THE PANNONIAN LAKE DISAPPEARANCE IN THE LATE UPPERMOST PLEISTOCENE -

CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES

Ţicleanu Mircea1, Constantin Paul1, Stănoiu Ion1, Bădiceanu Emanuela, Sereţan Vasile2, Nicolescu Radu1, Ţicleanu Radu

Paper presented at „The XVIIIth Congress of the Carpathian-Balkans Geological Association”, Belgrade 2006
1
Geological Institute of Romania, str. Caransebeş nr. 1, Bucureşti
2
Formin S.A. str. Mihai Viteazu nr. 1, Caransebeş
Abstract: The Pannonian Lake, placed in an endoreic basin even since the late Pontian, seem to had been existed during the entire
Pleistocene. Its partial drainage, due to the genesis of Danube Gorge as a result of a piracy from the Dacic Basin, was facilitated by an
overloading that followed a flood due to the meteorites rain that affected the West Atlantic over 11,500 years ago (9,541 B.C.). An
endoreic lake, having its shore at about +100 m elevation, was maintained in the Lower Holocene in the SE area of the Pannonian Basin
mainly. The Pleistocene evolution of the Dacic Basin, the Pleistocene lacustrine delta of the Paleo-Mureş and the Holocene marine
Danube Delta are in favour of this viewpoint. The Holocene sands "dunes" of the Pannonian area and Romanian Plain, formed due to this
flood, had in fact eolian-aluvial origins, instead of an eolian one. The paleogeographical post-flood changes of the Pannonian area seem
to be reflected in some great humanity myths (Atlantis, biblical flood, North Scandinavian myths), as well.
Key word: Pannonian Lake, uppermost Pleistocene, endoreic basin, flood, delta, Danube Gorge
1. Introduction. The problem of the Pannonian Lake in the Late Pliocene (2,4 billion years ago, according to
disappearance cannot be solved without taking into this author), the Pannonian Lake was filled completely.
account the paleogeographical evolution of the However, other authors (Voiteşti, 1936; L. de Loczy, 1910,
surrounding areas, the Dacic Basin mainly, the moment fide Vâlsan, 1964); Oncescu, 1965) consider that the
and the way in which the Danube Gorge was built, the Pannonian Basin was isolated during the Lower
Danube Delta evolution, the great Quaternary glaciation Pleistocene as well. L. de Lőczy (1910) considers that
climatic changes, the actual Central and Southeast Europe during this period (the "Old" Pleistocene), a desert, with
hydrographic facts, and many others, as well. The rivers without drainage and an arid climate, was installed
achievement of all these aspects suggests the late, post in the Pannonian Basin. However, in our viewpoint the
Pleistocene definitivation of the actual configuration of the Pannonian Lake was maintained during the whole
Danube hydrographic system, and the special part of an Pleistocene, with minimal extensions during the glacial
unwonted cosmic event, which in the Late Uppermost phases (the Riss phase mainly), and with returns during the
Pleistocene affected the whole planet. Thus, the present interglacial phases. This lake drainage by the actual
paper tried to obtain a coherent image of the Danube Gorge seem to be realised in the Late Uppermost
paleogeographical evolution of a large area, from the Pleistocene. However, the drainage was only partial,
viewpoint of a possible very long survival of an endoreic because, during the Lower Holocene a nonendoreic lake
basin of the Central Paratethys, basin with a very was maintained initially in the SE area of the Pannonian
interesting evolution. Basin, having its shore at about +100 m elevation for a
2. The paleogeographical evolution of the Pannonian long time (for some millennium possibly). It is interesting
Basin. It is usual to consider that the separation of the to mention that until historical times, the passing of waters
Pannonian Sea, as part of the Central Paratethys, took through the Danube Gorge was still difficult, thus in spring
place beginning with the Sarmatian, which meant the there was possible to appear a temporary lake upstream,
isolation of a great endoreic lake, which had a particular called by the antics "Mare Album".
evolution for a long time. However, it seems that a last 2.1. The Pleistocene lacustrine delta of Paleo-Mureş. A
temporary link, demonstrated by the mollusc faunas, was clear proof for the existence of the Pannonian Lake in the
established during the Middle Pontian. But beginning with Pleistocene, can be considered the very well shaped delta
the Upper Pontian, a definitive isolation of the Pannonian of the Paleo-Mureş. The great quantity of sediments
Lake took place, which was maintained, without any brought by the Paleo-Mureş from a very large area of the
doubt, during the whole Pliocene. The lake was Transylvanian Basin was subaerial, deposited only
characterised by an endoreic, local thermophile fauna, and partially, in the circumstances of a very weak final current
by a relative pronounced hydrothermalism. One can of the river, into a lake with a great surface and lacking
assume as the maximal extension of this lake, during streams generally.
Pliocene, was linked with the Dacian-Romanian coal- 3. The paleogeographical evolution of the Dacic Basin.
generating phase, which made possible the appearance of The surface of this great Mio-Pliocene Basin was gradually
the Pliocene coal facies known in this basin. Beginning reduced, beginning with the Upper Miocene mainly.
with the Late Pliocene, the Pannonian Lake evolution was However, its great extensions can be imagined in the
very disputed. Some authors (Kázmér, 1990) consider that Middle Pontian (with possible link to the Pannonian
Basin), and in the Pliocene, as well, during the coal-
generating phase. Beginning with the terminal Pliocene,
the lake area which developed in the Dacic Basin,
sweetened completely even since the beginning of the
Romanian, reduced continuously towards East and South,
process that continued in distinct phases during
Quaternary, as well. To the final Pleistocene, the lacustrial
area was reduced and it covered the actual Danube
meadow, continued with the actual Brăila and Ialomiţa
swamps. The Romanian Plain rivers flew practically into
this relict lake, and the Danube Pleistocene "protodelta" (in
the West of "The Initial Jebriany-Letea-Caraorman Spit"
which was pointed out by Panin, 1977), due to the rivers
from Moldova mainly (Siret, Prut) or from Ukraine
(Catlabug, Ialpug and Cahul). During its evolution, the
Dacic Basin was never isolated from the Pontic and Caspic
Basins, till the glacial phases. After the glacial phase
Würm, the waters came back and during Holocene the link
between the Pontic Basin with the Mediterranean Sea was
re-established along the actual Bosfor Straits.
4. The Danube Gorge genesis. Different authors placed
the moment of its appearance in very different moments:
(1) In the Upper Sarmatian: Paucă (1981) or in the end of
the "Sarmatic": Sevastos (1903); (2); In Miocene or Pre-
Miocene ("Pontic"): Cvijić (1908); (3) In the end of the
Pliocene (beginning of Quaternary namely): Lapparent
(1896), Hallavats (1900), de Martonne (1902), Sevastos
(1903, 1908), Macovei (1909), Vâlsan (1919 fide Vâlsan
1964), Ionescu-Balea (1923), Coteţ (1957), Posea et al.
(1963), Paucă (1981), Kásmér (1990); In the end of the
Lower Quaternary (Old Quaternary, Eopleistocene): L. de
Lóczy (1910, fide Vâlsan, 1964), Vâlsan (1919 - first
option), Popescu-Voiteşti (1936), Oncescu (1965), Marović
et al. (1997); (5) In the end of the Pleistocene: Brătescu
(1943), Pop (1947) and Apostol (1980).
It is obvious that according to each of these different
moments, the discussion concerning the causes that led to
the gorge genesis, it is different. Old or very old links
between the two basins, which became permanent finally,
cannot be accepted. The largest admitted is the opinion
according to which the Danube hydrographic basin was
sketched in the end of the Pliocene (the beginning of the
Quaternary), but more possible seem to be the hypotheses
which are in favour of a newer age (intra-pleistocene) or
even very new one (end of Pleistocene).
Regarding the Danube Gorge genesis, one must mention
first of all the piracy hypotheses proposed by Peters
(1876), for which Murgoci (1902), de Martonne (1902),
Vâlsan (1919), Ficheux and Vergez-Tricom (1948), Posea
et al. (1963), Rădulescu et al. (1965) and recently Marović
et al. (1997) were in favour. In an elaborated form, this
hypotheses admitted the piracy of a river with Western
direction (the Pannonian Paleo-Danube) by a Valahian
Paleo-Danube. Another hypotheses took into account a
quasipermanent link between the Pannonian Lake and the
Dacic Basin, link which became later the actual gorge:
Murgoci (1902, 1908), Cvijić (1908), Macovei (1909),
Paucă (initially). Another version took into account "an
overflow of waters" which resulted from the Pannonian
waters level rising: Toula (1896), Hallavats (1900),
Schafarzik (1903). Some authors pointed out the special
part played in the gorge genesis by the dislocation system
from its area: Peters (1876), Inkey (1884), Iannescu
(1895), Drăghiceanu (1896), Sevastos (1903, 1908).
Towards our days, the part played by the neotectonics upon
this area was took into account mainly by Grubić et al.
(1972, 1997), Marović et al. (1997), to the idea of a
polygenetic origin of the Danube Gorge.
5. The favouring causes of disappearance of the
endoreic Pannonian Lake: the meteorites rain and the
flood. The re-established hydrological link between the
Pannonian and Dacic basins seemed that was facilitated by
the following events of a meteorites rain that took place
over 11 millennium ago (9,541 B.C.). The Halley's comet
passing at a short distance from Terra (Kamienski, 1952),
thus during the end of the Pleistocene, produced a
meteorites rain upon the terrestrial globe, but which was
concentrated towards the Western edge of the North
Atlantic, between the 300 and 400 parallels. A large number
a great meteorites (about 140,000) and a lot of small
meteorites reached the North America shore as well, in the
area of the actual states Carolina (Prouty, 1952) mainly.
The impact, beyond some important earthquakes at
planetary level, determined the vaporisation of a huge
quantity of oceanic water, as well, fact which led lately to
showers that lasted very long, upon a large area which
included the Central and Eastern Europe, as well. These
showers fell upon the Pannonian Lake and its drainage
basin, as well, modifying dramatically the lake hydrologic
balance, meaning an extreme overloading, initial due to the
liquid rainfalls which flew directly on the lake surface and
later due to the water from the Pannonian lake drainage
basin. The shore of this lake was placed at about +150
(±10 m) elevation, before the meteorites rain. The gorge
narrow path building, by piracy probably, led to the
disappearance of the endoreic character of the actual
Middle Danube Depression, and to the appearance of a
relict lake with surface drainage, having its shore at about
+100 m elevation, lake which survived a while in the SE
part of the Pannonian Basin mainly (fig. 1)
6. The major consequences of the sudden
disappearance of the Pannonian Lake. The special
rainfall contribution which preceded the Pannonian Lake
restraint led to some sandy sediments accumulation in this
lake area, in its central part mainly (between Danube and
Tisza), in the NW of the Bákony Mountains and towards
SE, in the Deliblat dunes area. A part of these sands were
transported towards the Dacic Basin as well, where they
were accumulated downstream the Danube Gorge, till its
confluence with Jiu river mostly. Downstream of this
confluence there appear "eolian" sands in the left slope of
Jiu river, and in the right bank of other Danube tributaries
(Ialomiţa, Călmăţui and Buzău rivers) as well, the origin of
these sands being connected to the hydrographical basins
of these rivers. However, one can assume that a part of
these sand contributed to the Holocene marine Danube
Delta genesis as well, developed in the East of "The Initial
Jebriany-Letea-Caraorman Spit"-Panin (1977). Holocene

Fig.1 - The Pannonian Basin paleogeographical (hydrographical) image in Lower Holocene (after the Danube Gorge genesis) and the
Holocene alluvial sands accumulation. (Interpretation after "The Europe Quaternary deposits map", 1:1.500.000, 1971, Moscow - Red.
Krasnov I. I.). Legend: 1 - Lakes and swamps; 2 - Holocene sands; 3 - Actual lakes Balaton and Neusiedl (Fertö); 4 - Land
alluvial sands appear as well in the Romanian Plain and
along the Danube, in the Ialomiţa and Brăila swamps area,
and in the lower part of Bârlad river, as well, till over the
confluence with Siret river. For all the above mentioned
Holocene sands one can admit a primary alluvial origin,
followed by an eolian modelling, fact which give a general
aspect of eolian deposits.
For the Holocene sands, thought to be "eolian" in South
Oltenia, Ionescu-Balea noticed, even since 1923, that these
don’t have the typical characteristics of the sea or
continental dunes, representing rather irregular masses of
sands with asymmetric undulations which have the
classical appearance of the plains of dunes, only locally.
Their elongation directions would reflect, in fact, the initial
transport direction of the alluvionary sands. In Nyirseg
area, between Tisza and Bodrog, Borsy et al. (1985) made
15 radiocarbon data determinations on fragments of wood
contained by fossil soils from the holocene dunes mass.
Eliminating the extreme values obtained by these authors,
we gained an average absolute age of 11,526 years, very
closely related to the age of the above mentioned
meteorites rain (11,526 years in 1985, value at which must
be added the age of those trees, as well).
7. The Quaternary Pannonian paleogeographical
changes reflected in the Euro-Asiatic myths. It seems
that both the pre-holocene paleogeographical facts, and the
very important hydrographic modifications which took
place after the meteorites rain, were reflected in very
important myths of the humanity, belonging mainly to the
people from the European and west-Asiatic area. The
gradual paleogeographical changes seem to be best caught
by the North, Scandinavian myths (Ţicleanu et al., 1991).
The meteorites rain was very suggestive reproduced in
some passages from the Apocalypse after John (New
Testament), and the catastrophic consequences of this
unwonted rain seem to be mentioned in the Genesis of the
Old Testament (the famous biblical flood). The Myth of
Atlantis has no meaning, as long as it has no relation with
these paleogeographical changes of the Pannonian area, as
well.
8. Conclusions. Taking into account the above mentioned
facts, one can easily imagine the following order of the
events which led to the disappearance of the Pannonian
Lake, and the making of the actual configuration of the
Central and SE Europe relief: the meteorites rain, with the
main impact in the West Atlantic (300 and 400 North
parallels); very important earthquakes at the planet level
and volcanoes eruption; the quick evaporation of a huge
quantity of oceanic water; violent torrential rains which
lasted very long, or fabulous snow on vast areas, in the
North hemisphere mainly; the overloading of the
Pannonian Lake (endoreic lake); the Danube Gorge
building by piracy from the Dacic Basin; The Pannonian
Lake (endoreic) disappearance and the building of a non-
endoreic, relict lake, in the SE part of the Pannonian Basin,
having the shore at about +100 m; the beginning of the
Holocene Danube Delta building (in the East of "The
Initial Jebriany-Letea-Caraorman Spit") with fine
sedimentary material mainly, having its origin in the
previous Pannonian Lake; the eolian processing of the
aluvionar sands sedimented in the Pannonian area or along
the Danube and some of its tributaries, sands proceeded
initially from the flood that followed the meteorites rain;
the actual Danube hydrographic system finalisation.
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Proceeding of the XVIIIth Congress of the

Carpathian-Balkans Geological Association”,
Belgrade 2006