The Maramureş Mountains cover the whole area on the right-hand side of Viseu to the country border, from the Tisa Defile (downstream the locality Valea Viseului) all the way to the Carlibaba and Bistrita Aurie Valleys. 
      They are formed of only one main high crest oriented NW - SE, which follows quite accurately the watershed between Upper Tisa and the Ceremusurilor basins, which lies on the line Pop Ivan (1937 m), Micu Mic Peak (1718 m), Stogu (1651 m), Copilasu (1611 m), Ludescu (1580 m), Budescu (1679m), Suligu (1683 m), Lastun (1642 m), Comanu (1723 m). A second-ranking tributary of Viseu, the Vaser, which flows into the Viseu in the locality Viseu de Sus, has penetrated the main morphological crest and has gone beyond it. There is also a second penetration of Cumpana (the upper basin of Ruscova) as a result of differential and regressive erosion that started from the bottom level, locally lower in the Ruscova Depression, which is why the sculptural depression stretches above the crystalline area eastwards (Mihailecu Peak, 1963 m). 
      They are made of crystalline schists penetrated by eruptive (Mesozoic basalts from the Mihailecu-Farcau area or Neocene andesites from Toroioaga) and sedimentary rocks (conglomerates, sandstone, clay schists, shale, marl, clay) and two large Paleocene creeks, one of Ruscova that goes all the way to Poienile de sub Munte and another one of Borsa. On this petrographical basement, the main morphological crest elevated to over 1900 m is fragmented into several massifs (Pop Ivan, Farcau-Mihailecu, Pietrosul Maramuresului, Toroiaga). The form of the mountains is very smooth and massive and they stretch quite a lot westwards by lower crests of as little as 900-1200 m. 
      The main crest looks like a plateau covering a leveling area situated at 1800-1600 m. The most beautiful area is in the Prelucile Cerbului Mountains, Cornu Nedeii, close by the Prislop Gorge and in the area of Pietrosul Maramuresului. It is generally inclined towards the Stogu Mountain (Sarcu Peak, 1971 m). The best represented is an area of forests and glades, which is comprised of large and ramified saddles between 800-1200 m (Mihailecu Peak, 1963 m). The third area is at 400-450 m. 

      The relief developed on crystalline rocks has a dominating note resulted from the cupola-shaped massifs, the elongated and relatively mild shape of the crests. The most representative valleys crossing these mountains are deep in crystalline formations (Vaser, Ruscova) and steep slopes and form defiles. 

      The structural relief is present in the north (Bârsanescu, Copilasu, Budescu) where we can meet selective relief and relief inversions on conglomerates and lime instances. These formations belong to the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous and they survived as part of the relief because they were tougher. One can encounter here aretes in homocline relief, which are quite frequently met in the Borsa layers (alternation of sandstone and marl-clay, tarry menilite). It should be noted how the hydrographic network had adapted to the geological structure of the crystalline foundation (defiles). 

      The relief developed on limestone. The surface morphology (lapiez, doline, polje) is not characteristic to the Maramures Mountains. We would nevertheless like to mention the lime sloping in the Mihailecu and Petriceana and the selective relief on limestone in the basin of the Repedea Valley wets of Farcau. 

      The volcanic relief. The eruptive of Mesozoic age in Farcâu, Rugasu and Mihailecu is represented by basalts. Due to its significant resistance to corrosion, Farcaul is the highest of these mountains. In Mihailecu the basalt layers alternate with limestone layers. 
      The Neocene volcanism of the Toroiaga group - it represents sub-volcanic bodies brought to surface by erosion, with very quick slopes and mountainsides strongly cut by erosion, contrasting with the gentle shapes carved in the sedimentary. It also includes numerous smaller bodies, dykes and sills located in crystalline schists and sedimentary formations. 

      The englacial relief is represented by small ice hoops on top of Pietrosul Maramuresului (Bardau) and in Farcau-Mihailecu. 

      The periglacial relief was formed in the Pleistocene when Romania was in a cold climate and a significant portion of the soil was in a permanently frozen regime (permafrost) in which the frost - thaw processes take place strongly and frequently. This way the crionival processes have led to the formation of bays, release of rich clastic material (gelifract) on the steep slopes uncovered by snow. On the slopes below the permanent snow elevation, the clastic material formed large coats of debris, which later when the climate heated was settled by the forest. 
      Other forms of periglacial relief are also determined by the degree of inclination of the relief. This is how the stone rivers, sliding blocks, solifluxion, grassed hammocks etc. have been formed. Association of these periglacial processes in the high regions permits consideration of a well-defined floor - the crioplanation or periglacial desegregation floor. 
      At a lower altitude such as 1000-1200 m, the mountainsides have undergone especially solufluxion processes. 
      At more than 1850 m, the crionival processes are the main current agent of the relief in the elevated area (Atlas of S.R.R, 1974-1978). 

      The hydrographic network has extended and has deepened because of the intense erosion of the softer sedimentary rocks and have formed defiles in the crystalline (Vaser, Ruscova, Frumuseaua, Bistrita, Tibau). 
      The strong fragmentation of the massif separate seven mountain groups between the main tributaries of Viseu (Ruscova, Vaser, Tâsla and Viseut): Culmea Pop Ivan, Masivul Farcau, Culmea Pietrosu Maramuresului (Bardaului), Culmea Toroioaga-Jupania, Masivul Cearcanul-Prislop, Muntii Zâmbroslavele and Obcina Tapului. 
      The Borsa Depression stretches from Gura Fântânii (the chalet) to the Moisei Village. It has two more shallow areas that separate the Gura Fântânii basin and the basin at the mouth of Repedea Valley and then an extension on the Tâsla Valley (Baile Borsa). 
      The Ruscova Depression at the confluence of Ruscova-Viseu and the Eocene - Oligocene - Miocene contact has a steep western slope and an eastern slope full of cliffs. Its is situated between the western side of the Maramures Mountains and the low, flisch crest of Viseu; it is cut into numerous saddles that can be easily crossed in the actual Depression of Maramures.

      Caves and avens 

      The karst depth morphology is represented by 32 (relatively small) caves and two avens, all of which have been mapped. The caves are in the basin of the Repedea-Smereceni and Petriceaua Valleys - 6, basin of Socolau - Piatra Socolau Valleys - 3, basin of Bistra - 4, basin of Tâsla - Cearcanu Valleys - 9, basin of Bistrita Aurie Valley - 5. Isolated caves are still explored in the Mihailecu, Cvasnita, Poienile de sub Munte, Piatra Baitei (Baia Borsa), spring of Rica Valley, Muncelasu, Izvorul Dracului and Kostila (Vaser), Cearcanul-Dealul Negru Peaks. The avens are in the Petriceaua Mountain and they divide the Triassic limestone down to the waterproof sub-layer, and the basin of Bistra Valley respectively. (Dumitru Istvan, manuscript, 1999).