Identification and characterization of soils in Lugoj area, Timiș County.

The town of Lugoj is situated in the south-west of Romania, where parallel 45"41' north meets meridian 21"53' east, 123 meters above sea level. It covers 9.855 hectares, being the second largest town in Timiș County in what its size, importance and population is concerned. The town was formed on both banks of Timiș River, at the foot of the hills descending from Poiana Ruscă Mountains. The hills are covered by orchards and vineyards. Morphologically, Lugoj area is part of the High Plain of Lugoj and Lugoj Hills, being situated at the confluence of these two units. The town was developed on both banks of Timis River, more exactly on its lower terrace. The relief unit Lugoj lies on is Lugoj Plain, which reaches deep into the piedmont hills. The average altitude of the area is 124 m above sea level. For the most part, the area the town lies on is flat, with some elevations that do not however exceed 2 to 3 m altitude as against the terrace. To the north-west of the plain there are Lugoj Hills, which make the transition to Poiana Ruscă Mountains. South of Timis River Valley, Lugoj area stretches to the floodplain of Cernabora, the closest local tributary of Timis River. The soils in the research area were formed and have developed through the interaction of a complex of pedogenetic factors, among which the relief, the water, the parent rock, the vegetation and human intervention are the most important. In the low plain, Timis River has played a significant part. Through repeated bed changes and overflows, this river has deposited alluvial material over another material which was in the course of solidification. Thus, soils in this area appear as alternate layers with different solidification degrees. Due to damming, accumulation of new alluvial matter has been stopped, and so the solidification started. These processes that led to the formation of the current soils have been strongly influenced by phreatic water. As the area used to be frequently flooded, the humidity excess frequently prevented oxygen from getting into the soil, and anaerobic microorganisms, in the process of decomposing organic matter, have got oxygen from mineral elements (iron and manganese).