The protected natural area Natura 2000 ROSCI0018 Căldările Zăbalei together with the protected natural area 2810. Căldările Zăbalei – Zârna Mică – Răoaza is located in a wild area near the south-western border of Vrancea County, in the southern side of Vrancea Mountains, close to the protected natural areas ROSCI0228 Șindrilița and ROSCI0023 Cascada Mișina, along Zăbala river, the access being made on a 7 km forest road starting from Brădăcești village, Nereju commune. With an area of 388 ha, the site is situated on the territory of Nereju commune and is considered an important ecological corridor of the stepping stone type.
The name of the site comes from the phenomenon where the water goes through a compact sector of hard sandstones, in which it sculpts the so-called “căldări” (bottom and sides evorsion marmites, which remain suspended from the river bed).
From a geological point of view, the whole site overlaps the flysch area of the Curvature Carpathians, similar to the Eastern Carpathians (with a geological structure formed by alternating sandstones, shales and clay), to which the bituminous flysch is added, fractured into faults, of which the most important one, Zăbala, continues with the fault of Focșani – Nămoloasa – Galați – Tulcea. All these features determine a landscape with soft line mountain peaks and slopes of 20°-30°. In addition, the protected area overlaps the highest seismic activity area in Vrancea, with a mainly tectonic origin of the earthquakes, an epicenter depth of 70-80 km and 170-200 km (most epicenters are concentrated north of Zăbala) and a maximum Richter magnitude of 7.5 (October 26, 1802).
The most widespread soils in the Vrancea Mountains are cambisols, brown-acid soils, therefore the vegetation consists mainly of beech forests with mixed conifers in lower areas and coniferous forests in higher areas (over 1400 m).
Regarding hydrology, the rocks forming this mountainous region are rigid or semi-rigid, therefore with little permeability (low infiltration), so precipitation drains from the slopes and flows into the rivers. The main hydrographic artery is Zăbala river, which springs from the southern slope of Arişoaia Mountain and flows for 65 km before emptying into Putna River, near Prisaca village. It goes through Parcul Natural Putna Vrancea, ROSCI0018 Căldările Zăbalei and ROSCI0228 Șindrilița, joining with its tributary Zârna Mică in the area la Căldări. Also, underground waters are characterized by high and constant flows, in some areas turning into mineral waters, enriched with salts of 0.5 g/l concentration. Due to the impermeability of rocks and the existence of deep valleys in the form of gorge, flash floods can turn into disasters, the phenomena being frequent especially during spring, when large amounts of precipitation are added to the snowmelt.
The mountain climate of the area is specific to peaks and low massive mountains, with relatively low temperatures, high humidity and high amount of precipitation, extended periods of frost and rime, frequent temperature inversions and dangerous meteorological phenomena. An important feature of this climate is the presence of a meteorological phenomenon known as the Foehn effect, generated by the warming of cold air masses that are forced down in the west-east direction, on the eastern peaks of the massif mountain.
