The Depression of Transylvania is the largest depression area within the chain of the Carpathians, and by its associated tectonic, lithological, morpho-climatic, morpho-hydrographic, and bio-pedo-geographic relations it defines the specificity of Transylvanian geographical landscapes. The functionality of Transylvanian geographic landscapes is proved by the heterogeneity of the paleo-media of morphogenesis, and the rate and intensity of contemporary geomorphological processes as apparent in Pleistocene “informational” matrices.
The landscape response to climatic and hydrologic changes was highlighted by: the analysis of climatic and hydrologic conditions, the morpho-dynamics of valleys and slopes, land usage types, and the dynamics of rural and urban settlements. The action of Pleistocene, Holocene, and contemporary modelling factors is apparent in the morphodynamic factors of geomorphological landscapes. Contemporary modelling is inscribed into the Pleistocene matrix, while the processes of linear and regional erosion outline a new dimension of the functions of Transylvanian landscape.
