<p>My guess is streams fed by mountains that have been tectonically compressed and is undergoing some rotation. Near Italy are 3 tectonic boundary. Convergent, transform, and divergent. Due to the plate motion of the Eurasian plate, to the African plate, and the Arabian plate, it is causing compression and what I can describe as some rotation the land. It appears to be an involved relationship. I used Google Earth to create this map:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/NHf6L.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NHf6L.jpg" alt="Image of eastern Med and Caspian"></a></p>

<p>I hope I helped or gave you a direction to look. As you can see by the arrows, there are areas of convergence that are oblique and related in a way, that his geologic feature is not at all impossible.</p>

<h3>Other sources</h3>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=geology+of+the+trasnsylvanian+alsp&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;client=firefox-b-1-ab" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google search</a></li>
<li><a href="https://emmanolanlaquilaearthquakeitaly2009.weebly.com/cause.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Earthquakes in Italy</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-03T20:55:18.197Z
2018-03-05T16:43:46.067Z
2018-03-05T16:43:46.067Z
Chief Drakke
<p>So I was browsing Google Earth the other day and I found this strange formation near Râmnicu Vâlcea, at about <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/R%C3%A2mnicu+V%C3%A2lcea,+Romania/@45.1032811,24.2630868,68696m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">45°07'N 24°16'E</a></p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/luVJp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/luVJp.jpg" alt="One view"></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ki8xh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ki8xh.jpg" alt="Another view"></a></p>

<p>It's an almost circular region, about 40 km in diameter which to my eyes looks like a multi ringed impact crater, but then again it's near a mountain chain so it could be just some random feature created by the converging tectonic plates. But what could cause the hills to be arranged in this strange manner?</p>

<h3>Elevation profiles</h3>

<p>North-South:
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/xSjjj.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xSjjj.png" alt="NS profile"></a> </p>

<p>East-West
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7ursO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7ursO.png" alt="EW profile"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-11T10:51:29.600Z
Personally I'm not convinced there's anything there. It is only really evident in the bottom half of the circle. I'm inclined to think it's just a few roughly parallel river valleys.
bon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-11T16:45:05.017Z
This question deserves a great investigative answer.
Deer Hunter
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-15T06:59:24.893Z
@JanDoggen you're right the picture is skewed. I added another view from top. As well as elevation profiles also obtained from Google Earth.
I'm wouldn't be able to provide any more than this as I don't live in the area so I can't perform any readings myself.
memory of a dream
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-12T15:48:09.817Z
It has been suggested that land morphology near Râmnicu Vâlcea may have been the result of a large meteor (bolide) strike.
Earth Science Expatriate
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T03:44:17.860Z
@GaryKindel: do you have any more information on this?  Perhaps nothing has been peer reviewed, but who has made this suggestion/how popular it is/what evidence they have?
JeopardyTempest
<geology><geomorphology><mountain-building>
What is this strange formation near Râmnicu Vâlcea?
memory of a dream
# What is this strange formation near Râmnicu Vâlcea?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-10)

So I was browsing Google username_3 the other day and I found this strange formation near Râmnicu Vâlcea, at about [45°07'N 24°16'E](https://www.google.ca/maps/place/R%C3%A2mnicu+V%C3%A2lcea,+Romania/@45.1032811,24.2630868,68696m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s)

[![One view](https://i.sstatic.net/luVJp.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/luVJp.jpg)
[![Another view](https://i.sstatic.net/ki8xh.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ki8xh.jpg)

It's an almost circular region, about 40 km in diameter which to my eyes looks like a multi ringed impact crater, but then again it's near a mountain chain so it could be just some random feature created by the converging tectonic plates. But what could cause the hills to be arranged in this strange manner?

### Elevation profiles

North-South:
[![NS profile](https://i.sstatic.net/xSjjj.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/xSjjj.png)

East-West
[![EW profile](https://i.sstatic.net/7ursO.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/7ursO.png)

**Tags:** geology, geomorphology, mountain-building

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Personally I'm not convinced there's anything there. It is only really evident in the bottom half of the circle. I'm inclined to think it's just a few roughly parallel river valleys.  
> **username_2**: This question deserves a great investigative answer.  
> **username_0**: @JanDoggen you're right the picture is skewed. I added another view from top. As well as elevation profiles also obtained from Google username_3. I'm wouldn't be able to provide any more than this as I don't live in the area so I can't perform any readings myself.  
> **username_3**: It has been suggested that land morphology near Râmnicu Vâlcea may have been the result of a large meteor (bolide) strike.  
> **username_4**: @GaryKindel: do you have any more information on this?  Perhaps nothing has been peer reviewed, but who has made this suggestion/how popular it is/what evidence they have?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-03-03. Score: 1

My guess is streams fed by mountains that have been tectonically compressed and is undergoing some rotation. Near Italy are 3 tectonic boundary. Convergent, transform, and divergent. Due to the plate motion of the Eurasian plate, to the African plate, and the Arabian plate, it is causing compression and what I can describe as some rotation the land. It appears to be an involved relationship. I used Google username_3 to create this map:

[![Image of eastern Med and Caspian](https://i.sstatic.net/NHf6L.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/NHf6L.jpg)

I hope I helped or gave you a direction to look. As you can see by the arrows, there are areas of convergence that are oblique and related in a way, that his geologic feature is not at all impossible.

### Other sources

* [Google search](https://www.google.com/search?q=geology+of+the+trasnsylvanian+alsp&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab)
* [Earthquakes in Italy](https://emmanolanlaquilaearthquakeitaly2009.weebly.com/cause.html)


---

