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Where are the conventional western and southern boundaries of the Carpathian Mountains?
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Carpathian Mountains
Regional division of the Carpathian Mountains (top) and a geologic cross section of the Western Carpathians (bottom). The location of the cross section is shown by the line N–S on the map.
The conventional boundaries of the Carpathian Mountains are defined by the arcuate range's start and end points along the Danube River valley:1
- Western Boundary: The range begins near the Danube Gap, located near Bratislava, Slovakia.1
- Southern Boundary: The range terminates near Orșova, Romania, at the portion of the Danube valley known as the Iron Gate.1
While these serve as the conventional limits, the mountains' actual geologic structures extend southward across the Danube at both of these locations. The true geologic western limit is identified as the Vienna Basin and the structural hollow of the Leitha Gate in Austria, while the southern limit is defined by the structural depression of the Timok River in Serbia and Montenegro.1