata), Pânzaru
Th. (1960-1970 - many locations from Ardeal), Trică Valeria (1983 - Sovata).
Because the formation of the lakes from the valley of diapir anticlinal from Ocna
Şugatag began relatively late (after the exploitation derelictions and the suffusion of the
mines - 1 September 1950), the researches about the massif of salt were undertaked more
of geologists: Popescu-Voiteşti I., Szentes F., Niculescu N., Dessila Marcela, Năstăseanu S.,
Maxim I. Al. etc.
The research of the lake complex was hardly realized in the aisle September 1966 -
December 1968 by Pânzaru which succeeded a complete counting of all lacustrine units, as
well as a extremely rigorous mensuration of the morphological elements and the
morphometric of these, followed by a detailed analysis. The two studies of the mentioned
author, at which there were added the sensitive prolusion achieved of the the undersigned,
underlay at the comparative analysis of the evolution of lacustrine units which I achieved in
the present work.
The massif of salt from Ocna Şugatag represents an apophysis of the unique massif
from Maramureşului Basin, apophysis that reached to be diapir, at the surface of the land,
exteriorly was cuted off of the erosion from Pliocen, after all beeing covered of the
warehouses deluvio-coluvial of the piemont of quaternary age (Pânzaru, 1969). The
hypothesis is sustained alsow by other authors, between whom Popescu-Voiteşti, 1953;
Năstăseanu, 1956; Iorgulescu et al., 1962.
Piedmontaneous counterpane from the north of Gutâi Massif, which is expanded
between the rivers Mara and Cosău was removed through erosion of to Salt Brook, resulting
an oval microbassin of buttonhole type, with the big axis oriented on the direction North-
South, that corresponds to the superior basin of mentioned brook (fig. 1).
The versants of the basin are steepend on the eastern and the weastern flanks and
slowly in south, where the torrential erosion penetrated regressive in the piemont structure.
The bed of the bassin presents a chaotic relief, result from the conjugated actions of the air’s
agents and Salt Brook and the antropic factor, which besides the disorderly storage of the
sterile from the extraction of the salt, alsow created conditions for an accelerated dissolution
of the mineral, as exteriorly, and much more in the underground. The result is the
appearance of more lakes, on the emplacement of the ex mines or in little sinkholes formed
through the dissolution salt and the sedimentary material covering subsidence.

81
 Fig. 1. The position of the buttonholes basin of diapir anticlinal in the space of
Maramureş Depression.

The drainage system exteriorly organized and the underground water control toward
the wells collectors permited the scroll activity of extraction salt within across 24 of June 1948,
when the watter infiltrezed through the ceiling of the Dragoş mine (last which operated). The
consequence was the effectuation of a geological complex study about the mines and
surrounding territory, in the year 1949. The conclusions study were not at all favorable
continuating exploitations, were revealed meshes of lines of which fissure furrows zone,
inclusively the massif of salt; These facilitates a good underground drainage of the water and
massive infiltrations to the rooms of exploited salt.
Taking count of these conclusions, the organs of domains disposed the cessation of
the extraction of the salt at 11 may 1950, and the official closing of the salt mine at 31 may
1950. The cessing of water extraction from main mines (Bogdan, Mihai and Dragoş), as well
as disassembling the underground installations which was acomplished at 1 of September
1950, moment in which began the suffusion of all underground wholes and the accelerated
dissoloution of the salt.

82
 2. METHODS

If our predecessors disposed just of levels and theodolites, for topometry operations
and a simple manual derrick, for the batimetric, the technical recent endowments realized by
the institution facilitated the development of campaigns of quick and accurate measurements.
For the effectuation of the topometry were used doubled Trimble and Magellan GPS
terminal, in the sectors with consistent crownings of the arbors, of theodolites. For the
batimetrical realization were used simple derricks or with winch, in the case of little lakes with
difficult access, and on Gavrilă Lake was succeeded the profiles drawing with derrick ultrason;
in the less deep zones the profiles were doublated through classic measurements.
For another determinations (ex. physico-chemical parameters), was used a portable case for
the water quality able to measure the values of 8 parameters (transparency, temperature,
pH, conductivity, oxygen dissolved, salinity, resistivity, the saturation in oxygen).
The centralization and information processing was realized in computerized version using
the endowment soft from Hydrologic-Hydrometric Laboratory and of the university: Microsoft Office
XP; The Scientific Software Group’s “Groundwater Modelling System-GMS”; The Scientific Software
Group’s “Watershed Modelling System-WMS”; The Scientific Software Group’s “Surface-Water
Modelling System-SMS”; ESRI ArcView 3.x; ESRI ArcGIS/ArcINFO 8.x.

3. RESULTS

The effect of the underground salt dissolution and at the diapir surface was the
forming of 8 anthropo-saline lakes and of 35 karsto-saline lakes (Pânzaru, 1969), many
among these beeing some little sizes pits. In the present moment there are preserved just 8
anthropo-saline lakes (some of the old ones disappearing and other new ones appearing
afterwards) and just 4 carstosaline lakes, the rest of them beeing clogged and filled up with
higrofila and hidrofila vegetation (fig. 2 and 3).
The anthropo-saline lakes (antropogenous) formats, at large in, through the
breakdown of the ceiling of the salt mines as consequence of the sustaining pillones
dissolvement inside the exploitations rooms. The process took place because of the phreatic
waters infiltration inside the salt mines and the suffusion after the evacuation of the fittings of
exploitation. On the respectively emplacement were formed some huge pits, which gradually
were filled up with water either from precipitations and the stream of versant, either from
underground contribution.In many cases, the halina solution formed inside the mines arrived
at saturation, through these stoping the dissolution process and conffering a relative stability
to the sustaining elements that remained unaffected.
The karsto-saline lakes constituted in sinkholes, formed, on two ways: through the
crumbling of little amplitude of the ground which was covering some underground gaps ,
produced at the surface of the salt massif of the infiltration of underground waters; through the
slow subsidence of the ground, after the chemical suffusion, respectively the outcrop

83
dissolution from the vesture salt, or the mineral from massif exterior, followed by the mechanic
suffusion under the effect of the waters of infiltration or the underground ones.

Fig. 2. The clogged up basin of the ex – karsto-saline lake Pipiriga de Jos from north
zone of the lake complex from Ocna Şugatag.

In the previous studies the professor Pânzaru identifies three zones of repartition lacustrine
units on the contents of the basin (p. 253). Southern zone, that involves more antroposaline lakes,
between which Gavrilă, Tăul Fără Fund, the basin of the old station and some lakes carstosaline ex.
Vorsing, Mihai etc.
Zone of north-east, which cotains, among other things, the anthropogenous lakes of Witch,
Old and Red and some karsto-saline lakes (White Lake). Pipiriga zone, constitued in totally from
karsto-saline lakes, between which the lakes Pipiriga de Sus, de Mijloc and de Jos, Fountain from
Slatina the other little expanse of water numbered by the author with arabian digits (the lakes 4 … 25 –
fig. 3).
In the present the configuration of the lacustrine complexe from Ocna Şugatag is
modified, through this relieving a dynamics extremely active of the depressions hearth and
the base of the versants. So, the lakes from southern zone registered mostly important
extensions of the surfaces through the breakdown or erode of the borders, their number
remaining about same. In northern zone the spatial repartition of the lakes is very changed;
mean while other surfaces of water disappeared entirely, their place have been taken of little
plateau without vegetations (increassed salinity ex. Pipiriga Complex) other units registered
the transformations of the basins, including the position, under the effect of massive
landslides from the left versant of the basin (the lakes Red, of Witch and Old - fig. 4).

84
 Fig. 3. Old lakes and new lakes in the diapir anticlinal basin
from Ocna Şugatag.

As a result of the continuing process of dissolution of underground salt the new lake
units appeared, respectively the lakes Bogdan 1 and Bogdan 2, appearing a new sector in
the central area of the basin. They were formed and evolved in the ‘70th – ‘80th years by the
collapse of the Bogdan mine and of the south-west part of the rising who work in addition
(fig. 3).
85
 Fig. 4. Massive landslides on the right slope of the Ocna-Şugatag basin above the
lakes of Witch (1), Old (2) and Red (3).

The lakes Bogdan 1 and Bogdan 2 represents some of the most spectacular drives,
because of their shape, but also the difference between the level of cornice collapse and
water mirror, but, unfortunately, lakes became residual warehouses, in the last years.

4. DISCUSSION

Dynamics widening of the diapir anticlinal basin from Ocna Şugatag is highlighted
also by the change in time of the main morphometrical elements of the lakes (table 1).

Table 1. The dinamics of main morphometrical elements of the salt lakes

from Ocna Sugatag.
Medium Maximum Medium Maximum Quotient
o Element / Year of Surface Lenght Volume Perimeter
N 2 width width depth depth 3 of
Lake survey (S-m ) (L-m) (V-m ) (m)
(Bm-m) (Bmax-m) (hm-m) (hmax-m) sinuozity
1968 1514 69.5 21.78 30 2.82 6.9 4277 204 1.48
1 Vorsing *
2006 673 54.65 12.31 22.2 1.14 4.1 764 155.1 1.69
1968 23542 341.5 68.94 134 10.58 29.95 249102 1048 1.93
2 Gavrilă **
2006 28312 338.78 83.57 162.26 9.7 25.7 274667 953.9 1.6
1968 672 47.5 14.15 20 0.87 3.8 587 131.5 1.43
3 Mihai *
2006 764 62.09 12.3 24.89 0.9 3.1 687 154.8 1.58

86
 Taul Fara 1968 1625 48.5 33.51 31 1.39 32.9 2259 132 0.92
4
Fund ** 2006 2858 85.93 33.26 54.75 1.41 31.5 4042 228.5 1.21
1968 70 10.3 6.8 9.9 1.28 17 89 30 1.01
5 Dragos **
2006 246 22.17 11.11 18.17 1.2 15.2 295 63.4 1.14
1968 - - - - - - - - -
6 Bogdan 1 **
2006 2324 61.08 38.05 56.58 3.07 7.3 7146 192.2 1.12
1968 - - - - - - - - -
7 Bogdan 2 **
2006 871 42.92 20.3 34.12 1.1 2.7 962 116.5 1.11
1968 1758 56.8 30.95 43 3.49 6.8 6133 160.5 1.08
8 Of Witch **
2006 1171 52.59 22.27 35.3 2.98 6 3485 143.6 1.18
1968 6226 130 47.89 85.5 6.13 15.7 38175 369 1.32
9 Old **
2006 6012 129.9 46.28 93.72 5.51 12.7 33149 374.5 1.36
1968 3337 125 26.7 45 1 2.25 3337 342 1.67
10 Red **
2006 3590 129.07 27.81 46.5 0.76 2.1 2743 389.3 1.83
Pipiriga de 1968 1708 105 16.27 26.5 2.04 2.65 3485 248 1.69
11 Jos * 2006 - - - - - - - - -
1968 1348 84.5 15.95 23.5 0.31 0.74 420 190 1.46
12 White *
2006 - - - - - - - - -
* karsto-saline lake
** anthropo-saline lake

In this regard, in addition to the appearance or disappearance of some lakes is noted

significant increases in volumes or areas under effect of salt dissolution, under the emersion slope
collapse or under border withdrawal (lakes Gavrilă – with the lake from Ocna Mureş the largest in
the country, Taul fără Fund, Mihai and Dragoş), or, conversely, reductions of these items under the
effect of landslides, the slope alluvial flow and clogging (lakes Vorsing, of Witch and Old).
Also, phenomena and processes specific to this category of lakes maded their mark on the
borders evolution, proved by their perimeter and quotient of sinuozity transformations.
The Red Lake is a special category, the one intermediary of two types of evolution.
Although the area has increased slightly, following the resetting of the basin, the volume and
maximum depth were easely reduced because of silt transport and of wave slide as it affects
three-quarters of the perimeter. Unfortunately anthropogenic interference (with bulldozers
and excavators) on the Red Lake and several other lakes after concession in the current
year, yet passed its negative impact on the ecosystem.
This intervention was made only for the purpose of their arrangement for recovery, not in the
conservation and protection. All the contours of the lakes were enclosed by the fence to use resorts and
sailing them, and the Red Lake has been arranged for fishing. By this it renonced to therapeutic mud
valorisation and will reach an aggressive exploitation of the lake only with salt water in the complex, the
Old Lake.
Also, an another negative element is constitued by the intens extraction of the brine
which deals the underground gaps of the infallen remanent salt mines (especially the Dragoş
mine) in the aim of balneary capitalization by the new and old balneary stations and by the
numerous and actual private basins. The brine extracted is quickly replaced by the fresh
water of phreatic horizon which reactivate the disolution and can generate new collapses,
with the formation of new lakes, just else big than one existences.

87
 5. CONCLUSIONS

The diapir anticlinal basin from Ocna Şugatag is some from most active from the
country, the dynamics of its hearth beeing very active. The evidence represents it an
appearance and a disappearance relative shortly of numerous lakes, as well as the quick
transformation of the actually lakes.
The utilization of new technique in the observations and measurements achievement, as well as in the
remaking of the results data leads to notable performances in the emphasis of the specific process and
phenomena of this variety of lands.
It is identified numerous elements of risks behind of old and actually chaotic
intervention of the human factor about the equilibrium among the elements of saline system,
binded of the irrational potential this capitalization.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Gratitude to Profesor Theodor Panzaru, for the precise observations realised, verz
importants for a quality comparative analysis.
Also, many thanks to Dumitru Family from Ocna Şugatag, for the cartographic materials very
old and for the given informations.

References

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