TheSphinx (Romanian:Sfinxul) is a natural rock formation in theBucegi Natural Park which is in theBucegi Mountains ofRomania. It is located at an altitude of 2,216 metres (7,270 ft) within theBabele complex of rock formations.
The first photo of theGreat Bucegi Sphinx was probably taken in about the year 1900. This photograph was taken from a front position, not from a lateral one, as it usually appears in modern pictures. It only acquired its nickname, referring to theGreat Sphinx of Giza, in the year 1936. The image of the sphinx appears when the rock, having an 8 m height and a 12 m width, is observed from a certain angle. The megalith has its clearest outline on 21 November, at the time the sun goes down.[1][2]
The Sphinx features in the 1967 filmThe Dacians, in which it is a place of sacrifice to the godZalmoxis. It also plays a significant role in the 1980 filmBurebista, in which it is equated with the eponymous ancient Dacian king and the eternity of Romanian identity.[3]
The Bucegi Sphinx is the remnant of a once-continuous sedimentary layer ofsandstone andconglomerate that once blanketed the north-central Bucegi plateau. Over hundreds of thousands of years, successiveglacial andinterglacial phases during thePleistocene exposed the rock to rainfall, wind and markedfreeze-thaw cycles. Water running over the gently sloping plateau exploited naturalbedding planes, carving narrow grooves and hollows; when temperatures dropped below freezing, seeped water turned to ice and expanded, gradually prising apart rock fragments. Meanwhile, wind abrasion and thermal variation worked in concert to detach softer material, isolating the Sphinx's compact core from its surroundings.[4]
The alternating bands of more resistant conglomerate and finer sandstone give the Sphinx its characteristic layered hues—ranging from pale grey andbuff to deeper browns—and govern how quickly different parts of the formation erode. Its overall surface area (over 100 square metres) and height (exceeding 10 metres) are the greatest among the cluster of ten similar erosional "micro-landforms" in the area, making it both a visually striking andpedagogically useful example of differential weathering on the Bucegi plateau. These processes—sheet andrill erosion by water, wind deflation and cyclical freeze–thaw wedging—operate over long timescales to shape the plateau's bedrock. The Sphinx, as the most prominent residual feature, exemplifies how variations in sediment composition and weathering rates preserve a record of past environmental conditions and is often cited in studies ofgeotourism.[4]
Latitude: 45.382416 Longitude: 25.449116. About Bucegi Natural Park: Located in south central Romania in the Bucegi Mountains, Bucegi Natural Park covers a total area of 325 km2 (~125 sq mi). Half falls within the Dâmbovita county with the remainder split relatively equally between Prahova and Brasov. Unsurprisingly, given its location, it is a mountainous landscape with caves, canyons, sinkholes, valleys and waterfalls, alongside meadows and forests. Significant features include the Babele (Old Women) and the Sphinx.
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45°24′30″N25°28′13″E / 45.4083°N 25.4703°E /45.4083; 25.4703