Eastern Carpathians

The Gurghiu Mountains form part of the volcanic arc on the inner side of the Eastern Carpathians. Old volcanic cones and eroded central depressions rise between the Transylvanian plateau and the mountain basins farther east. The Bucin pass crosses a saddle between parts of the range, while streams descend from its forested slopes toward neighbouring rivers. Woodland and upland pasture cover much of this broken country, where the ridges divide valleys without entirely closing the routes between them.