Romania is one of the eastern European countries severely affected by different natural hazards. These include frequent earthquakes, floods, landslides, soil erosion, and droughts having major social and economic impacts. Thus, there is a long tradition of study of these hazards by scientific researchers in Romania.

Romania has an area of 237,500 km2 and a great variety of geologic regions. Two-thirds of the country comprises hills, tablelands, and mountains of the Carpathian arch. The climate is dominantly temperate-continental and vegetation and soils vary widely with altitude. Altitude ranges from sea level to 2,544 meters above sea level at the highest point of the Romanian Carpathians. Romania's population in 1992 stood at 22.76 million inhabitants, or an average density of 95.8 people per square kilometer.

The Vrancea Seismic Region of the southeastern part of the Carpathian Mountains is the most active subcrustal earthquake province of Europe. The region is characterized by high seismicity, with about three major earthquakes greater than magnitude (M) 7.0 occurring every century. The best studied earthquake of recent times occurred March 4, 1977, and had a magnitude of 7.2. This earthquake caused the death of 1,570 people, and destroyed 33,000 buildings. In addition to earthquakes, torrential rains are responsible for catastrophic floods, massive landslides, and major soil erosion.

Mass movements are a significant hazard in the hilly and mountainous regions, particularly those underlain by flysch deposits. These deposits are complexes of folded and faulted sedimentary rocks containing marls, clays, shales, sandstones, and conglomerates. The distribution of mass movements in these deposits is controlled by various climatic, tectonic, and lithologic factors influenced by different land-management practices. There are significant regional differences among types of mass movements, the quantities of materials delivered from the slopes into adjacent stream channels, and risks to various human activities.

In the Subcarpathians, formed predominantly of folded and faulted molasse deposits, slopes may be highly unstable. The instability is most frequently manifested by shallow (sheet) slides, landslides of medium depth, and mudflows typically 300-700 meters in length. The areas most affected by these features lie within the curvature subcarpathians in the Vrancea Seismic Region.

In the Eastern Carpathians, formed predominantly of Cretaceous and Paleocene flysch deposits, periglacial or immediate postglacial colluvial materials are major sources of mass movements. These deposits generally range from 10 to 30 meters in depth, and landslides within them are commonly activated or reactivated by regional deepening of the valley network in the long term, or deforestation practices by people. Because of their association with stream valleys, these landslides often affect towns, communication lines, and roads, and may partially or totally block valleys when they move. In the Moldlavian Plateau, the areas most affected by landslides occur on slopes built up of alternations of marls and clays, with intercalations of conglomerates and sandstones. In the Transylvanian Plateau deep landslides called "glimee" are commonly triggered by heavy rains.

In the alpine belt of the Carpathian mountains, the most common mass movements are rockfalls and rock avalanches. These processes are most common in the crystalline rocks on the steep slopes of glacial cirques and valleys.

Sheet and gully erosion affect most of the hilly and mountainous regions of Romania. Agricultural lands on slopes steeper than 5% represent 42 of these regions and contribute to the bulk of sheet and gully erosion. About 20 of the regions are affected by high to very high erosion rates of 8 to 16 T/HA/year; 19% are subject to more moderate rates of 2 - 8 T/HA/Year; and about 3% are classified as slightly eroded. Highest erosion risks occur in the Curvature Subcarpathians, the Getic Subcarpathians, the north of the Getic Plateau, the central part of the Moldavian Plateau, and the west of the Translvanian Plateau. In these regions, large areas are affected by gully erosion which contributes to making about 5,000 ha/year unfit for the cultivation of crops with a corresponding loss of 30 million tons of soil per year. Factors related to gully erosion include poorly consolidated rocks, intense rainfall, and poor land-use practices.

Mud volcanoes occur along active fault lines in the Curvature Subcarpathians, and are related to oil and ground water circulation under pressure. Mud volcanoes commonly are activated and reactivated during strong earthquakes. The largest mud volcanoes are located in the Berca Anticline Depression, a region rich in oil deposits. Upward movement of ground water and oil there formed large, circular mud volcano plateaus 60 - 70 meters high with diameters of 200 - 300 meters. Within these plateaus, there are active and extinct mud volcano cones about one to three meters high. Because of the unusual formations, the region is protected from development and is a preserve for some of Romania's spectacular natural features.

	Slopes affected by reactivation of landslides in eastern Carpathians Slopes affected by reactivation of landslides in the eastern Carpathians. Landslides occur in colluvial deposits 10 - 30 meters thick developed on paleocene flysch. Predominant vegetation on these slopes is beech (Fagus Sylvatica). [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.] File:Landslides-Romania-01
	Rockfall area on steep slopes in eastern Carparthians Rockfall area on steep slopes comprising folded and faulted Paleocene sandstones in the eastern Carparthians. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.] File:Landslides-Romania-02
	Rockfalls in the Buzau Mountains caused by March 1977 earthquakes Rockfalls in the Buzau Mountains (Eastern Carpathians) resulting from the March 4, 1977, earthquake (M = 7.2). The volume of rock displaced by the earthquake was 20 - 50 times larger than the normal annual volume emanating from the cliffs from other causes. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-03
	Second view of rockfalls in Buzau Mountains Rockfalls in the Buzau Mountains (Eastern Carpathians) resulting from the March 4, 1977, earthquake (M = 7.2). The volume of rock displaced by the earthquake was 20 - 50 times larger than the normal annual volume emanating from the cliffs from other causes. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.] File:Landslides-Romania-04
	Rock block slide along planar surface in eastern Carpathians ROCKFALLS AND SLIDES  Rock block slide along a planar surface triggered by the March 4, 1977, earthquake in the eastern Carpathians. This slide destroyed houses of the Colti village in the Buzau Mountains. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-05
	Slopes affected by reactivation of landslides in eastern Carpathians Rock block slide along a planar surface triggered by the March 4, 1977, earthquake in the eastern Carpathians. This slide destroyed houses of the Colti village in the Buzau Mountains. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-06
	Scarp of slump in Getic Subcarpathians The scarp of a large slump in the Getic Subcarpathians, reactivated after a long rainy period in June 1982. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-07
	Large landslide that destroyed 30 houses in Subcarpathians Large complex landslide that destroyed 30 houses in the Tega village in the Buzau Subcarpathians. The landslide was reactivated in March 1973 by increasing water content in colluvial material plus more than 2,000 tons of debris-flow materials flowing onto the slope. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-08
	Second view of landslide that destroyed 30 houses Large complex landslide that destroyed 30 houses in the Tega village in the Buzau Subcarpathians. The landslide was reactivated in March 1973 by increasing water content in colluvial material plus more than 2,000 tons of debris-flow materials flowing onto the slope. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-09
	Translation landslide that blocked valley in Subcarpathians Translational landslide about 30 - 40 meters deep that blocked a valley in March - April, 1973. The slide occurred in Neogene molasses on the southern slope of Blidisel Hill in the Buzau Subcarpathians. The slide was reactivated during the March 4, 1977 earthquake in the eastern Carpathians. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-10
	Shallow slide topography in the Subcarpathians Shallow (sheet) slide topography in the Buzau subcarpathians. The slope is developed on Neogene clays and marls, and is entirely covered with colluvial deposits exhibiting many stages of mass movement. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-11
	Large complex landslide in Subcarpathians Large complex landslide in the Buzau Subcarpathians showing many features of recent reactivations. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-12
	Landslide study area near Patarlagele Research Station Landslide study area near Patarlagele Research Station of the Romanian Academy Institute of Geography. Experiments on slope evolution here include photogrammetric measurements continued over a period of 20 - 30 years. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.] File:Landslides-Romania-13
	Mudflow near Panatau village in Subcarrpathians Mudflow near Panalau village in the Buzau Subcarpathians. The mudflow was triggered by a rainstorm that dropped 177.8 mm of rain on July 2, 1975. The flow track is 425 m with a gradient of 8_ - 12_ degrees. The total material displaced was 18,000 m3. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-14
	Sheet erosion, gullies, and landslides Sheet erosion, gullies, and landslides on an overgrazed slope in the Curvature Subcarpathians. The slope is developed on salted marls and clays. Studies in this sector by the Romanian scientist Marzek in 1927 occasioned the first use of the notion of "diapiric folds" in connection with the outcrops of salt and salt breccia. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-15
	Heavily eroded slope in Moldavian Plateau Slope heavily eroded by discontinuous gullies in the Moldavian Plateau. Development of these gullies is partly related to poor land-use practices, including plowing parallel to the slope rather than plowing along slope contours. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-16
	Head of gully in Moldavian Plateau Head of a discontinuous gully in the Moldavian Plateau. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-17
	Mud volcano cones in Berca Anticline Mud volcano cones in the Berca Anticline Depression of the Curvature Subcarpathians. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-18
	Second view of mud volcano cones in Berca Anticline Mud volcano cones in the Berca Anticline Depression of the Curvature Subcarpathians. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-19
	Oil rich mudflow in Berca Anticline Mudflow rich in oil on a mud volcano plateau in the Berca Anticline Depression of the Curvature Subcarpathians. [Photograph Credit: Dr. Dan Balteanu, Romanian Academy.]  File:Landslides-Romania-20