5. Morphographic and Morphometric Features of the Hăghimaş Mountains, the Hydrographic Basin and the Red Lake Lacustrine Basin

The tectonics of the erosive substrate (composed of limestones and conglomerates) is highly fragmented and represents an important factor in the morphology and morphometry of the landscape. The hydrographic basin is individualized by a series of variables, from which the most important are: rocks; soil layer and vegetal layer. The morphometric parameters for the Red Lake hydrographic basin were determined through the computer-based cartography programs TNTMips (Microimage) and ArcGis (ESRI). Out of these, the most important are: basin length, width, drainage network length and frequencies, basin surface, landform orientation, slope exposure etc. The Horton-Strahler hierarchy of the hydrographic network was also assembled, in order to point out the maximum order number of the basin river system and make a statistical analysis on the Red Lake tributaries of each Horton-Strahler river order. A detailed analysis (from both a spatial and a statistical point of view) was made on different hydrographic basins, according to the corresponding river’s Horton-Strahler order. The lake basin parameters were measured with state of the art equipment (LEICA TCR 1201 total station, together with LEICA GPS 1200; Valeport Midas Surveyor echo sounder), which was used to obtain a bathymetric map of the lake and the morphometry of the surrounding areas. The bathymetric map was used to generate transects, which would later be used in silting analysis and other detailed analyses.