lithological anomalies in a relict coastal dune geophysical and paleoenvironmental markers 1 ground exposures of migration surfaces slipfaces of a relict holocene coastal dune along the southeastern baltic sea coast provide an ideal opportunity for establishing the causes of prominent reflections on geophysical profiles high amplitude reflections on high resolution ground penetrating radar gpr images correlate well with two major lithological anomalies 1 paleosols developed on dune slipfaces and 2 slipfaces consisting of heavy mineral concentrations hmcs paleosols serve as indicators of dune stability represent datable chronostratigraphic surfaces and help reconstruct dune paleo morphology hmcs have substantially higher magnetic susceptibility values than background quartz rich sands and where they are well developed can be also used for spatial correlation based on their occurrence at the study site these enriched horizons likely represent periods of increased wind activity storminess multiple hmcs upwind of paleosol p1 800 670 cal years bp likely reflect periods of intensified wind activity along the southeast baltic region during the medieval warm period

formation and deformation of hyperextended rift systems insights from rift domain mapping in the bay of biscay pyrenees the bay of biscay and the pyrenees correspond to a lower cretaceous rift system including both oceanic and hyperextended rift domains the transition from preserved oceanic and rift domains in the west to their complete inversion in the east enables us to study the progressive reactivation of a hyperextended rift system we use seismic interpretation gravity inversion and field mapping to identify and map former rift domains and their subsequent reactivation we propose a new map and sections across the system illustrating the progressive integration of the rift domains into the orogen this study aims to provide insights on the formation of hyperextended rift systems and discuss their role during reactivation two spatially and temporally distinct rift systems can be distinguished the bay of biscay parentis and the pyrenean basque cantabrian rifts while the offshore bay of biscay represent a former mature oceanic domain the fossil remnants of hyperextended domains preserved onshore in the pyrenean cantabrian orogen record distributed extensional deformation partitioned between strongly segmented rift basins reactivation initiated in the exhumed mantle domain before it affected the hyperthinned domain both domains accommodated most of the shortening the final architecture of the orogen is acquired once the conjugate necking domains became involved in collisional processes the complex 3 d architecture of the initial rift system may partly explain the heterogeneous reactivation of the overall system these results have important implications for the formation and reactivation of hyperextended rift systems and for the restoration of the bay of biscay and pyrenean domains

deep seismic reflection profile in central europe reveals complex pattern of paleozoic and alpine accretion at the east european craton margin 1 the first deep reflection seismic profile was acquired across the teisseyre tornquist zone ttz a major european suture zone southeast of the avalonia baltica collision zone portraying different tectonic deformation styles thick versus thin skinned and phanerozoic crustal accretion episodes over a relatively short distance 240 km the overall crustal structure preserves image of the neoproterozoic passive margin setting but with a significant overprint of the repetitive tectonic convergence cadomian to alpine acting at the baltica margin in contrast to the avalonia baltica collision zone here the polygenetic crustal accretion occurring at the cratonic margin was ultimately shaped by significant strike slip faulting ttz is imaged as a narrow 10 15 km transform zone separating the thinned east european cratonic crust from the malopolska block

mesozoic evolution of the tisza mega unit the south eastern part of the basement of the pannonian basin is made up of variscan crystalline complexes and early mesozoic formations showing striking affinity with the corresponding formations in the southern margin of the european plate this large composite structural unit which is actually an exotic terrane of european plate origin has been named the tisza mega unit based upon relevant data of the pre tertiary basement of southern hungary the reconstruction of the position of the tisza terrane in the early alpine evolutionary stages the process of its separation and break off from the european plate and results of its eo alpine deformations are summarised in the present paper in the variscan and early alpine evolutionary stages the area of the later tisza mega unit was located at the margin of the european plate during variscan orogeny terrane accretion led to intensive deformation and metamorphism in this belt this was followed by transpressional tectonics and the development of molasse basins in the late and post variscan stages and passive margin evolution after the neotethys opening in the middle triassic the separation of the tisza mega unit began with incipient continental rifting along the axis of the later ligurian penninic vahic oceanic branch in the late triassic the end of terrigenous material deposition in the most external zones and a coeval change in fossil assemblage point to the separation of the tisza block from the european plate in the early bathonian significant rotation of the tisza mega unit and coeval paroxysm of alkaline rift type basalt volcanism took place in the early cretaceous in the mid cretaceous due to the northward motion of the adria block and the related closure of the westernmost neotethys basin the extensional regime changed to a compressional one leading to onset of the nappe stacking and low grade regional metamorphism within the tisza microplate in the foreland of the nappe systems flexural basins came into existence that are characterised by flysch type sedimentation in the early tertiary the north eastward motion of the alcapa and tisza dacia blocks led to the formation of the present day heterogeneous basement of the pannonian basin

the east slovakian basin a complex back arc basin abstract the east slovakian basin is situated on the junction of the western and eastern carpathians it is superimposed on the frontal part of the carpathian internides behind the tertiary accretionary wedge of the carpathian externides represented by the flysch belt the development of the basin was controlled by the collision of the carpathian orogen with the european platform and later by crustal extension and thermal subsidence in the pannonian domain the early miocene basin evolution was dominantly influenced by the collisional process during the eggenburgian a narrow relic fore arc basin was formed along the suture between the carpathian internides and externides nowadays represented by the pieniny klippen belt the compressive regime resulted in the disintegration of the basin followed by the ottnangian uplift and the development of a deep seated dextral strike slip fault zone during the karpatian the central part of the basin was opened by a pull apart mechanism which stepwise changed to extensional basin evolution during the lower and middle badenian from the upper badenian on the basin development was influenced by crustal extension associated with updoming of the mantle masses a back arc basin developed during the late miocene the east slovakian basin became a peripheral part of the pannonian basin system where the sedimentation was controlled by the thermal subsidence at that time during the pontian and pliocene a ne sw oriented compression was indicated

miocene pliocene tectonic evolution of the slovenian periadriatic fault implications for alpine carpathian extrusion models the periadriatic line pal is a remarkable several hundred kilometer long fault system of the alpine orogen its dextral character was documented by several authors using diverse criteria but detailed kinematics and timing of movements had not been investigated along its whole length structural and paleomagnetic measurements mapping and stratigraphic and sedimentological studies have helped to unravel the miocene pliocene evolution of the slovenian segment of the pal brittle deformation was characterized by nw se to n s compression and perpendicular tension deformation has resulted in dextral strike slip faulting folding and tilting of beds the first transpressional event corresponds to the first phase of lateral extrusion of the east alpine western carpathian northern pannonian block in the early miocene 24 17 5 ma after a short period of transtension during the karpatian 17 5 16 5 ma dextral transpression reoccurred during the middle miocene to pliocene and lasted up to the quaternary middle miocene dextral slip can be connected to the second phase of extrusion the highly deformed rocks within the dextral shear zones show variable clockwise sometimes counterclockwise rotations the mechanism of rotation seems to be complex ranging from regional rotation to local folding due to pure or simple shear domino type rotation

exhumation of high pressure rocks driven by slab rollback rocks metamorphosed under high pressure hp and ultra high pressure uhp conditions in subduction zones come back to the surface relatively soon after their burial and at rates comparable to plate boundary velocities in the mediterranean realm their occurrence in several belts related to a single subduction event shows that the burial exhumation cycle is a recurrent transient process using the calabria apennine and aegean belts as examples we show that the exhumation of hp rocks is associated in time and space with the subduction of small continental lithosphere blocks that triggers slab rollback creating the necessary space for the exhumation of the buoyant continental crust that was deeply buried just before the buoyancy force of the subducted crust increases until this crust detaches from the downgoing slab it then exhumes at a rate that depends directly on the velocity of trench retreat to become part of the overriding plate heated from below by the asthenosphere that flows into the opening mantle wedge the exhumed crust weakens and undergoes core complex type extension responsible for a second stage of exhumation at a lower rate the full sequence of events that characterizes this model crust mantle delamination slab rollback and trench retreat hp rock exhumation asthenosphere heating and core complex formation arises entirely from the initial condition imposed by the subduction of a small continental block no specific condition is required regarding the rheology and erosion rate of hp rocks the burial exhumation cycle is transient and can recur every time a small continental block is subducted

mantle dynamics in the mediterranean the mediterranean offers a unique opportunity to study the driving forces of tectonic deformation within a complex mobile belt lithospheric dynamics are affected by slab rollback and collision of two large slowly moving plates forcing fragments of continental and oceanic lithosphere to interact this paper reviews the rich and growing set of constraints from geological reconstructions geodetic data and crustal and upper mantle heterogeneity imaged by structural seismology we proceed to discuss a conceptual and quantitative framework for the causes of surface deformation exploring existing and newly developed tectonic and numerical geodynamic models we illustrate the role of mantle convection on surface geology a coherent picture emerges which can be outlined by two almost symmetric upper mantle convection cells the downwellings are found in the center of the mediterranean and are associated with the descent of the tyrrhenian and the hellenic slabs during plate convergence these slabs migrated backward with respect to the eurasian upper plate inducing a return flow of the asthenosphere from the backarc regions towards the subduction zones this flow can be found at large distance from the subduction zones and is at present expressed in two upwellings beneath anatolia and eastern iberia this convection system provides an explanation for the general pattern of seismic anisotropy in the mediterranean first order anatolia and adria microplate kinematics and may contribute to the high elevation of scarcely deformed areas such as anatolia and eastern iberia more generally the mediterranean is an illustration of how upper mantle small scale convection leads to intraplate deformation and complex plate boundary reconfiguration at the westernmost terminus of the tethyan collision

tethys atlantic interaction along the iberia africa plate boundary the betic rif orogenic system abstract initial se dipping slow subduction of the ligurian tethys lithosphere beneath africa from late cretaceous to middle oligocene twisting to a later faster e dipping subduction of the subcrustal lithosphere is proposed as an efficient geodynamic mechanism to structure the arcuate betic rif orogenic system this new subduction related geodynamic scenario is supported by a kinematic model constrained by well dated plate reconstructions tectonic sedimentary and metamorphic data sets the slow initial se dipping subduction of the ligurian tethys realm beneath the malaguide upper plate unit is sufficient to subduct alpujarride and nevado filabride rocks to few tens of kilometers of depth in middle eocene times the shift from se to e dipping subduction during latest oligocene early miocene was possibly caused by both the inherited geometry of the highly segmented ligurian tethys domain and by the fast roll back of the subducted lithospheric slab the early miocene rather synchronous multiple crustal and subcrustal processes comprising the collision along the betic front the exhumation of the hp lt metamorphic complexes the opening of the alboran basin its flooring by hp alpujarride rocks and subsequent ht imprint can be explained by the fast nw and w directed roll back of the ligurian tethys subcrustal lithospheric slab the w retreat of the ligurian tethys lithosphere in middle late miocene times could partly explain the initiation of its lateral tear and consequent subcrustal processes from latest miocene onward the betic rif system evolved under both the northerly push of africa resulting in tightening at crustal and subcrustal levels and by the distinct current dynamics of the steep lithospheric slab the sw directed scape of the rif fold belt is one of the most striking evidences linked to the recent evolution of the squeezed betic rif system between africa and iberia

paleogeographic evolution of the late miocene lake pannon in central europe abstract the paleogeographic evolution of lake pannon within the pannonian basin is reconstructed with eight maps ranging from the middle miocene to the early pliocene the maps are based on the distribution of selected biozones and specific fossils and on complementary sedimentological and seismic information our reconstruction shows that the history of lake pannon can be divided into three distinct intervals an initial stage with low water level which resulted in isolation from the sea at about 12 ma and might have led to temporary fragmentation of the lake an interval of gradual transgression lasting until ca 9 5 ma and a long late interval of shrinkage and infilling of sediments that persisted into the early pliocene the deep subbasins of the lake formed during the transgressive interval in more basinward locations than the deep basins of the preceding sarmatian age the southern shoreline running parallel with the sava and danube rivers along the northern foot of the dinarides changed very little during the lifetime of the lake while the northern shoreline underwent profound changes

tertiary palaeomagnetic data for the carpatho pannonian region in the light of miocene rotation kinematics abstract the tectonic interpretation of the palaeomagnetic data for the neogene history of the carpatho pannonian region has usually been based on the palaeomagnetic data for the pre cenozoic complexes here a review of the tertiary palaeomagnetic data is given for the sites with two or more sets of data new site mean directions are calculated for most areas new area mean directions are given with a uniform criterion for the limitation of the normally distributed sub populations based on radiometric data some neogene volcanic sequences are subdivided into two complexes with separate area mean directions the possible influence of the areal tilts on the area mean palaeomagnetic directions is analysed and conclusions on the horizontal rotations are drawn the palaeomagnetic rotations are interpreted in the light of the author s kinematic model for the neogene history of the carpatho pannonian region the rotation of both the southeastern unit by about 100 clockwise and the northwestern unit by about 35 anti clockwise are supported by palaeomagnetic data in addition some rotations predicted by the model are documented by palaeomagnetic data as follows 1 the anti clockwise rotation of the flanks of the darno line gemer bukk area with sinistral displacements in the early miocene 2 the anti clockwise rotations along the southeastern margin of the northwestern unit with sinistral displacements before 10 ma 3 the anti clockwise rotation of the ukrainian carpathians before 12 ma some palaeomagnetic rotations have not been predicted by the kinematic model but occur in the regions where deformations are quite probable these unexpected palaeomagnetic rotations throw a new light on some details of the kinematics 1 the advance of the outer west carpathian nappes later than 14 ma is documented by the increased palaeomagnetic inclination of the pieniny andesites 2 the movement of the central and inner west carpathians later than 12 ma is recorded in the palaeomagnetic rotations of the central and east slovakian volcanites this movement seems to reflect a bay of thin crust within the underthrust european plate margin or more precisely the reaction of the eastern contour of the bay on the drag of the northwestern unit towards the northeast by the still rotating southeastern unit the rotation and deformation of the northwestern unit in the miocene have to be taken into account in the reconstructions of the pre neogene situations since they intensely influenced the arrangement of all older palaeotectonic and palaeogeographic zones the southeastern unit also suffered intense rotation and deformation in the miocene unfortunately there are almost no palaeomagnetic data available for its tertiary complexes

palaeozoic terranes and their lithospheric boundaries within the trans european suture zone tesz a review the trans european suture zone tesz is a broad and complex zone of terrane accretion separating ancient lithosphere of the baltic shield and east european craton eec from the younger lithosphere of western and southern europe there is debate about the number of terranes involved and their origins the most significant terrane boundaries originally oceanic sutures are poorly exposed and are defined using faunal provinciality prominent geophysical lineaments may represent sub terrane boundaries within composite terranes the avalonia composite terrane was amalgamated to baltica in latest ician time the provenance of the malopolska and moravo silesian terranes whose neoproterozoic basement is suspect with respect to baltica but with which they nonetheless share faunal affinities is still debated the extent of the variscide rhenohercynian zone defines the southern limit of the early palaeozoic accreted terranes terranes within the bohemian massif exhibit hp metamorphism recording subduction driven collision prior to incorporation in the tesz collage itself associated with a hp event in romania the saxothuringian zone and rheic suture are directly juxtaposed with the eec and the crustal structure of the tesz has been much modified by post palaeozoic tectonism deep seismic reflection data where available show that the oceanic sutures are frequently associated with inclined reflectivity zones irz in the lithospheric mantle here inferred to mark relict subduction zones interpreting the age of subduction is complicated by offset of originally coplanar mantle and crustal segments of the irz resulting from early orogenic lithospheric delamination at the moho interface and or post orogenic reordering processes the mantle irz appear to indicate a n directed polarity for early palaeozoic subduction apparently incompatible with the geological evidence which indicates subduction of the tornquist sea beneath avalonia and a large amount of underthrusting of avalonia by baltica possible explanations for these apparently incompatible observations are evaluated

cretaceous to miocene thrusting and wrenching along the central south carpathians due to a corner effect during collision and orocline formation field studies in the romanian south carpathians longitude 22 5 to 24 2 e and latitude 45 2 to 45 6 n demonstrate 1 cretaceous top to ne shearing parallel to the present strike of the thrust system connected with coaxial flattening within the generally northwest dipping foliation 2 paleogene ductile brittle dextral wrenching e w compression 1 87 15 and basin formation petrosani basin along the cerna jiu fault system 3 large scale miocene dextral wrenching along the northern margin of moesia 1 143 16 and 4 probably pliocene early pleistocene n s compression 1 205 25 we discuss the tectonics of the south carpathians stressing the corner effect of the moesian foreland promontory during convergence and formation of the carpathian orocline up to the late early cretaceous subduction of oceanic crust was active between europe moesia on one side and east carpathia rhodopia on the other side collision and intracontinental deformation occurred during the late early and late cretaceous the pinning of the thrust front at the western tip of moesia and the foreland recess north of it caused superposition of thrusting and wrenching during collision and lateral translation tangential stretching during orocline formation and spreading into the recess further convergence during the early tertiary resulted in dislocation of the previously welded east carpathian rhodopian and moesian fragments along the cerna jiu fault system and the further northeast translation of the western segment the intramontane petrosani basin opened as a northeasterly propagating transient pull apart structure along the cerna jiu fault system which acquired a curved northwesterly convex transtensional trace due to the shape of the moesian promontory tightening of the carpathian orocline and or rearrangement of the microplate geometry during the formation of the pannonian basin system led to large scale dextral wrenching along the northern margin of moesia pliocene n s compression reflects final shortening in the carpathian system before ongoing convergence between europe and africa was transferred to the mediterranean rotation of material lines around the moesian corner is corroborated by paleomagnetic studies

tertiary tectonic evolution of the external east carpathians romania abstract paleostress calculation and analysis of mesoscopic structures are integrated with depth interpreted geological profiles based on seismic studies and well correlation to derive a tertiary tectonic model for the east carpathians following early miocene and older orogenic phases the first tectonic event that affected the studied area is characterised by a wsw ene oriented shortening of middle miocene late burdigalian in age resulting deformations induced ene ward thrusting of tarcau and marginal units as well as the internal part of the subcarpathian nappe a second shortening event with an e w to wsw ene contraction direction took place in the late miocene sarmatian characterised by further foreland thrusting of the subcarpathian nappe and out of sequence deformation in the tarcau and marginal folds nappes along strike differences in deformation mechanisms are controlled by the friction coefficients along the main detachment layers by the lateral variations in the wedge thickness and by the involvement in the northern part of the thrusting system of the thick competent east european platform tear faulting occurred in both tectonic events the main resulting structure being the triangle zone developed south of the trotus valley the latest miocene latest sarmatian early pliocene is characterised by a strike slip stress field with nne ssw compression and wnw ese tension axis left lateral faults being dominant the last deformation which affected the studied area is characterised by nnw sse shortening during the pliocene major deformations taking place mainly in the sw most bending zone

accommodation and supply a dual control on stratigraphic sequences abstract it is widely accepted that both eustatic and tectonically controlled regional changes of sea level have contributed to the record of stratigraphic sequences i suggest that environmental change be added as a third autonomous control sedimentologic principles clearly indicate that sequences and their systems tracts are controlled by the interplay of two rates the rate of change in accommodation space available for sedimentation and the rate of sediment supply sea level has direct control on accommodation but its influence on sediment supply is remote and easily overshadowed by environmental factors for instance the record of the most recent sea level rise is a transgressive systems tract where supply is low it is a prograding highstand systems tract in deltas where the supply is high examples of sequence boundaries generated by changes in sediment supply include tectonically driven shifts in sediment input into basins changes in ocean currents pulsating supply from failure of submarine slopes and drowning of carbonate platforms by environmental stress furthermore the stratigraphic sequences in fluviatile continental basins are physically removed from sea level induced changes in accommodation and must have formed by changes in the rate and pattern of supply subaerial exposure of marine sediments at the sequence boundary is a most important criterion for recognizing sea level cycles as opposed to supply cycles other criteria include downstepping of shelf breaks and characteristic patterns in the spacing of time lines within sequences some third order cycles ca 0 5 3 ma duration meet these criteria others do not cycle stacking patterns and the shifting facies belts on cratons indicate that many second and third order cycles lack pronounced exposure unconformities and represent gradual changes superimposed on more rapid shorter oscillations seismic data yield poor images of these gradational changes because they lack resolution seismic models of outcrops show that near the limits of resolution the seismic tool tends to portray rapid changes in facies and bed thickness i e lateral variations in supply as unconformities seismic unconformities do not necessarily correspond to unconformities in outcrop the succession of stratigraphic sequences is best considered a composite record of sea level and environmental change separating the various controls requires carefully planned experiments work on the oxygen isotope curve another proxy for sea level has set an example in this respect

the neogene evolution of the outer carpathian flysch units poland ukraine and romania kinematics of a foreland fold and thrust belt system abstract various techniques of geometric and kinematic analyses including cross section balancing and forward modeling have been applied successfully to the outer carpathian flysch units along regional geologic profiles crossing the belt from its undeformed foreland to the pieniny klippen belt western carpathians poland or to the central east carpathian allochthon eastern carpathians ukraine and romania the amounts of neogene shortening as well as the mode and the location of basement consumption are discussed on the basis of balanced cross sections compiled along the three most representative regional traverses in addition the complete kinematic evolution of complex carpathian structures such as the fore dukla triangle zone southeastern poland the borislav pokut duplexes ukraine and the marginal folds romania are described in more detail by using a forward modeling approach major results concern the tectonic heritage of laramian inverted structures mesozoic normal faults reactivated as reverse faults during the late cretaceous paleocene compression or transpression in the development of the neogene outer carpathian edifice pre eocene deformation and erosion effectively induce discontinuities in the mid cretaceous blackshale detachment horizon and help to localize the neogene deformations in complex triangle zones the thrust sequence itself evolves alternatively in a piggyback or in an out of sequence mode clearly the critical taper of the outer carpathians is preserved by a constant balance between erosion and thrust reactivations in the inner part of the wedge and sedimentation and tectonic accretion at its front

post glacial stratigraphy and palaeoenvironment of the northern part of the curonian spit western lithuania a complex study including palynological and diatom analysis palaeontological investigation of molluscan fauna carbonates analyses and radiocarbon dating was performed in the northern part of the curonian spit western lithuania environmental changes were reconstructed during the late glacial and holocene cold and dry climate unstable soils open habitats of tundra vegetation spread in the surroundings of the northern part of the curonian spit during the younger dryas birch was dominant the relatively deep baltic ice lake with a freshwater planktonic diatom complex existed during the preboreal and the beginning of boreal forest birch and pine was not dense and wetland development occurred in coastal areas forest spread rapidly in response to significant warming during boreal time a shallow freshwater ancylus lake nearshore environment existed in the area of the northern part of the present curonian spit the surrounding forest was dominated by broad leaved species especially elm lime and oak during the atlantic alder and hazel occurred everywhere pine forest was still widely represented in the area on sandy soils subsequently the shallow litorina sea basin existed around the area spruce forest spread in the early subboreal climate was warm and relatively dry and intensive soil formation took place shallow brackish postlitorina sea lagoonal environmental conditions existed in the first half of subboreal aeolian sand with buried soil formation started to accumulate at the end of subboreal and the northern part of the curonian spit became land

the link between tectonics and sedimentation in back arc basins new genetic constraints from the analysis of the pannonian basin the architecture of sedimentary basins reflects the relationship between accommodation space and sediment supply their rates and localization being variable during basin evolution the mechanisms driving the interplay between tectonics and sedimentation in extensional back arc basins overlying rheological weak zones inherited from an earlier orogenic evolution are less understood a typical example is the pannonian back arc basin of central europe it is floored by continental lithosphere and was affected by large amounts of extension driven by the subduction rollback that took place in the carpathians and or dinarides a novel kinematic and seismic sequence stratigraphic interpretation calibrated by wells allows the quantification of the link between the formation of half grabens and coeval sedimentation in the great hungarian plain part of the basin while the lower order tectonic induced cycles characterize the main phases of extension in various subbasins the higher order cyclicity and associated unconformities define individual moments of fault re activation our novel interpretation of a temporal and spatial migration of extension during miocene times explains the contrasting present day strike of various subbasins as a result of their gradual clockwise rotation incorporating the observed asymmetry in particular the associated footwall exhumation infers that the amount of extension is much larger than previously thought the quantitative link between tectonics and sedimentation has allowed the definition of a novel model of sedimentation in asymmetric basins that can be ported to other natural scenarios of similarly hyperextended back arc basins observed elsewhere

thermal effects of exhumation of a metamorphic core complex on hanging wall syn rift sediments an example from the rechnitz window eastern alps the removal of overburden by tectonic processes displaces the rock masses and their temperature with respect to the surface consequently high cooling rates and increased heat flow have been reported from rapidly exhuming terrains previous studies were mainly focused on the greenschist and amphibolite facies tectono thermal evolution of the footwall a two dimensional numerical thermal model presented in this study concentrates on the thermal history of the hanging wall and the footwall blocks and evaluates the variation of the near surface heat flow above an evolving metamorphic core complex based on structural thermobarometric and geochronological constraints from the rechnitz core complex of the eastern alps the modelling suggests that rapid movement along the extensional fault took place between 22 and 17 ma during this period the heat flow reached values of 140 150 mw m 2 in the hanging wall in a 10 15 km wide zone parallel to the fault trace the increased heat flow caused the high coal rank in the miocene syn rift sediments deposited on the hanging wall apatite fission track geochronology of the thermally overprinted sedimentary deposits gives the time at which the bottom of the syn rift sediment pile passed through 110oc 13 6 0 9 ma the vitrinite reflectance data rr 0 67 1 04 suggest significant burial of the margin of the hanging wall at the time of core complex formation considering the coal rank data and the thermal conductivity of the sedimentary deposits by modelling of the organic maturation we calculate syn rift early middle miocene burial of the hanging wall margin of the rechnitz core complex to be 1100 1600 m this value shows the importance of the post middle miocene erosion of the region which was related to the inversion of the pannonian basin 1998 elsevier science b v all rights reserved

are systematic variations in thrust belt style related to plate boundary processes the western alps versus the carpathians within the mediterranean region cenozoic deformation of the western alps and the west to east carpathians has resulted in two different styles of foreland fold and thrust belt the most prominent difference between the two belts is the presence carpathians or absence western alps of contemporaneous back arc extension but other important differences in structure topography and metamorphism also exist these differences in thrust belt style developed mainly during the final stages of thrust belt evolution and appear to reflect fundamental differences in the tectonic settings of the western alps and the carpathians in middle and late cenozoic time in particular they appear to be the result of convergence that is in the first case driven primarily by major plate motions and in the second case only by local motions of small lithospheric flakes or fragments we suggest that the structural styles developed in these two mountain belts may be useful in identifying mountain belts that have evolved in similar tectonic settings elsewhere in the world in this respect the western alps and the carpathians can be regarded as typical examples of two different styles of foreland fold and thrust belt or more properly as end member examples within a broad spectrum of foreland fold and thrust belt styles we propose that continental subduction zones and orogenic belts can be loosely divided into segments that show no major back arc extensional deformation adjacent to the belt the western alps and segments that exhibit back arc extension contemporaneously with thrusting the carpathians the former are found in areas where the rate of overall plate convergence exceeds the rate of subduction and are commonly typified by extensive involvement of crystalline basement in thrusting exposure of high grade metamorphic rocks at the surface high topographic elevation and large amounts of erosion tens of kilometers the latter are found in areas where the rate of subduction exceeds the rate of overall plate convergence and are commonly typified by thrust belts with little to no involvement of crystalline basement in thrusting low grade to no metamorphism low topographic elevation little erosion and in some instances an anomalously deep foredeep basin system

characteristics of collisional orogens with low topographic build up an example from the carpathians sequence stratigraphy in the hinterland kinematic analysis of thin skinned thrusting in the foreland and thermochronological tracking of exhumation in the orogenic core are combined to quantify the mechanics of an orogen with low topographic build up the carpathian system demonstrates that collisional deformation can couple and thicken the lower orogenic plate along reverse faults that dip more steeply than the subduction zone defining a foreland coupling type of collision near the surface this is expressed by wide antiforms in the upper plate and the thin skinned orogenic wedge a sequence stratigraphic analysis of the back arc transylvanian basin demonstrates that the sedimentary architecture records orogenic uplift pulses with both short and long wavelengths these correspond to the activation of individual thrust sheets in the thin skinned wedge and to lower plate coupling events respectively

constraints on mantle circulation around the deforming calabrian slab 1 combining tectonics with seismological and geochemical data we reconstruct the deformation history of the presently narrow calabrian slab and the path of mantle circulation during the last 10 ma we show that during the slab deformation the mantle laterally flowed inside the back arc region permitting its retrograde motion and giving a seismological and volcanological record after 1 2 myr

modes of orogen parallel stretching and extensional exhumation in response to microplate indentation and roll back subduction tauern window eastern alps the tauern window exposes a paleogene nappe stack consisting of highly metamorphosed oceanic alpine tethys and continental distal european margin thrust sheets in the eastern part of this window this nappe stack eastern tauern subdome etd is bounded by a neogene system of shear the katschberg shear zone system kszs that accommodated orogen parallel stretching orogen normal shortening and exhumation with respect to the structurally overlying austroalpine units adriatic margin the kszs comprises a 5 km thick belt of retrograde mylonite the central segment of which is a southeast dipping low angle extensional shear zone with a brittle overprint katschberg normal fault knf at the northern and southern ends of this central segment the kszs loses its brittle overprint and swings around both corners of the etd to become subvertical dextral and sinistral strike slip faults the latter represent stretching faults whose displacements decrease westward to near zero the kinematic continuity of top east to top southeast ductile shearing along the central low angle extensional part of the kszs with strike slip shearing along its steep ends combined with maximum tectonic omission of nappes of the etd in the footwall of the knf indicates that north south shortening orogen parallel stretching and normal faulting were coeval stratigraphic and radiometric ages constrain exhumation of the folded nappe complex in the footwall of the kszs to have begun at 23 21 ma leading to rapid cooling between 21 and 16 ma this exhumation involved a combination of tectonic unroofing by extensional shearing upright folding and erosional denudation the contribution of tectonic unroofing is greatest along the central segment of the kszs and decreases westward to the central part of the tauern window the kszs formed in response to the indentation of wedge shaped blocks of semi rigid austroalpine basement located in front of the south alpine indenter that was part of the adriatic microplate northward motion of this indenter along the sinistral giudicarie belt offsets the periadriatic fault and triggered rapid exhumation of orogenic crust within the entire tauern window exhumation involved strike slip and normal faulting that accommodated about 100 km of orogen parallel extension and was contemporaneous with about 30 km of orogen perpendicular north south shortening of the etd extension of the pannonian basin related to roll back subduction in the carpathians began at 20 ma but did not affect the eastern alps before about 17 ma the effect of this extension was to reduce the lateral resistance to eastward crustal flow away from the zone of greatest thickening in the tauern window area therefore we propose that roll back subduction temporarily enhanced rather than triggered exhumation and orogen parallel motion in the eastern alps lateral extrusion and orogen parallel extension in the eastern alps have continued from 12 to 10 ma to the present and are driven by northward push of adria

crustal structure in the carpatho pannonian region insights from three dimensional gravity modelling and their geodynamic significance a three dimensional gravity modelling of the carpatho pannonian region was carried out to get a better image of the moho boundary and the most prominent intra crustal density heterogeneities at first only the major density boundaries were considered the bottom of the tertiary basin fill the moho discontinuity and the lithosphere to asthenosphere boundary density contrasts were represented by relative densities the improved density model shows a transitional unit of high density at the base of the crust along the teisseyre tornquist zone in the western carpathians an extensive relatively low density unit was inferred in mid crustal levels the border zone between the southern carpathians and the transylvanian basin is characterized by a sharp step like contact of the two crustal units the moho configuration reveals important information on the tectonic evolution of the region zones of continental collision are represented by thick moho roots eastern alps eastern carpathians transpressional orogenic segments however are different in the western carpathians the moho is a flat surface in the dinarides a medium moho root is observed the southern carpathians are characterized by a thick crustal root the differences are explained with the presence or absence of subductible oceanic crust along the carpathians during the extrusion of pannonian blocks

interplay of extensional and compression in basin formation this volume contains a collection of papers on the interplay of extension and compression in basin dynamics presented at the 4th annual workshop of the international lithosphere project task force origin of sedimentary basins in benevento italy 25 september l october 1993 previous workshops of the ilp task force have been held in rueil malmaison france 19901 in matrahaza hungary 1991 on the rim of the pannonian basin and in sundvollen in the oslo rift 1992 meeting reports have been published in a number of special volumes and papers cloetingh et al 1993a b 1994 cloetingh sassi and task force team 1994 the 5th task force meeting focusing on basin extension and strike slip tectonics was held in the dead sea rift israel 29 september 5 october 1994 a selection of papers presented at the 5th task force workshop will be published in a forthcoming special volume of tectonophysics the 1995 workshop has taken place in the southern pyrenean foreland basin to examine the relationships between tectonics and eustasy in foreland fold and thrust belts the emphasis of the benevento workshop was on

the interplay between eustacy tectonics and surface processes during the growth of a fault related structure as derived from sequence stratigraphy the govora ocnele mari antiform south carpathians abstract orogenic collision represents a moment when typical rules of thin skinned development are at odds with the generalized interaction between the upper and buoyant lower plate deriving the kinematics of these collisional features is usually difficult because of the large amounts of subsequent erosion study areas such as those that exist along the south carpathians foredeep where the syn and post collisional sediments are still preserved are important places to identify record and quantify out of sequence deformation here sequence stratigraphic techniques may be used in order to detect tectonic movements which are an order of magnitude higher resolution than those routinely identified by either standard structural analysis or isotope geochronology this study proves that what has been previously interpreted as a one stage growing anticline situated at the contact with the core of the orogen is in fact a gradually evolving antiform structure with at least four quantifiable pulses of vertical movements associated with various amounts of orogenic uplift during collision the interplay between the orogenic core and the anticline uplift controls the depositional area the effects of sea level variations being subordinated transversal shear zones such as strike slip faults are used as transport corridors by the progressive infill of large quantities of sediments from the source area towards the larger basins situated more to the foreland

the tectonic evolution of a critical segment of the dinarides alps connection kinematic and geochronological inferences from the medvednica mountains ne croatia the transition zone between the alps and dinarides is a key area to investigate kinematic interactions of neighboring orogens with different subduction polarities a study combining field kinematic and sedimentary data microstructural observations thermochronological data rb sr and fission track and regional structures in the area of medvednica mountains has revealed a complex polyphase tectonic evolution we document two novel stages of extensional exhumation the first stage of extension took place along a late cretaceous detachment following the late early cretaceous nappe stacking burial and greenschist facies metamorphism two other shortening events that occurred during the latest cretaceous oligocene were followed by a second event of extensional exhumation characterized by asymmetric top ne extension during the miocene top nw thrusting took place subsequently during the pliocene inversion of the pannonian basin the cretaceous nappe burial late cretaceous extension and the oligocene earliest miocene contraction are events driven by the alps evolution in contrast the latest cretaceous eocene deformation reflects phases of dinaridic contraction furthermore the miocene extension and subsequent inversion display kinematics similar with observations elsewhere in the dinarides and eastern alps all these processes demonstrate that the medvednica mountains were affected by alpine phases of deformations to a much higher degree than previously thought similarly with what has been observed in other areas of contractional polarity changes such as the mediterranean black sea or new guinea systems the respective tectonic events are triggered by rheological weak zones which are critical for localizing the deformation created by both orogens

tertiary paleomagnetic results and structural analysis from the transdanubian range hungary rotational disintegration of the alcapa unit abstract we carried out an integrated paleomagnetic and structural study in the transdanubian range western and central hungary as a result the tertiary tectonic history of this area can be characterized by three events of counterclockwise ccw rotation and four or five phases of brittle deformation the change of the orientation of stress axes between phases is mainly apparent and reflects the rotation of the faults predating a particular rotation event the first two rotation events r1 and r2 were probably governed by the rollback mechanism of the subducting european plate we suggest that these rotations were taking place from 18 17 and 16 14 5 ma respectively i e simultaneously with the rotations of the north hungarian paleogene basin and the main part of the western carpathians however the angle of both rotations was less in the transdanubian range due to increasing distance from the subduction front the differential rotation was accommodated by extensional faulting by formation of a graben system on the other hand the youngest rotation event r3 seems to be connected to the renewed rotation of the adriatic plate around 5 ma our combined data set strongly supports earlier conclusions namely that the different subunits of the eastern alpine western carpathian northern pannonian unit alcapa did not form a rigid unit although they moved in similar manner

cenozoic granitoids in the dinarides of southern serbia age of intrusion isotope geochemistry exhumation history and significance for the geodynamic evolution of the balkan peninsula two age groups were determined for the cenozoic granitoids in the dinarides of southern serbia by high precision single grain u pb dating of thermally annealed and chemically abraded zircons 1 oligocene ages kopaonik drenje eljin ranging from 31 7 to 30 6 ma 2 miocene ages golija and polumir at 20 58 20 17 and 18 06 17 74 ma respectively apatite fission track central ages modelling combined with zircon central ages and additionally local structural observations constrain the subsequent exhumation history of the magmatic rocks they indicate rapid cooling from above 300 c to ca 80 c between 16 and 10 ma for both age groups induced by extensional exhumation of the plutons located in the footwall of core complexes hence miocene magmatism and core complex formation not only affected the pannonian basin but also a part of the mountainous areas of the internal dinarides based on an extensive set of existing age data combined with our own analyses we propose a geodynamical model for the balkan peninsula the late eocene to oligocene magmatism which affects the adria derived lower plate units of the internal dinarides was caused by delamination of the adriatic mantle from the overlying crust associated with post collisional convergence that propagated outward into the external dinarides miocene magmatism on the other hand is associated with core complex formation along the southern margin of the pannonian basin probably associated with the w directed subduction of the european lithosphere beneath the carpathians and interfering with ongoing dinaridic hellenic back arc extension

tectono stratigraphic signature of multiphased rifting on divergent margins deep offshore southwest iberia north atlantic 1 regional 2d multichannel seismic borehole dredge and outcrop data together with burial models for strata in southwest iberia are used to investigate the tectono stratigraphic signature of multiphased rifting on divergent margins our burial model reveals that mesozoic extension occurred during three main phases each comprising distinct subsidence pulses separated by short lived periods of crustal uplift the importance of the three phases varies across discrete sectors of the margin each one revealing similar depositional architectures and associated tectonic systems tracts 1 the rift initiation phase characterized by incipient subsidence and overall aggradation progradation over a basal unconformity 2 the rift climax phase which marks maxima of tectonic subsidence and is characterized by retrogradation progradation and 3 the late rift phase recording the progradational infill of the basin and the effects of eustasy the rift initiation systems tracts comprise sinemurian and late callovian early oxfordian strata marine units in the pliensbachian and late oxfordian kimmeridgian represent the rift climax phase a period marked by the development of maximum flooding surfaces late rift deposits were identified in the rhaetian hettangian toarcian bathonian and kimmeridgian berriasian the results of this work are important to the economic exploration of deep offshore rift basins as they reveal that sequence stratigraphy can be used to predict sedimentary facies distribution in more distal segments of such basins significantly this work recognizes that multiple tectonic stratigraphic rift cycles can occur on deep offshore rift basins from the onset of rift related extension until continental break up a character that contrast to what is known from deep sea drilling data from the distal margin of northwest iberia

mesozoic plate tectonic reconstruction of the carpathian region abstract palaeomagnetic palaeobiogeographic and structural comparisons of different parts of the alpine carpathian region suggest that four terranes comprise this area the alcapa tisza dacia and adria terranes these terranes are composed of different mesozoic continental and oceanic fragments that were each assembled during a complex late jurassic cretaceous palaeogene history palaeomagnetic and tectonic data suggest that the carpathians are built up by two major oroclinal bends the alcapa bend has the meliata oceanic unit correlated with the dinaric vardar ophiolite in its core it is composed of the western carpathians eastern alps and southern alcapa units transdanubian range bukk this terrane finds its continuation in the high karst margin of the dinarides further elements of the alcapa terrane are thought to be derived from collided microcontinents czorsztyn in the n and a carbonate unit tisza in the se the tisza dacia bend has the vardar oceanic unit in its core it is composed of the bihor and getic microcontinents this terrane finds its continuation in the serbo macedonian massif of the balkans the bihor getic microcontinent originally laid east of the western carpathians and filled the present carpathian embayment in the late palaeozoic early mesozoic the vardar ocean occupied an intermediate position between the western carpathian austroalpine transdanubian high karst margin and the bihor getic serbo macedonian microcontinent the vardar and pindos oceans were opened in the heart of the mediterranean adriatic microcontinent in the late permian middle triassic vardar subducted by the end of jurassic causing the bihor getic serbo macedonian microcontinent to collide with the internal dinaric western carpathian margin an external penninic vahic ocean tract began opening in the early jurassic separating the austroalpine western carpathian microcontinent and its fauna from the european shelf further east the severin ceahlau magura also began opening in the early jurassic but final separation of the bihor getic ribbon and its fauna from the european shelf did not take place until the late middle jurassic the alcapa and the tisza dacia were bending during the albian maastrichtian the two oroclinal bends were finally opposed and pushed into the gates of the carpathian embayment during the palaeogene and neogene at that time the main n s shortening in distant alpine and hellenic sectors was linked by a broader right lateral shear zone along the former vardar suture

graben width controlling syn rift sedimentation the palaeogene southern upper rhine graben as an example eocene to early oligocene syn rift deposits of the southern upper rhine graben urg accumulated in restricted environments sedimentation was controlled by local clastic supply from the graben flanks as well as by strong intra basinal variations in accommodation space due to differential tectonic subsidence that in turn led to pronounced lateral variations in depositional environment three large scale cycles of intensified evaporite sedimentation were interrupted by temporary changes towards brackish or freshwater conditions they form three major base level cycles that can be traced throughout the basin each of them representing a stratigraphic sub unit a relatively constant amount of horizontal extension l in the range of 4 5 km has been estimated for the urg from numerous cross sections the width of the rift lf however varies between 35 and more than 60 km resulting in a variable crustal stretching factor between the bounding masterfaults apart from block tilting tectonic subsidence was therefore largely controlled by changes in the initial rift width l0 the along strike variations of the graben width are responsible for the development of a deep trough like evaporite basin potash basin in the narrowest part of the southern urg adjacent to shallow areas in the wider parts of the rift such as the colmar swell in the north and the rhine bresse transfer zone that delimits the urg to the south under a constant amount of extension the along strike variation in rift width is the principal factor controlling depo centre development in extensional basins

badenian middle miocene basin development in sw hungary subsidence history based on quantitative paleobathymetry of foraminifera a quantitative paleobathymetric study of badenian foraminifera was carried out from tekeres 1 and tengelic 2 boreholes north of the mecsek mts sw hungary paleobathymetric data based on plankton benthos ratio provided input for the analysis of the subsidence history the biostratigraphic framework is mainly provided by calcareous nannoplankton zones nn5 nn7 changes in sedimentation rates are also considered partly calculated from number of benthos per unit sediment and partly estimated from the changes of lithofacies relative sea level changes are calculated from changes of paleowater depth and coeval sedimentary thickness the result is examined as the sum of accommodation space created by subsidence and eustasy in that period of time eustatic changes were about an order of magnitude smaller than changes created by movements of the basin floor according to our model in early badenian up to the half of nn5 nannozone a very rapid transtension related subsidence of about 500 m occurred this was interrupted by a short period of uplift of minor magnitude at about the first third of nn5 zone thereafter subsidence continued and the basin floor reached its deepest position still within the nn5 nannozone early badenian a significant uplift occurred terminating the life of the deep basin the late badenian nn6 is characterized by a relatively small rate of subsidence and presumably quiet tectonism during this period bathymetric changes are thought to be controlled primarily by eustatic changes the first uplift only interrupting subsidence is regarded as the result of the change of the local stress field because of convergence along the curvature of strike slip faults the second uplift which stopped the subsidence of the basin floor is thought to be of a regional character and is attributed to the compression generated between tisza and alcapa tectonic units

tectonic significance of changes in post subduction pliocene quaternary magmatism in the south east part of the carpathian pannonian region the south eastern part of the carpathian pannonian region records the cessation of convergence between the european platform moesia and the tisza dacia microplate plio quaternary magmatic activity in this area in close proximity to the vrancea zone shows a shift from normal calc alkaline to much more diverse compositions adakite like calc alkaline k alkalic mafic na alkalic and ultrapotassic suggesting a significant change in geodynamic processes at approximately 3 ma we review the tectonic setting timing petrology and geochemistry of the post collisional volcanism to constrain the role of orogenic building processes such as subduction or collision on melt production and migration the calc alkaline volcanism 5 3 3 9 ma marks the end of normal subduction related magmatism along the post collisional c limani gurghiu harghita volcanic chain in front of the european convergent plate margin at ca 3 ma in south harghita magma compositions changed to adakite like calc alkaline and continued until recent times 0 03 ma interrupted at 1 6 1 2 ma by generation of na and k alkalic magmas signifying changes in the source and melting mechanism we attribute the changes in magma composition in front of the moesian platform to two main geodynamic events 1 slab pull and steepening with opening of a tear window adakite like calc alkaline magmas and 2 renewed contraction associated with deep mantle processes such as slab steepening during post collisional times na and k alkalic magmas contemporaneous post collisional volcanism at the eastern edge of the pannonian basin at 2 6 1 3 ma was dominated by na alkalic and ultrapotassic magmas suggesting a close relationship with thermal asthenospheric doming and strain partitioning related to the adriatic indentation similar timing magma chamber processes and volume for k alkalic shoshonitic magmas in the south apuseni mountains 1 6 ma and south harghita area at a distance of ca 200 km imply a regional connection with the inversion tectonics

phases of compression during the evolution of the pannonian basin and its bearing on hydrocarbon exploration abstract progress in understanding the structural evolution of the pannonian basin is reported this has been driven by the application of seismic stratigraphy constrained by magnetostratigraphic data and the recent release of a great amount of hydrocarbon exploration data this has led to a redefinition and better understanding of the syn rift period and style of rifting in addition a complex structural evolution history during the post rift phase has been recognized two compressive events are defined one in the early stage and another in the late stage of evolution the importance of these findings for hydrocarbon exploration includes an improved knowledge of the timing of trap formations and a possible explanation for remarkably variable reservoir pressures in pools of the great hungarian plain

study on the failure mechanism of clay layer overlying thin bedrock in coal seam mining the water blocking property of clay at the bottom of the cenozoic overburden is an important factor for mining safety and protecting underground latent water resources in thin bedrock coal seam mining the failure mechanism of such a clay is studied based on the actual engineering background of the sanyuan coal mine the failure of the overlying clay layer is due to the reduction in the supporting space of the clay layer with the progression of coal mining and the overlying clay layer will subside due to the self weight load therefore the vertical stress horizontal stress and shear stress of the soil change during subsidence and the change in these stresses determine whether the clay layer fails then the failure criterion of soil expressed by the vertical stress horizontal stress and shear stress is derived based on mohr coulomb shear failure theory next the function relating the stress and subsidence magnitudes are established by fit analysis finally a failure criterion expressed in terms of soil subsidence amount is presented based on the failure criterion expressed by soil subsidence amount a method for soil failure discriminant is proposed in which only the subsidence amount is necessary to judge the soil failure state this method is applied to the engineering of the sanyuan coal mine to get the failure subsidence amount curve of clay layer i the results show that the failure subsidence amount curve plots below the subsidence amount curves of clay layer i at any advancing distance that is the clay layer did not fail an investigation of the source and amount of water inflow to the 3301 working face also verifies that the clay layer does not fail and the failure discriminant method used to judge the failure state of the soil is appropriate and convenient for use in engineering applications

lithosphere tearing at step faults response to edges of subduction zones abstract slab edges are a relatively common feature in plate tectonics two prominent examples are the northern end of the tonga subduction zone and the southern end of the new hebrides subduction zone near such horizontal terminations of subduction trenches ongoing tearing of oceanic lithosphere is a geometric consequence we refer to such kinks in the plate boundary as a subduction transform edge propagator or step other steps are the north and south ends of the lesser antilles trench the north end of the south sandwich trench the south end of the vrancea trench and both ends of the calabria trench volcanism near steps is distinct from typical arc volcanism in some cases slab edges appear to coincide with mantle plumes using 3d mechanical models we establish that step faults are stable plate tectonic features in most circumstances in the probably rare cases that the resistance to fault propagation is high slab break off will occur relative motion along the transform segment of the plate boundary often is non uniform and the step is not a transform plate boundary in the rigid plate tectonics sense of the phrase step propagation may result in substantial deformation rotation topography and sedimentary basins with a very specific time space evolution surface velocities are substantially affected by nearby steps

the mid hungarian line a zone of repeated tectonic inversions abstract the mid hungarian line is a major tectonic feature of the intra carpathian area separating two terranes of different origin and tectonic structure although this tectonic line was known from borehole records it has not been described in seismic sections the study presents interpreted seismic lines crossing the supposed trace of the mid hungarian line these seismic sections show north dipping normal faults and thrust faults as well as cross cutting young strike slip faults a complex tectonic history is deduced including intra oligocene early miocene thrusting middle miocene extension local late miocene inversion and late miocene pliocene normal faulting and left lateral wrenching in the light of our seismic study we think that the best candidate for the mid hungarian line is a north dipping detachment fault beneath large masses of neogene volcanics the auxiliary structures to the north seen on seismic sections suggest that it moved as a south vergent thrust fault during the palaeogene early miocene which later was reactivated as a set of normal faults the northern alcapa unit overrode the southern tisza dacia unit along this fault zone the same relative positions are observed in the northern termination of the line other structures along the supposed trace of the line are north dipping normal or strike slip faults which frequently were reactivated as smaller thrust faults during the late neogene palaeogene early miocene thrusting along the line might be the result of the opposite tertiary rotations of the two major units as suggested by palaeomagnetic measurements and earlier models

from nappe stacking to out of sequence postcollisional deformations cretaceous to quaternary exhumation history of the se carpathians assessed by low temperature thermochronology 1 apatite fission track aft and u th he ahe thermochronology have been combined to constrain the exhumation history of the se carpathians cooling ages generally decrease from cretaceous for the internal basement nappes aft ages to miocene quaternary aft and ahe respectively for the external sedimentary wedge the aft and ahe data show a paleogene age cluster which confirms a suspected but never demonstrated tectonic event the new data furthermore suggest that the se carpathians have been affected by a middle miocene exhumation phase related to continental collision which occurred at rates of 0 8 mm yr similar to the one previously inferred for the east carpathians the se carpathian tectonic evolution however is overprinted by two younger exhumation events in the pliocene pleistocene the first exhumation phase latest miocene early pliocene occurred at high exhumation rates 1 7 mm yr and is interpreted as a tectonic event and or associated with a sea level drop in the paratethys basins during the messinian low stand the youngest recorded tectonic phase suggests rapid pleistocene exhumation 1 6 mm yr and is interpreted to represent crustal scale shortening different in mechanics from collisional processes the data suggest that the se carpathians did not develop as a typical double vergent orogenic wedge instead exhumation was related to a foreland vergent sequence of nappe stacking during collision and was subsequently followed by a large out of sequence shortening event truncating the already locked collisional boundary

middle and late holocene paleoenvironmental developement of the curonian lagoon lithuania abstract the reconstruction of the development of the northern curonian lagoon lithuania during the holocene is based on a wide suite of studies pollen diatom and carbonate analyses measurements of magnetic susceptibility as well as geochemical data recently published data from the nida vi borehole show that the age of lacustrine and lagoonal sand spans from boreal to sub atlantic diatom analyses reveal changes in the groups of brackish fresh and fresh brackish species and show relatively rapidly changing environmental conditions that could have existed through the ongoing litorina sea transgression the curonian spit separated a semi closed lagoon by the end of atlantic beginning of subboreal with lagoon marl layer deposited during the litorina sea stage the paleo lagoon became shallow and freshwater during the subatlantic the topmost sediment in the section is nearly devoid of diatom valves likely due to high accumulation rates of sand climate shifts and local environmental conditions were distinguished based on carbonate content with lower values associated with colder periods the increase in carbonate fraction during the late atlantic is related mostly to warmer holocene climate phases based on al ti oxide ratio the boreal climate was arid and the early atlantic largely transitional whereas the late atlantic was humid the absence of negative ce anomalies as well as u th ratios suggest that a rather oxic regime prevailed during sedimentation the origin of several cycles of variation in zr rb may indicate increased weathering down core variations in bulk volume magnetic susceptibility closely mirror the textural and compositional trends with peaks likely reflecting pulses of terrigenous influx during dry periods

palaeotectonic reconstruction of the central alpine mediterranean belt for the neogene abstract the structural patterns of the central alpine mediterranean belt ranging from the eastern balearic sea to the western aegean sea have been reconstructed for 10 and 20 ma b p they have been obtained in the frame of the africa europe convergence through a step by step rigid plastic reconstruction using available geological and palaeomagnetic data all domains outlined in the present situation are shown in the palaeotectonic reconstructions while the structural pattern at 10 ma b p is similar to that of the present except for the tyrrhenian region that at 20 ma b p differs from it in most areas the well known adriatic promontory of the african plate is recognizable in both pictures and at 20 ma its original boundaries are revealed as strongly deformed flysch belts the adriatic promontory was broken up in the early or middle miocene into two microplates of comparable sizes the norther one is the adriatic microplate s s which suffered counter clockwise rotation by 20 relative to africa around the alpine apenninic whirl centre the southern one is the apulian microplate first outlined in the present work including the south apenninic and the apulian s s south of the gargano peninsula platforms which suffered no rotations relative to africa but which moved towards the northeast of it the primary reason for the break up of the adriatic promontory was most probably the opening of the balearic ligurian sea since 10 ma the adriatic and apulian microplates were again integral with africa or perhaps they moved towards the west relative to africa pushed by the turkish microplate the orogeny in the area discussed is mostly linked with collisional processes on the boundaries of the adriatic apulian unit

tectonic versus climatic control on the evolution of fluvio deltaic systems in a lake basin eastern pannonian basin abstract the pannonian basin is a back arc lake basin situated inside the central european carpathian loop surrounded by the orogenic belts of the eastern alps carpathians and dinarides integrated stratigraphical and sedimentological research reported here focuses on palaeogeographical evolution and particularly the response of the fluvio deltaic systems to climatic and tectonic controls in the late neogene sedimentary succession in the eastern part of the pannonian basin this work has been carried out using subsurface data including regional composite seismic profiles and well logs dip sections were studied to define the stratigraphical architecture depositional environments and sequence stratigraphy and to interpret the sedimentary evolution of the area the eastern pannonian basin is characterized by sediment input from the north east which was one of the main routes of the fluvial deltaic systems entering and progressively filling lake pannon from 11 6 2 6 ma the formations studied were deposited in environments that ranged from the deep water basin plain slope delta front and coastal plain to alluvial plain causing the deposition of characteristic lithofacies associations and characteristic biofacies these form laterally continuous lithofacies units that can be correlated through the basin all depositional facies units have considerable thicknesses 300 1000 m in the deepest parts of the sub basins sequence stratigraphical interpretation was carried out correlating 3rd and 4th order sequences ma to ky in range through a regional composite seismic profile network in the dip direction stratigraphical architecture and sedimentary facies indicate that the 3rd order cycles were controlled by tectonic driving forces while 4th order cycles were probably driven by large scale climatic changes within the milankovitch band in the 3rd order time interval pa 3 between 9 1 and 6 8 ma a major tectonostratigraphic event occurred highlighting the role of strike slip faulting related transtensional subsidence in the derecske sub basin superimposed on the regional post rift thermal subsidence of the eastern pannonian region the substantial base level fall at sb pa 4 at 6 8 ma over 200 m perhaps amplified by subsequent tectonic movements can be related to the onset of a new compressional phase of structural evolution in the basin

styles of extension in the pannonian basin abstract structural interpretation of reflection seismic profiles reveals distinct modes of upper crustal extension in the pannonian basin while some subbasins in the pannonian basin complex show little extension planar rotational normal faults others are characterized by large magnitude of extension detachment faults metamorphic core complexes gravitational collapse of the intra carpathian domain combined with subduction zone roll back is thought to be the driving mechanism of the neogene back arc extension the very heterogeneously distributed extension is accommodated by transfer faults which bound regions characterized by different polarity direction or amount of extension in cross section these transfer faults are characterized by flower structures typical for strike slip faults seismic stratigraphic interpretations indicate that the non marine post rift sedimentary fill of the pannonian basin can be described in terms of sequence stratigraphy the exceptionally good seismic sequence resolution allows recognition of third order and also fourth order depositional sequences which may reflect the interplay of tectonics and eustasy and milankovitch scale climatic variations respectively

symmetric and asymmetric lithospheric extension relative effects of frictional plastic and viscous strain softening 1 strain dependent rheologies may play a critical role in the deformation of the lithosphere and particularly in the development of focused shear zones we investigate the effects of strain softening on lithospheric extension using plane strain thermomechanical finite element model experiments parametric softening is specified as a linear decrease of the effective internal angle of friction the effective viscosity or both in the model rheologies the sensitivity of deformation to the choice of softening parameters is investigated in cases where the crust is either strongly or weakly coupled to the mantle lithosphere results are classified according to the symmetry s or asymmetry a of the deformation of the upper and lower lithosphere during rifting strain softening is required for rifting asymmetry but is not always sufficient a range of model tectonic styles occurs including pure and simple shear modes with focused shear zones mode selection is mostly determined by the feedback between two primary controls the dominant rheology and the parametric strain softening mechanisms listed above softening of the dominant rheology promotes asymmetric extension of that part of the lithosphere controlled by the dominant rheology model results are consistent with the proposed primary controls and the factors that contribute to these controls in particular decreasing and increasing the rifting velocity can change the mode by changing the dominant rheology asymmetry is strongest in coupled models which include a decrease in the internal angle of friction and have low rifting velocities

inherited landscapes and sea level change enabled by recently gained understanding of deep seated and surficial earth processes a convergence of views between geophysics and sedimentary geology has been quietly taking place over the past several decades surface topography resulting from lithospheric memory retained at various temporal and spatial scales has become the connective link between these two methodologically diverse geoscience disciplines ideas leading to the hypothesis of plate tectonics originated largely with an oceanic focus where dynamic and mostly horizontal movements of the crust could be envisioned but when these notions were applied to the landscapes of the supposedly rigid plate interiors there was less success in explaining the observed anomalies in terrestrial topography solid earth geophysics has now reached a developmental stage where vertical movements can be measured and modeled at meaningful scales and the deep seated structures can be imaged with increasing resolution concurrently there have been advances in quantifying mechanical properties of the lithosphere the solid outer skin of earth usually defined to include both the crust and the solid but elastic upper mantle above the asthenosphere the lithosphere acts as the intermediary that transfers the effects of mantle dynamics to the surface these developments have allowed us to better understand the previously puzzling topographic features of plate interiors and continental margins on the sedimentary geology side new quantitative modeling techniques and holistic approaches to integrating source to sink sedimentary systems have led to clearer understanding of basin evolution and sediment budgets that allow the reconstruction of missing sedimentary records and past geological landscapes

neogene sequences in the pannonian basin hungary abstract the rifting in the extensional pannonian basin occurred in the middle miocene the subbasins within the pannonian system formed under the control of expansional tectonics during this time sequence stratigraphic analysis on well logs revealed a single third order synrift sedimentary sequence developed due to tectonically enhanced eustatic sea level change in shallow marine environments the pannonian basin became an isolated lake by its postrift phase during the middle late miocene boundary the first postrift sequence formed under peculiar conditions when the basin lost its marine connections and simultaneously a considerable differential subsidence began the large volume of freshwater input supplied by rivers and the rapid subsidence of the basement caused the basin to be a deep freshwater lake the lacustrine postrift infill was studied by sequence stratigraphy using seismic reflection well log and magnetostratigraphic data numerous unconformities can be revealed which represent relative lake level fluctuations of different magnitudes the water level and volume of the large inland lake was very sensitive to different effects the most important ones are lake water budget sediment influx and differential subsidence of the basement the style of extension and sedimentation show differences with respect to passive continental margins that are reflected in the sedimentary architecture a significant third order water level change has been discovered in the eastern part of the pannonian basin while the western side did not experience such a great change in lake level this fact gives credit to the view of different interplay of lake level influencing effects in different areas of the basin this major third order lake level change has been age dated using magnetostratigraphy and a very close match was found with the age of the mediterranean salinity crisis the pannonian basin offers the possibility to study the infilling style and stratigraphic evolution of an inland rifted basin detailed sequence analysis allows the recording of the apparent sea lake level motion which can be compared to those observed in the surrounding seas further tectono stratigraphic evaluations of the pannonian basin may reveal hidden facts on the nature of lake level fluctuations and contribute new data to the discipline of sequence stratigraphy

third order middle miocene early pliocene depositional sequences in the prograding delta complex of the pannonian basin abstract few studies exist in the geologic literature that show the distribution of seismic facies and depositional sequences within a lacustrine basin the pannonian basin of central europe offers a unique opportunity to evaluate the influence of the eustatic signal on lacustrine deposition seismic stratigraphie and sedimentological studies indicate that the middle miocene early pliocene infill of the transtensional pannonian basin was formed by large delta systems systematic sequence stratigraphie analysis of 6000 km of reflection seismic data and more than 100 hydrocarbon exploration wells in hungary allowed the identification of twelve third order sequence boundaries in the late neogene sedimentary fill this number of depositional sequences corresponds to that of the published global eustatic curve for this time period furthermore based on magnetostratigraphic and radiometric data the ages of these depositional sequences can be tentatively correlated with the global eustatic curve the pannonian basin became isolated from the world sea at the sarmatian pannonian 11 5 ma boundary and formed a large lake the stratal patterns and sedimentary facies of individual systems tracts within the lacustrine sequences display the same characteristics as marine depositional sequences the relatively low rate of thermal subsidence and the high rate of sediment supply resulted in a good sequence resolution within the third order sequences higher order sequences can be recognized with an average duration of about 0 1 0 5 ma

on the mechanics of basin formation in the pannonian basin inferences from analogue and numerical modelling abstract we present the results of a thrust fault reactivation study that has been carried out using analogue sandbox and numerical modelling techniques the basement of the pannonian basin is built up of cretaceous nappe piles reactivation of these compressional structures and connected weakness zones is one of the prime agents governing miocene formation and quaternary deformation of the basin system however reactivation on thrust fault planes average dip of ca 30 in normal or transtensional stress regimes is a problematic process in terms of rock mechanics the aim of the investigation was to analyse how the different stress regimes extension or strike slip and the geometrical as well as the mechanical parameters dip and strike of the faults frictional coefficients effect the reactivation potential of pre existing faults results of analogue modelling predict that thrust fault reactivation under pure extension is possible for fault dip angle larger than 45 with normal friction value sand on sand of the fault plane by making the fault plane weaker reactivation is possible down to 35 dip angle these values are confirmed by the results of numerical modelling reactivation in transtensional manner can occur in a broad range of fault dip angle from 35 to 20 and strike angle from 30 to 5 with respect to the direction of compression when keeping the maximum horizontal stress magnitude approximately three times bigger than the vertical or the minimum horizontal stress values our research focussed on two selected study areas in the pannonian basin system the danube basin and the derecske trough in its western and eastern part respectively their miocene tectonic evolution and their fault reactivation pattern show considerable differences the dominance of pure extension in the danube basin vs strike slip faulting transtension in the derecske trough is interpreted as a consequence of their different geodynamic position in the evolving pannonian basin system in addition orientation of the pre existing thrust fault systems with respect to the early to middle miocene paleostress fields had a major influence on reactivation kinematics as part of the collapsing east alpine orogen the area of the danube basin was characterised by elevated topography and increased crustal thickness during the onset of rifting in the pannonian basin consequently an excess of gravitational potential energy resulted in extension v h during early miocene basin formation by the time topography and related crustal thickness variation relaxed middle miocene the stress field had rotated and the minimum horizontal stress axes h became perpendicular to the main strike of the thrusts the high topography and the rotation of h could induce nearly pure extension dip slip faulting along the pre existing low angle thrusts on the contrary the derecske trough was situated near the carpathian subduction belt with lower crustal thickness and no pronounced topography this resulted in much lower v value than in the danube basin moreover the proximity of the retreating subduction slab provided low values of h and the oblique orientation of the paleostress fields with respect to the master faults of the trough this led to the dominance of strike slip faulting in combination with extension and basin subsidence transtension

a relative sea level curve for the polish southern baltic sea abstract the relative sea level curve was developed for the southern baltic area based on a set of 315 radiocarbon dates of different terrestrial and marine sediments collected at 164 sites located in the polish part of the southern baltic and in the adjacent coastal land area when developing the curve relicts of various formations related to the shoreline evolution as well as extents of erosional surfaces determined from seismoacoustic profiles were taken into account during the late pleistocene and early holocene i e between 13 0 and 8 5 ka bp the southern baltic sea level rose and fell three times the amplitude of changes extending over 25 27 m in the late boreal c 8 5 ka bp the baltic its water level by about 28 m lower than the present one became permanently connected with the ocean until the onset of the atlantic the sea level had risen to about 21 m below present sea level during 8 0 7 0 ka bp the sea level was rising to reach 10 m subsequently during the atlantic until its end the sea level rose to 2 5 m b s l during the first millenium of the subboreal the sea level rose to about 1 3 1 1 m b s l to become on termination of the subboreal about 0 7 0 6 m lower than present during the subatlantic the sea level changes were minor