Râpa Roșie

Râpa Roșie (Romanian for "red ravine") is a protected area, a natural monument of national interest in Alba County, Romania. It is a geological and botanical reserve, located in the extreme southwest of the Secașelor Plateau, on the right bank of the river Secașul Mare, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Sebeș. With a size of approximately 24 hectares (59 acres), the reserve is classified as IUCN Category III. Erosion and runoff has given it a prominent, sharp rocky appearance in the mountainside. Râpa Roșie itself measures approximately 10 ha (25 acres) in size. Râpa Roșie stretches over a length of 800 metres (2, 600 ft). Its height measures between 50–125 metres (164–410 ft) (300–425 metres (984–1, 394 ft) absolute altitude). A huge wall, almost vertical, gives the impression of a ruined ancestral monument. Tiered columns and pyramids, separated by ravines, form a badlands microrelief. The first report of a Coțofeni culture find at Râpa Roșie was made by Fr. W. Schuster in 1865. It was the first archaeological exploration made by him which revealed remnants of large and small pottery that had ornamentation, which also attested to the Coțofeni culture.

NatureReserve data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).