U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Bulletin 2204–B

Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe (Province

4808)—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems,

and Petroleum Resource Assessment
Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe 

(Province 4808)—Petroleum Geology, 

Total Petroleum Systems, and Petroleum 

Resource Assessment

By Gordon L. Dolton

Bulletin 2204–B

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

P. Lynn Scarlett, Acting Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006

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Suggested citation:

Dolton, G.L., 2006, Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe (Province 4808)—Petroleum geology, total petroleum 

systems, and petroleum resource assessment: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 2204–B, 47 p.
iii

Foreword

This report was prepared as part of the U.S. Geological Survey World Petroleum Assessment 

2000 (U.S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000). The primary objective of 

World Petroleum Assessment 2000 is to assess the quantities of conventional oil, natural gas, 

and natural gas liquids outside the United States that have the potential to be added to reserves 

in the next 30 years. Parts of these assessed volumes reside in undiscovered fields whose sizes 

exceed the stated minimum-field-size cutoff value for the assessment unit; the cutoff value 

varies, but it must be at least 1 million barrels of oil equivalent. Another part of these assessed 

volumes occurs as reserve growth of fields already discovered. However, the contribution from 

reserve growth of discovered fields to resources is not covered for the areas treated in this 

report.

In order to organize, evaluate, and delineate areas to assess, the Assessment Methodology 

Team of World Petroleum Assessment 2000 developed a hierarchical scheme of geographic and 

geologic units. This scheme consists of regions, geologic provinces, total petroleum systems, 

and assessment units. For World Petroleum Assessment 2000, regions serve as organizational 

units and geologic provinces are used as prioritization tools. Total petroleum systems (TPS) 

and assessment units (AU) were delineated for each province considered for assessment. The 

boundaries of the TPS and AU need not be entirely contained within a geologic province. The 

TPS includes all genetically related petroleum that occurs in shows and accumulations (both 

discovered and undiscovered) generated by a pod or closely related pods of mature source 

rock. TPSs exist within a limited mappable geologic space along with the geologic elements 

(source, reservoir, trap, seal, and overburden rocks) necessary for hydrocarbon accumulation. 

These geologic elements control the fundamental processes of generation, expulsion, migration, entrapment, and preservation of petroleum within the TPS. The AU is the basic element 

assessed in this study. It is a mappable part of a total petroleum system in which discovered and 

undiscovered oil and gas fields constitute a single relatively homogeneous population such that 

the methodology of resource assessment is applicable. 

The world was divided into 8 regions and 937 geologic provinces. These provinces have been 

ranked according to the discovered known (cumulative production plus remaining reserves) oil 

and gas volumes (Klett and others, 1997). Then, 76 “priority” provinces (exclusive of the United 

States and chosen for their high ranking) and 26 “boutique” provinces (exclusive of the United 

States) were selected for appraisal of oil and gas resources. Boutique provinces were chosen for 

their anticipated petroleum richness or special regional economic or strategic importance.
iv

Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................iii

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................................................1

General Geologic Setting..............................................................................................................................6

Tectonic History ....................................................................................................................................6

Structure.................................................................................................................................................9

Stratigraphy .........................................................................................................................................12

Basement Rocks ........................................................................................................................12

Cenozoic Basin-Fill Sediments ................................................................................................13

Paleogene and Early Neogene.......................................................................................13

Middle to Late Neogene ..................................................................................................14

Synrift Sediments.....................................................................................................14

Postrift Sediments ...................................................................................................15

Petroleum Geology ......................................................................................................................................16

Reservoir Rocks ..................................................................................................................................16

Source Rocks and Maturity ..............................................................................................................16

Traps and Seals...................................................................................................................................19

Exploration Status...............................................................................................................................19

Total Petroleum Systems ...................................................................................................................23

Neogene Total Petroleum Systems.........................................................................................23

Mixed Mesozoic-Neogene Total Petroleum System ...........................................................23

Paleogene Total Petroleum Systems......................................................................................24

Other Total Petroleum Systems ...............................................................................................24

Assessment Units ...............................................................................................................................29

Greater Hungarian Plain Basins AU (40480101)....................................................................29

Zala-Dráva-Sava Basins AU (40480201).................................................................................34

Danube Basin AU (40480301) ...................................................................................................35

Transcarpathian Basin AU (40480401)....................................................................................36

Hungarian Paleogene Basin AU (40480601) ..........................................................................37

Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin AU (40480501) ...........................................................38

Frontal Inner Carpathian AU....................................................................................................38

Estimated Undiscovered Resources ...............................................................................................39

References....................................................................................................................................................41

Figures

1. Index map.........................................................................................................................................2

2. Map of the Neogene Pannonian Basin .......................................................................................3

3. Diagrammatic cross sections of the Pannonian Basin.............................................................4

4. Major structural elements of the Pannonian Basin ..................................................................7
v

5. Tectonic map of the Pannonian Basin ......................................................................................8

6. Generalized stratigraphic columns..........................................................................................10

7. Distribution of Paleogene rocks...............................................................................................11

8. Oil and gas fields of the Pannonian Basin..............................................................................17

9. Discovered oil by depth interval...............................................................................................20

10. Discovered gas by depth interval ............................................................................................20

11. Size distribution of discovered oil fields .................................................................................22

12. Size distribution of discovered gas fields...............................................................................22

13. Map of total petroleum systems and assessment units.......................................................25

14. Burial history plot of Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene Total Petroleum 

System (404801)...........................................................................................................................26

15. Burial history plot of Danube Neogene Total Petroleum System (404803)........................27

16. Events chart for the Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene Total Petroleum 

System (404801)...........................................................................................................................28

17. Events chart for the Danube Neogene Total Petroleum System (404803).........................28

18. Events chart for the Transcarpathian Neogene Total Petroleum 

System (404804)...........................................................................................................................29

19. Burial history plot for the Sava depression (Zala-Dráva-Sava 

Mesozoic/Neogene Total Petroleum System (404802))........................................................30

20. Events chart for the Zala-Dráva-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene Total 

Petroleum System (404802).......................................................................................................31

 21. Burial history plot of the Hungarian Paleogene Total 

Petroleum System (404806).......................................................................................................32

22. Events chart for the Hungarian Paleogene Total 

Petroleum System (404806).......................................................................................................33

23. Events chart for the Central Carpathian Paleogene Total 

Petroleum System (404805).......................................................................................................33

Tables

1. Total petroleum systems and associated assessment units...............................................24

2. Assessment results ....................................................................................................................40
Abstract

This report deals with the Pannonian Basin Province 

of Central Europe and summarizes the petroleum geology, 

which was the basis for assessment, and presents results of 

that assessment. The Pannonian Basin Province consists of a 

large compound extensional basin of Neogene age overlying 

Paleogene basins and interior elements of the greater Alpine 

foldbelt (fig. 1). Within it, six total petroleum systems (TPS) 

are defined and six assessment units established for estimation 

of undiscovered oil and gas resources. Other speculative TPSs 

were identified but not included for quantitative assessment 

within this study.

Introduction

This report deals with the Pannonian Basin Province of 

Central Europe and summarizes the petroleum geology, which 

was the basis for assessment, and presents results of that 

assessment. The report relies largely on a synthesis of published geologic information. 

The Pannonian Basin Province consists of a large compound extensional basin of Neogene age overlying Paleogene 

basins and interior elements of the greater Alpine foldbelt 

(fig. 1). The Neogene basin system is approximately 600 km 

from east to west and 500 km from north to south, excluding 

the associated Transylvanian and Vienna Basins. Geographically, it lies within the Alpine mountain belts of east-central 

Europe and is bounded by the Carpathian Mountains to the 

north and east, the Southern Carpathian or Dinaric Alps to 

the south, and the Southern and Eastern Alps to the west. It 

is located mostly within the confines of Hungary, Croatia, 

Romania, and Serbia-Montenegro (formerly Yugoslavia) and 

also occupies parts of Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Bosnia and 

Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Poland. 

The Neogene Pannonian Basin historically has been the 

primary petroleum exploration target in the province and is 

composed of a complex system of extensional subbasins lying 

within the arc of the Carpathian Mountains (figs. 1, 2, and 3). 

Subbasins are separated from one another by uplifted basement blocks but are tied together by a widespread blanket 

of younger Neogene and Quaternary sediment fill (Horváth 

and Royden, 1981; Royden and Horváth, 1988). Among the 

principal subbasins are those of the Great Hungarian Plain, 

including the Jászság, Derecske, Nyíség, Nagykunság and 

Békés Basins and Makó trough; the Zala Basin, Dráva and 

Sava depressions, and Graz (Styrian) Basin; the Danube (Little 

Plain) Basin and the Transcarpathian (East Slovak) Basin. 

These basins rest on thrust sheets of the Inner Carpathian 

foldbelt in northern and central areas and, to the south, on 

those of the Dinarides and associated Vardar Zone (fig. 1). Not 

included within this assessment are the Vienna and Transylvanian Basins, which are sometimes considered as parts of the 

overall Pannonian system (Royden and Horváth, 1988). Within 

the geologic framework of the province, six total petroleum 

systems are defined and six assessment units established for 

estimation of undiscovered oil and gas resources. Three other 

TPSs were identified but not quantitatively assessed. 

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to acknowledge the invaluable 

research by a wide range of authors concerning the geologic 

framework of this area, upon which this paper relied. The 

manuscript has benefited greatly from critical and constructive reviews by Gregory Ulmichek, Tim Klett, and Kathy 

Varnes. The author thanks Rick Scott for a constructive edit 

of the manuscript. The author is grateful to Susan Walden and 

Margarita Zyrianova for preparation of digital illustrations and 

wishes to acknowledge authorship for those figures, which 

have been derived or modified from published sources.

Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe (Province 

4808)—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems, and 

Petroleum Resource Assessment

By Gordon L. Dolton
16°E 18°E 20°E 22°E 24°E 26°E

48°N

50°N

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44°N

SERBIA and

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EASTERN

ALPS

SOUTHERN 

ALPS

Peri-Adriatic line

Zala Basin

MECSEK MOUNTAINS

VILLÁNY MTNS

TRANSDANUBIAN CENTRAL

Vienna Basin

Graz Basin

Derecske Basin

Békés  Basin

Nagykunság

Basin

Danube River

Dráva River

NORTH HUNGARIAN RANGE

Transcarpathian Basin

Jászság

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E. CARPATHIANS

TRANSDANUBIA

EXPLANATI

CitiesCountry boundary and nPieniny Klippen BeltOuter CarpathiansInner Carpathian, AlpineUpper Cenozoic volcaniPannonian Basin Provin

Figure 1. Index map showing main tectonic and geographic units of Alpine Foldbelt and Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaric Mountains, and the names ounits inside these mountains, shown in white, to which the collective name Pannonian Basin is generally applied, including the associated TransyBasins. Modified from Horvath, 1985b. The Pannonian Basin Province (4048) boundary is shown in blue.  ́
16°E 18°E 20°E 22°E 24°E 26°E

50°N

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0 

Ad

S

riatic ea

EXPLANATION

Thickness of Neogene–Quaternar

> 0 – 2 2 – 4 > 4 

Outer Alpine-Carpathian foldb

Outcrop of Neogene calc-alkaInner Alpine-Carpathian foldb

Neogene Pannonian Basi

V

TR

A

A’

B’

B

C

C’

Figure 2. Map of the Neogene Pannonian Basin, showing depocenters of the subbasins. The associated Transylvanian (TR) and Vienna (V) basinModified from Horvath (1985a). Cross sections are in figure 3.  ́
Figure 3. Diagramatic cross sections of the Pannonian Basin. Section A-A’ modified from Horváth and others (1996); section B-B’

modified from Sztanó and Tari (1993; with permission from Elsevier); section C-C’ modified from Haas (1989). Locations of cross 

sections are shown in figure 2. (Figure continued on next page.)

A

W

Danube River

TRANSDANUBIA

PANNONIAN BASIN

2

1

0

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EXPLANATION

Holocene and Pleistocene

Late Miocene (postrift)

Middle-early Miocene (synrift)

Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and

Precambrian basement complex

Early Miocene and 

Paleogene

Cenozoic volcanics

A'

E

ASPUSENI

MOUNTAINS

TRANSYLVANIAN

BASIN

GARIAN PLAIN

Sea level

GREAT HUN  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
DANUBE BASIN

TRANSDANUBIAN

CENTRAL RANGE

LAKE BALATON

MECSEK

MOUNTAINS

VILLÁN

Y

MOUNTAINS

NW S

TRANSDANUBIA

GREAT HUNGARIAN PLAIN

B B'

N S

C C'

0 100 KILOMETERS

PANNONIAN BASIN

PANNONIAN 

BASIN

Horizontal Scale

2

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1

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km

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Sea level

Acknowledgments 

Figure 3. Continued.
General Geologic Setting

Tectonic History

The present tectonic setting of the Pannonian Basin 

Province is characterized by a major system of Cenozoic 

basins superimposed on inner elements of highly deformed 

and complexly faulted nappes of Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and 

Precambrian rocks of the Alpine-Carpathian foldbelt (fig. 4).

Paleozoic events affecting the Pannonian Basin Province 

are poorly known; however, the Hercynian (Variscan) orogeny 

of middle and late Carboniferous time involved local crustal 

elements in the collision between Gondwana and Laurentia. 

This collision resulted in closure of the Tethys Sea, a suture 

along the margin of the European plate immediately west of 

the present Pannonian Basin, metamorphism of older Paleozoic rocks in the area, and the creation of Pangea.

Collapse of the Hercynian orogen in Late Permian time 

was followed by reopening of the Tethys Sea and rifting 

and foundering of marginal crustal fragments, including the 

Apulian, south European, and Tisza blocks. Rift basins were 

superimposed on Hercynian structural trends and became sites 

of predominantly continental and evaporitic deposition. 

Triassic time was characterized by continued opening 

of the Tethys Sea and graben formation on adjoining crustal 

blocks (Yilmaz and others, 1996). Basin and platform paleogeography persisted into the Jurassic. Pelagic sediments were 

deposited in troughs and on open-marine shelves, and shallow-water marine carbonates commonly occupied platforms 

where they were generally succeeded by marine shelf sediments. Plate motions between Africa and Europe were largely 

sinstral from Late Jurassic through Early Cretaceous time but 

included counterclockwise rotation of Apulia and development 

of a subduction zone with flysch sedimentation at its margin, 

accompanied by calc-alkaline volcanism. 

During the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic, closure of the 

Tethys Sea resumed, accompanied by collision of the European plate with small crustal fragments ahead of an advancing 

African plate. This collision produced the Paratethys and the 

foldbelts of the Alpine orogen upon which the Tertiary Pannonian Basin system rests (fig. 4). Disparate crustal elements 

were assembled into the Inner Carpathian foldbelt during Cretaceous and Paleogene time, and outer parts, comprising the 

Outer Carpathian foldbelt, were deformed during the Neogene. 

Separate Apulian, Tisza, and Pelso crustal blocks 

impinged on the European plate by the Late Cretaceous, and 

Sandulescu (1988) suggests that virtually the whole inner 

Carpathian realm attained its present structure and morphology by Late Cretaceous, with the result that, “during Cenozoic 

time, these areas of Cretaceous deformation acted roughly as 

rigid blocks, and their differential movement was accommodated by large strike–slip faults.” More recent work by Yilmaz 

and others (1996) indicates that the Tisza block separated 

from Europe in Late Jurassic time and became attached to 

Apulia, before again colliding with Europe in Eocene time. 

In any case, interior elements of the foldbelt were modified 

by Cenozoic compression, shearing, and compression. Balla 

(1990) reconstructed the evolution of the present Pannonian 

crustal fragment, comprised of the Pelso and Tisza blocks, as 

beginning in the Eocene, with its final assembly in the middle 

Miocene. Compressional deformation of Paleogene flysch 

sediments on margins of the Pelso and Tisza blocks and within 

the Szolnok trough accompanied this assembly (see fig. 7).

During Eocene and early Oligocene time, convergence 

had pushed the Apulian, Pelso, and Tisza blocks farther into 

the European plate, accompanied by transpression and rotation, and caused development of epicontinental basins on the 

Pannonian fragment, most prominently the Hungarian Paleogene Basin and flysch basins at margins of crustal blocks (see 

fig. 7). The epicontinental basins have been viewed as wrench 

basins by several authors (Royden and Báldi, 1988; Csontos 

and others, 1992; Nagymarosy, 1990), whereas other investigators have proposed a flexural basin model of a retroarc 

foredeep basin system south of the backthrust inner West 

Carpathians (Tari and others, 1993). This system persisted into 

the early Miocene. The Hungarian Paleogene Basin underwent 

structural inversion in the middle Oligocene, accompanied 

by development of an offset trough to the east, followed by 

general uplift and erosion. 

By late Oligocene or early Miocene, assembly of the 

present Pannonian crustal fragment took place, accompanied 

by considerable rotation—particularly of the Tisza block—and 

behaved as a loose knot within the collision zone between the 

Apulian and European plates, and, with continuing compression, began escaping to the east, accompanied by rotation and 

shearing, producing the Carpathian arc at its verge (Royden 

and Báldi, 1988; Balla, 1987; Balla, 1990; Csontos and others, 

1992). Thrusting and strong folding in the Outer Carpathian arc began in the early Miocene, moving progressively 

north and east, with associated compressional features of the 

Dinarides Alpine system seen at the southern margin of the 

Pannonian crustal fragment. 

As the elevated Pannonian fragment overrode the European plate, extension, crustal thinning, and fragmentation 

began with adjustments along normal and strike-slip faults and 

development of a complex system of successor extensional 

basins behind the Carpathian arc (fig. 5). As a consequence, 

the basement and earlier Paleogene basins were overprinted by 

Neogene back-arc rift basins, which were essentially coeval 

with the compressive deformation in the Outer Carpathians. 

According to Royden (1988), extension within the system was 

diachronous, beginning first in the most external subbasins in 

Ottnagian–Karpatian time (early Miocene; see fig. 6 for stratigraphic stages), shifting to more interior basins through time. 

Rifting was characterized by local high relief, deep grabens, 

and synrift sedimentation, followed by a general relaxation 

and differential thermal subsidence and widespread, rapid 

postrift sedimentation. 

 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
50°N

16°E 14°E 18°E 20°E 22°E 24°E 26°E

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 ́

Figure 4. Generalized map of major structural elements of Alpine-Carpathian orogen. Areas overlain by Pannonian Basin Cenozoic rocks are showwithin red outline. The Pelso and Tisza blocks compose the Pannonian crustal fragment of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt. Modified from Sandulescu (and Haas (1989); Csontos and others (1992); Sztano and Tari (1993; figure used with permission from Elsevier).  ́
Tis

za

River

0 100 KILOMETERS

Drava River

Danube River

Belgrade

Budapest

Vienna

Sava River

MID - HUNGARIAN FAULT ZONE

EXPLANATI

Outer Alpine-CarpInner Alpine-Carpand DinaridesOutcrop of Neogenvolcanic rocksArea of major crusand subsidenceNormal fault

Strike-slip fault; sedisplacement is indby the arrows

Adriatic

 Sea

50°N

16°E 18°E 20°E 22°E 24°E 26°E

48°N

46°N

44°N

Figure 5. Tectonic map of the Pannonian Basin and surrounding regions showing the main extensional faults of Neogene age. After Rumpler and Area of Pannonian Basin Tertiary rocks within the Alpine-Carpathian foldbelts shown as white.
Volcanism accompanied extension and climaxed in the 

middle Miocene as a result of subduction of European continental crust beneath the fold-thrust belt. Rhyolite tuff volcanic activity was intense during the synrift phase, and several 

cycles of eruption produced thick tuffaceous layers, particularly throughout the northern Pannonian Basin system (Póka, 

1988). Along with shearing in late Miocene, reverse faulting 

is found in several subbasins, particularly in the Sava Basin at 

the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin (Baric and others, 

2000). 

Major extension largely stopped by the end of Miocene 

time. Mild extension, with strike-slip and normal faulting, 

continued into Pliocene time, as did uplift around the margins 

of the Pannonian Basin system, and accompanied compression 

in the Eastern Carpathians. The Pannonian Basin presently 

shows a complex system of faults and deformation related to 

late strike-slip movements and wrench faulting involving very 

young sediments. Many of these faults appear to be reactivations of old features, including the Mid-Hungarian lineament 

or fault zone, which separates the Tisza and Pelso basement 

terranes. Nevertheless, the Pliocene generally reflects a 

waning of tectonic activity. By the late Pliocene, most of the 

horst blocks within the Pannonian Basin system were buried, 

excepting the uplifts of the Transdanubian Central Range 

and North Hungarian Range and the margins of the basin 

system. During the Quaternary, the Panonnian Basin showed 

general uplift around its margins, continued subsidence in 

central parts, and late strike-slip adjustments (Horváth and 

others, 1996). Detail of the structural evolution of the basin is 

subject to varied interpretation, and for overviews the reader is 

particularly referred to Hámor and Bérczi (1986), Sandulescu 

(1988), Royden and Báldi (1988), Balla (1990), Kókai and 

Pogácsás (1991), Csontos and others (1992), Tari and others 

(1993), and Morley (1993). 

Structure

The Pannonian Basin Province is characterized by a 

major system of Neogene basins superimposed on inner elements of highly deformed and complexly faulted nappes of 

Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and Precambrian rocks of the AlpineCarpathian foldbelt (figs. 2 and 4). 

In the northern part of the province, an additional system 

of Paleogene to early Neogene basins (fig. 7) were produced 

during Alpine deformation by transpression and shearing, 

accompanying rotation of the Pannonian crustal fragments 

(Royden and Báldi, 1988; Csontos and others, 1992; Nagymarosy, 1990) or within a flexural basin setting, as proposed by 

Tari and others (1993), and locally underlie Neogene rocks. 

Most prominent of the epicontinental basins is the Hungarian 

Paleogene Basin, which contains thick sequences of extensionally deformed and faulted, largely marine, epicontinental 

sedimentary rocks, now mostly uplifted and eroded. In addition, compressively deformed Paleogene flysch sediments rest 

on margins of the Pannonian crustal fragments and within the 

Szolnok trough. 

The most prominent feature of the province is the large 

Neogene extensional Pannonian Basin within the loop or arc 

of the Outer Carpathian foldbelt. Resting on highly deformed 

older rocks of the Inner Carpathians and the Paleogene basins, 

the basin is actually a complex composed of many subbasins 

separated by basement horst blocks and uplifts. These subbasins typically contain early to middle Miocene age synrift 

sediments and intercalated volcanics and are, in turn, blanketed by a postrift late Neogene fill that covers the entire 

system and defines the present Pannonian Basin. Pervasive 

syndepositional rifting, growth faulting, and strike-slip deformation characterized the synrift stage, whereas the postrift 

stage was marked by a structural setting in which thermal 

subsidence and rapid sedimentation took place. The latter 

stage was accompanied by differential subsidence without 

major deformation, continuing from the late Miocene to the 

Holocene (Royden, 1988; Grow and others, 1994; Milicka and 

others, 1996). 

The Neogene subbasins occur as pull-apart features 

and as graben structures, the latter particularly common 

south of the Mid-Hungarian fault zone (fig. 5) (Rumpler and 

Horváth, 1988; Royden, 1988). The deeper basins are commonly bounded by sets of normal faults of large displacement, 

some listric in nature. Locally, low-angle extensional normal 

faulting appears to play a particularly important role, as in 

the Danube Basin, commonly interacting with old basement 

features as noted by Tari (1996). Syndepositional structural 

growth caused deformation and faulting of sediments and, 

as noted by Pogácsás, Mattick, Tari, and Várnai (1994), 

“the opening of these basins resulted from strike slip motion 

along a set of roughly NE–SW trending, left-lateral shears 

accompanied by a conjugate set of NW trending, right-lateral 

shears.” A resultant complex fault pattern is observed within 

the system, dominated by the large Mid-Hungarian fault zone, 

which separates major basement terranes (fig. 4), as well as 

structural inversions noted in some areas. Thermal subsidence 

and rapid sedimentation of the following postrift stage were 

accompanied by differential sagging and caused relatively flat 

lying, undisturbed postrift sediments to rest unconformably on 

synrift sequences in most subbasins and on basement rocks of 

old highs. 

Of the Neogene depressions, eight reach depths of greater 

than 3,000 m, namely the Danube Basin, the Zala Basin and 

Dráva and Sava troughs or depressions, the Transcarpathian 

Basin, and the Jászság, Drescske, Békés-Makó-Nagykunság 

subbasins of the Great Hungarian Plain. The Békés BasinMakó trough alone exceeds a depth of 7,000 m, largely 

consisting of postrift sediments. Most subbasins are less than 

70 km in long dimension, though the Danube Basin exceeds 

150 km, as do the Sava and Dráva depressions. Very young 

sediments are involved in a complex system of faults and 

deformation related to late strike-slip movements and 

wrenching within the Pannonian Basin system.

General Geologic Setting 
? ?

Belezna Fm

Izsák Marl

Pannonian

Pontian

Dacian

Romanian

Sarmatian

Sarmatian

Badenian Badenian

Pannonian

Tamanian

Kiscellian Kiscellian

Egerian

Egerian

Eggenburgian

Eggenburgian

Karpatian

Karpatian Ottnangian

Ottnangian

(Sensu lato)

Hungarian Usage4

Priabonian Priabonian

Bartonian Bartonian

Lutetian Lutetian

Ypresian Ypresian

CENOZOIC PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC

PLEISTOCENE PLIOCENE NEOGENE MIOCENE

PALEOCENE

CRETACEOUS

JURASSIC

PALEOGENE

OLIGOCENE

EOCENE

early early Early E E middle

M late late Late L L

2

1

3

4

5

10

20

30

40

50

60

80

GEOLOGIC 

TIME SCALE

Postrift Synrift

Standard3

TRIASSIC

PERMIAN

PENNSYLVANIAN

MISSISSIPPIAN

DEVONIAN

SILURIAN

ORDOVICIAN

CAMBRIAN

PRECAMBRIAN

100

200

300

400

500

Veszprém Marl

Buchenstein

Tata Ls

Dorog

Dachstein

Ma Pelso Block1 Tisza Block2

Hanság Fm

Rábaköz Fm

Somló Fm

Újfalu Ss

Dráva Fm Törtel Fm

Zagyva Fm

Nagyaföld Fm

Zala Marl

Polány Marl

Jákó Ls

Debrecen Fm Ugod Ls

Tard Clay

Kiscell Clay

Eger 

 Fm

Szécsény 

 Fm

Padrag Fm

Szöc Ls

Buda Marl

Tófej Ss

Nagylengyel Marl

Szolnok 

 Flysch

Szolnok Fm

Algyö Fm

Tótkomlós Békés Cg

Nagykörü

Present but

metamorphosed

Present but

metamorphosed

Lókút

Eplényi Ls

Magyarósdomb

Pálihálás

Sümeg

Magyaregregy cg.

Kössen

Hauptdolomit

FORMATIONS CENTRAL PARATETHYS STAGES

TECTONIC

PHASE

1Neogene usage from Danube, Zala, and Drava

 Basins. Modified from Hámor and Bérczi (1986).

 Paleogene principally Hungarian Paleogene Basin,

 after Tari and others (1993).

2Neogene usage from Békés Basin of Great Hungarian 

 Plain. Modified from Kókai and Pogácsás (1991).

3After Haq and Van Eysinga (1998).

4Neogene usage after Pogácsás, Mattick, and others 

 (1994); Paleogene and early Miocene, usage at right 

 side after Tari and others (1993).

Podhale Flysch

Hierlatz Kardoskút

Tözeg Fm

TisztaberekVészta Fms

General

"Miocene"

"Miocene"

Figure 6. Generalized stratigraphic columns of Pannonian Basin Province showing selected formations. Volcanic rocks 

not represented.

10 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
SLO

VENIAN BASIN MID-HUNGARIAN

LINE

16oE 18oE 20oE 22oE 24oE 26oE

50oN

48oN

46oN

44oN

Belgrade

Budapest

Vienna

Sava River

A S

d

e

riatic

a

M

O

E

SIA

N

P

LAT

F

O

R

M

Danube River

Drava River

EUROPEAN

PLATFO

R

M

Tisza River

O

U

T

E

R

CARPATHIAN

FLYSCH

BELT

SZOLNOKTROUGH

HUNGARIAN PALEOGENE BASIN TRANSYLVANIAN

BASIN

CENTRAL

CARPATHIAN

BASIN

Zagreb

EAST EUROPEAN (RUSSIAN) PLATF

EXPLAN

AT

Flysch sedimentatio"Epicontinental" sed

Boundary of Paleog

Inner Alpine-Carpa and Dinarides

0 100 KI

Figure 7. Distribution of Paleogene rocks showing principal basins. Modified from Nagymarosy (1990), Hamor (1989), and Tari and others (1993; fiused with permission from Elsevier).

 ́
Stratigraphy

The stratigraphy of the Pannonian Basin Province is characterized by a Tertiary basin-fill sequence resting on a highly 

deformed substrate of Proterozoic, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic 

rocks of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt (figs. 4 and 6). The preTertiary basement rocks represent two geographically separated and distinct terranes, the Pelso and Tisza blocks (fig. 4). 

Within these blocks, virtually every nappe has its individual 

character and stratigraphic nomenclature (Csontos and 

others, 1992; Brezsnyanszky and Haas, 1989). Paleogene and 

lowermost Neogene rocks reflect the histories of their respective crustal units, whereas succeeding Neogene rocks show a 

largely shared depositional history. Stratigraphic nomenclature 

is complex due to the large area involved, varied depositional 

and lithologic facies, political and language divisions, and 

local usage. Cenozoic rocks are assigned to regional stages 

of the Central Paratethys (Haq and Van Eysinga, 1998). The 

chronostratigraphy used here is essentially that of Hungarian 

usage, and representative formation names are not intended to 

be inclusive. 

Basement Rocks

The pre-Tertiary basement of the Pannonian Basin 

system consists of a complex of igneous, metamorphic, and 

sedimentary rocks of Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic 

age that have been strongly folded, faulted, and assembled in 

nappes of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt (Csontos and others, 

1992; Brezsnyanszky and Haas, 1989). These rocks occur 

within two terranes, the Pelso (or North Pannonian) and Tisza 

blocks (fig. 4), and include a variety of continental rocks as 

well as obducted Jurassic and Cretaceous oceanic crust. The 

Pelso block of the northern and western parts of the Pannonian 

system is characterized by a Mesozoic sedimentary sequence 

of Calc-Alpine facies, including the Triassic Hauptdolomit, 

Dachstein Limestone, and Kössen Marl; Upper Permian sedimentary rocks; and a Paleozoic metamorphic-igneous complex 

(fig. 6). At the northern margin of the Pannonian Basin, Tertiary rocks in the Vienna Basin lap onto the Cretaceous–Paleogene flysch of the Outer Carpathian foldbelt. A zone of marine 

lower Paleozoic and predominantly carbonate-facies Mesozoic 

basement rocks is present in the area of the Mid-Hungarian 

lineament and fault zone (figs. 5 and 6). South of this line, the 

Tisza terrane is characterized by rocks composed of Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks; upper 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, including a Permian–Triassic sequence similar to that found in Germany; and 

Cretaceous and Jurassic sedimentary rocks. Subassemblages 

are recognized within these terranes, and the basement exhibits much heterogeneity due to tectonic juxtaposition. 

Metamorphic and igneous rocks include the Ordovician–

Silurian quartz phyllite series in the Transdanubian Central 

Range uplift of the Pelso block and Precambrian and Paleozoic metamorphics and intrusives in the central and southern 

part of the Tisza block. However, no pre-Hercynian crust is 

known to occur within the old Apulian block south of the PeriAdriatic line (fig. 4) (Yilmaz and others, 1996). Precambrian 

crystalline rocks and Paleozoic metamorphic rocks pierced by 

acidic intrusions of various ages are exposed in the Apuseni 

Mountains and Southern Carpathians as well as in interior 

basins of the Pannonian system. In the Mecsek Mountains 

(refer to fig. 1), Paleozoic metamorphics are associated with 

a Permian quartz phorphyry and are overlain by a Triassic 

sedimentary sequence. Upper Paleozoic quartz porphyry and 

crystalline metamorphic complexes date from the Hercynian 

in several areas, and metamorphosed Devonian and middle to 

upper Carboniferous sedimentary rocks are present. The basement composition exhibits much heterogeneity, for example, 

in the Békés Basin, granite, mica schist, quartzite, and quartz 

porphyry are present and provide oil and gas reservoirs in 

buried fractured and weathered basement highs.

Sedimentary rocks of the basement generally occur as 

fault-fragmented sequences. Older Paleozoic sedimentary 

rocks are strongly metamorphosed; however, some lightly 

metamorphosed to unmetamorphosed middle to upper Carboniferous sedimentary rocks are present and include neritic 

and marine shelf sequences as well as continental sequences 

deposited around uplifts related to Hercynian tectonism 

(Yilmaz and others, 1996). Upper Permian sedimentary rocks 

include continental sequences deposited in rift basins and 

neritic marine rocks deposited on shelf areas. In the Transdanubian area of the Pelso block, the Permian is represented by 

a red detrital, fluviatile-lacustrine sequence, whereas to the 

northeast, continental sediments are replaced by a lagoonal 

anhydrite-dolomite sequence, overlain by shallow-water 

marine limestones. In eastern parts of the Pelso block, most 

Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks have been metamorphosed.

On the Tisza block, Lower Triassic sedimentary rocks 

include varigated terrigenous shale, red sandstone, and anhydrite, grading upward into cherty carbonates. In the Mecsek 

Mountains, Triassic beds directly overlie Permian quartz porphyry. By Middle Triassic time, marine platforms accumulated 

shelf carbonates, reefal limestones, and evaporites. Upper Triassic rocks are locally represented by red siltstone, sandstone, 

and gray limestone of the Carpathian Keuper and equivalents. 

In the Pelso block, the Lower Triassic is composed of 

sandstone overlain by evaporites and shale, succeeded by 

marine carbonates. Rift-basin and platform sedimentation 

continued into Late Triassic time, producing shallow-water 

carbonates and reefal limestones on platforms—especially the 

Hauptdolomit and Dachstein Limestone—and organic-rich 

shales and marlstones in adjacent anoxic troughs, including 

the Kössen and Veszprém Marls. In the Transdanubian Central 

Range, the basal Upper Triassic is a succession of dark-gray 

marls of restricted basin facies and limestones, with reef-limestone bodies to the southwest, succeeded by great thicknesses 

of dolomite and limestone of backreef facies comprising the 

Haupdolomit and Dachstein. These rocks contain source rocks 

and reservoirs for oil and gas.

12  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
Jurassic rocks on the Pelso block unconformably overlie 

the Triassic and comprise mostly marine shelf and neritic sediments deposited upon an increasingly fragmented basement. 

Basins accumulated deep-water sediments, including benthic 

limestones and radiolarites, before again shallowing in latest 

Jurassic time. A Lower Cretaceous pelagic argillite facies is 

seen in the Transdanubian Central Range grading into marl 

and flysch. Elsewhere, the Lower Cretaceous is represented by 

nearshore facies and limestone breccias, succeeded by marls 

interbedded with thin sandstone layers. Commonly, these 

rocks were slightly metamorphosed during the Alpine orogeny 

and are now of limited distribution. 

During the Early Jurassic, a mix of shales, marls and 

limestones were deposited on the Tisza block, and significant 

coal-bearing sequences are found in Middle and Upper Jurassic sequences, as in the Mecsek Mountains. Upper Jurassic 

and Lower Cretaceous rocks are characterized by limestones, 

as in the Villany Mountains and Békés Basin, where shallow-water marine limestones of Early Cretaceous age rest on 

Upper Jurassic strata. Over parts of the Tisza block, the Lower 

Cretaceous is commonly represented by an open-marine pelite 

facies; however, no Lower Cretaceous rocks occur in the Mecsek Mountains and in some other areas. As noted by Kókai 

and Pogácsás (1991), the middle part of the Cretaceous Period 

is characterized by erosion, nondeposition, and karst and bauxite formation on both the Pelso and Tisza blocks.

The Upper Cretaceous appears as varied lithotypes on 

both Pelso and Tisza blocks and includes sandstones, breccias, 

and argillites. On the Pelso block, shallow-marine units such 

as the Jákó Marl, Ugod Limestone, and Polány Marl unconformably overlie Halimba Breccia and older Jurassic and 

Triassic rocks. On the Tisza block, sandstones of the Debrecen 

or equivalent argillites and marls rest unconformably on older 

rocks. At the same time, deep-marine silty marls and bathyal 

clays and turbidite sandstones of the Carpathian and Magura 

Flysches of the Carpathian foredeep were deposited anterior to 

the ancestral Carpathian arc. An inner proximal flysch, including the Podhale Flysch, lapped onto the Pannonian fragment 

and into the Szolnok trough and, at the south margin of the 

Tisza block, flysch was deposited (fig. 7). 

Cenozoic Basin-Fill Sediments

Within the area of the Pannonian Basin, Cenozoic sediments, following a major hiatus, overlie deformed pre-Tertiary 

basement. From late Eocene through early Miocene time, a 

wrench-basin complex (Royden and Báldi, 1988; Nagymarosy, 

1990; Nagymarosy and Báldi-Beke, 1993) or, alternatively, a 

retroarc foredeep basin complex developed (Tari and others, 

1993). It included the Hungarian Paleogene Basin, where 

epicontinental, largely marine sediments accumulated, while 

flysch sediments accumulated in marginal areas and troughs 

(fig. 7). Sedimentation was controlled largely by tectonic and 

eustatic processes (Sztanó and Tari, 1993; Kókai and 

Pogácsás, 1991). 

As the Pannonian crustal fragment subsequently overrode the European plate, the elevated Pannonian lithosphere 

underwent active back-arc extension and attenuation, producing a compound system of Neogene rift basins characterized 

by initial synrift sedimentation overlain by a generally thick 

blanket of relatively undeformed postrift sediments (Horváth 

and Royden, 1981; Royden and Horváth, 1988). Neogene 

sedimentation was dominated by both tectonic and eustatic 

processes, and depositional sequences commonly were bound 

by unconformities (Kókai and Pogácsás, 1991; Sztanó and 

Tari, 1993; Csató, 1993). Synrift sediments, although dominantly terrigenous, included marls, algal limestones, evaporites, nonmarine clastics, and coals. Tuffs and pyroclastics 

are also common, and extensive blankets of rhyolite tuff were 

deposited in the middle Miocene, mainly in the northern half 

of the Pannonian Basin (Póka, 1988). Synrift sedimentation 

ended with a regional unconformity over much of the Pannonian Basin system, often of pronounced angularity, except 

in deep interior subbasins where continuous sedimentation 

appears to have occurred. Postrift sedimentation was rapid and 

dominated by relaxation, thermal subsidence, and differential 

downwarping. The rift basins were covered by a widespread 

blanket of relatively undeformed sediments that expanded 

to encompass the present Pannonian Basin and overlap most 

high blocks by the late Pliocene (Grow and others, 1994). 

The postrift stage records the final isolation of the Pannonian 

Basin from the Tethys Sea with evolution of a large lacustrine 

body and its reduction by fluvial-dominated delta progradation 

(Royden and Horváth, 1988; Kázmér, 1990; Müller and others, 

1999). The postrift sequence is marked by a suite of largely 

nonmarine, lacustrine, deltaic, and fluvial clastic facies. 

As noted by Royden (1988), “the older sedimentary rocks 

within each basin were deposited mainly during active faulting 

and generally lie within well defined fault-bounded troughs 

that form the deepest part of each basin and are overlain, often 

unconformably, by younger, flat lying, posttectonic deposits” 

and, as characterized by Pogácsás, Mattick, Tari, and Várnai 

(1994), “the style of sedimentation within individual basins 

is influenced by proximity of the basin to active thrusts of the 

bounding Outer Carpathians and Dinarides. Basins located 

close contain a thick, synextensional faulted sedimentary 

rock section overlain by a thin post tectonic section. Basins 

located in a more internal position in the Pannonian Basin are 

characterized by the dominance of a post extension unfaulted 

flat-lying sedimentary sequence.” 

Paleogene and Early Neogene

During the Paleogene and early Neogene, a predominantly structurally controlled depositional pattern persisted 

(fig. 7). Initially, the Pannonian crustal blocks (Pelso and 

Tisza) were high-standing, and sedimentation was restricted 

to the adjoining Carpathian foredeep where flysch sediments 

consisting of deep-marine silty and marly clay and turbiditic 

sandstones were deposited, as represented by highly deformed 

Carpathian and Magura Flysches of the Outer Carpathian 

General Geologic Setting 13
foldbelt. Deposition continued there, and, during the Eocene 

and Oligocene, a flysch belt also developed interior to the arc, 

producing the Podhale, Szolnok, and Transcarpathian Flysches, which lapped onto the margins of the Pannonian crustal 

blocks and into the Szolnok trough and became involved in 

subsequent Neogene compressive deformation. As a consequence, moderately folded and thrust Podhale Flysch rests on 

highly deformed Mesozoic rocks along the present northern 

margin of the Pannonian block, as do equivalent Szolnok and 

Transcarpathian Flysches elsewhere (fig. 7). 

Within the interior of the Pelso block, rocks of Eocene 

and Oligocene age were deposited in an epicontinental basin 

setting (fig. 7) (Royden and Báldi, 1988; Nagymarosy, 1990; 

Nagymarosy and Báldi-Beke, 1993; Tari and others, 1993). 

The large Hungarian Paleogene Basin accumulated both 

marine and nonmarine sediments. Within it, middle Eocene 

rocks are represented by the Szöc Limestone and lagoonal 

sequences containing paralic coal seams—these sequences are 

followed by mostly marine rocks in the upper Eocene, including bathyal marls and neritic sandstones. Structural inversion 

of the Hungarian Paleogene Basin in late Eocene time produced a trough immediately east of the uplifted earlier basin, 

and an upper Eocene–lower Oligocene sequence—represented 

mainly by marls, laminated clays, and silty clays of the Buda 

Marl, Tard Clay, and Kiscell Clay—is followed by bathyal 

silty, marly clay and silty sandstone of the Szécsény Formations in axial areas and the Eger Sandstone and equivalents 

in marginal areas. During the following Egerian time (late 

Oligocene to early Miocene), bathyal siltstones and shales of 

the upper Szécsény Formation were deposited in deep parts 

of the basin, and sublitoral marine, clayey and sandy silt, 

and brackish littoral sand, silt, gravel, and conglomerate and 

minor coals were deposited in marginal areas. This continued 

into late Eggenburgian (early Miocene) time and terminated 

with a regional unconformity, except in deep basinal areas 

where sedimentation appears to be virtually continuous. In the 

Slovenian Paleogene Basin, upper Eocene limestones were 

succeeded by euxinic silty clay of the Oligocene Sotzka beds 

and local paralic coal seams; Nagymarosy (1990) further suggests that the Slovenian Basin represents a part of the Hungarian Paleogene Basin that was left behind during rifting along a 

Balaton and Mid-Hungarian transform.

Middle to Late Neogene

The back-arc extensional basin system, which was 

established in the Miocene on deformed older rocks in the 

Central Paratethys region, was characterized by a thick, 

marine, brackish, lacustrine, continental, and fluvial clastic fill 

(figs. 2 and 3). The surrounding Carpathian Mountains were 

mildly uplifted during most of the period, although marine 

connections were intermittently maintained with adjoining 

Mediterranean and Caspian seaways. Initial sedimentation 

consisted of an early–middle Miocene synrift-stage deposition 

that reflected a dominant role of extension, strike-slip deformation, and rifting during sedimentation. During this stage, 

the principal basins of the Pannonian system took shape and 

accumulated locally thick sequences, separated by horsts and 

upwarps of basement blocks. This was followed in middle to 

late Miocene time by a postrift stage dominated by thermal 

subsidence, differential downwarping, and rapid accumulation 

of a widespread, often thick, blanket of relatively undeformed 

sediments, which buried most high blocks by late Neogene 

(Royden and Horváth, 1988; Grow and others, 1994). 

Synrift Sediments

Synrift sediments were deposited in a framework of 

multiple, active, pull-apart basins, grabens and half-grabens, 

and shear basins (fig. 5). Deposition was initially limited to 

marginal subbasins of the Pannonian system, and became 

more widespread through time, resulting in proportionally 

large thicknesses of synrift rocks in marginal areas, such as 

in the Transcarpathian Basin. In much of the interior Pannonian Basin area, such rocks are thin or absent. Nearshore and 

shallow-marine conditions surrounded scattered islands and 

uplifted blocks; island areas were gradually covered by successive transgressive sequences controlled largely by tectonic 

and eustatic processes (Bérczi and others, 1988; Kókai and 

Pogácsás, 1991; Csató, 1993). Conglomerates were commonly 

deposited on margins of subbasins, whereas interior parts 

were characterized by finer sediments, including sandstones 

and silty marls and, in clear-water reef environments, lithothamnion-bearing limestones. In general, marginal subbasins contain coarser grained facies than those of the interior. 

Thicknesses of synrift rocks range from a few meters to more 

than 3,000 m. Sequences are characterized by lateral discontinuities, faulting and rotation, truncation and rapid thickness 

changes, and by bounding unconformities. The synrift phase is 

generally terminated by a regional unconformity in Sarmatian 

time (middle Miocene), except in deep basinal areas where 

deposition appears to have been continuous.

Synrift sedimentation was initiated with a rapid transgression in Eggenburgian time (early Miocene) with a massive influx of terrigenous sediments derived from faulted and 

uplifted blocks into marginal subbasins of the Pannonian 

system. In subbasins of the southwest, coarse-grained fluvial 

sediments and variegated shales are overlain by transitional 

and shallow-marine conglomerates, sandstones, marls, and 

limestones. In northern Hungary, transgression produced 

nearshore facies of conglomerate, limestone, and sandstone; 

shallow-marine deposits of glauconitic sandstones; clays and 

siltstones in basinal areas; and lignites in lagoonal areas. 

In Ottnangian time (early Miocene), a widespread 

volcaniclastic sequence was deposited in the west and south, 

largely rhyolite tuff and ignimbrites, accompanied by andesite intrusions. In the southernmost Pannonian Basin system, 

shallow-marine breccias and conglomerates, marls, and sands 

were deposited on volcanics (including andesites, dacites, and 

pyroclastics), especially bordering the Dinarides. Locally, 

coarse-grained clastic sediments with intermittent lignite 

seams are found. In northern Hungary, pebbly variegated 

14 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
terrigenous rocks are overlain by a sandstone and shale 

sequence containing limnic and paralic lignite seams. The 

paleogeographic pattern of both the late Eggenburgian and 

Ottnangian is dominated by a rough northeast-trending 

structural grain modified by northwest structures and contains 

many areas of nondeposition, particularly in interior parts of 

the Pannonian Basin system. 

During succeeding Karpatian time (early Miocene), 

marine conditions transgressed further into the depressions 

of the Pannonian Basin system. These rocks overlie a welldefined unconformity at the Ottnangian-Karpatian boundary 

in most areas, particularly at basin margins. The oldest beds 

are commonly of brackish water origin, overlain by nearshoremarine facies and by an open-marine facies in a narrow northeast-striking axial depression of the system. In littoral environments, sandstone and conglomerate were deposited, as in 

the Transdanubia area where the basal Karpatian is a coarsegrained sequence with intercalations of shale and siltstone and 

variegated, brackish, lignitic, and lagoonal sediments. In much 

of the Great Hungarian Plain, coarse clastics rest directly upon 

a folded basement of Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks. In neritic 

zones, clay and siltstone are found. Lagoonal rocks dominated 

by the close of Karpatian time. In late Karpatian time, volcaniclastics were widely deposited, and andesites, dacites, and 

rhyolites erupted. 

Badenian (middle Miocene) rocks represent a widespread 

transgression in which open-marine and nearshore rocks 

surrounded many small, emergent basement blocks. Basal 

deposits are conglomerates along the margins of the basin 

system but are usually sandstones in the central Pannonian 

area. Sedimentation was affected by differential subsidence, 

resulting in considerable local variation in facies. Marls and 

clays were deposited in open-marine areas, including hemipelagic sequences, while limestones of littoral and shallow-water 

origin were deposited in shelf-margin reef complexes and 

shallow, offshore banks. Brackish-water lagoonal sediments, 

including lignites, also accumulated along basin margins. 

Tuffs and andesite and rhyolite intrusives are locally intercalated in the sequence, particularly in upper parts, and are 

especially prominent in the northeastern Pannonian Basin.

This block-faulted tectonic framework and depositional 

setting persisted into late Badenian and early Sarmatian 

(middle Miocene) time, accompanied by uplift of the Carpathian Mountains. An increase in subsidence produced a late 

Badenian marine transgression, causing these beds to rest 

unconformably on lower Badenian beds in marginal subbasins 

of the system. Sedimentation was widespread and typically 

marked by an argillaceous marl sequence containing upwardly 

increasing reef intercalations. Shales and marls occupied 

basinal settings, and limestone facies of littoral and shallow-water origin were deposited along local shelf margins in 

reef complexes and in offshore banks. Andesite, rhyodacite, 

and rhyolite tuffs are locally intercalated in the late Badenian 

sequence, and andesites and rhyolites are locally intruded. The 

late Sarmatian is marked by regression, a predominance of 

littoral facies, and the appearance of lagoonal and halite- and 

gypsum-bearing deposits, which are particularly well developed in the Transcarpathian Basin (refer to fig. 1). Brackish 

water limestones that grade into silty and shaly rocks and 

marls also appear during this time.

Postrift Sediments

The postrift depositional cycle records the isolation of 

the Pannonian Basin from the Tethys Sea and the evolution of 

a large lake that was subsequently filled by sediment brought 

in largely from the north and west, as summarized by Royden and Horváth (1988) and Müller and others (1999). The 

sequence represents a major sediment influx, and most of 

the fill of the Pannonian Basin system belongs to this postrift 

stage, especially in the interior subbasins. Differential subsidence was pronounced, and thicknesses that reach 6–7 km 

occur in some of the deepest troughs, as in the Békés Basin. 

Sediments are largely undeformed and unfaulted except for 

compaction features over basement highs and deformation 

associated with late strike-slip faults. They generally rest with 

regional unconformity on synrift rocks or on pre-Tertiary basement, as in much of the central Pannonian system, but locally 

appear to rest conformably on synrift sediments in several 

basinal areas. By the late Neogene, sediments had buried most 

high blocks and expanded to encompass the present Pannonian 

Basin. 

Postrift sedimentation began in late Sarmatian (latest 

middle Miocene) and early Pannonian time (late Miocene) 

and continued into the Quaternary. The Pannonian sequence 

exhibits considerable variation in thickness due to differential subsidence. In individual subbasins in central parts of the 

system, it is represented by a thick sequence overlain by a 

relatively thin Pleistocene blanket. According to Mattick and 

others (1985), the infilling, as reflected in the Békés Basin, 

resulted from a single cycle of sedimentation starting with 

water depths locally greater than 1,000 m, followed by gradual 

shallowing. During this time, deposition changed from marine 

conditions to lake, fluvial, and marsh conditions. As noted 

by Bérczi (1988), this was the final marine withdrawal in the 

central Paratethys region, during which marine faunal assemblages gave way to brackish and freshwater faunas. The lithic 

sequence is made up primarily of a varied mix of fine- and 

coarse-grained clastic rocks and subordinate, locally 

important, coals. 

The base of the Pannonian sequence is commonly 

marked by transgressive sandstones and conglomerates, 

particularly around margins of the system and uplifted blocks. 

This is succeeded by generally marly sediments deposited 

in deep brackish-water basins, followed by a mixed clastic 

sequence of sand, silt, clay, and marl, including occasional 

turbidites in basin axial areas. The upper Pannonian sequence 

shows a more variable composition, especially in uppermost 

parts where paludal, fluvial, and lacustrine interbeds become 

increasingly common. Succeeding Quaternary sediments are 

characterized by highly variable paludal, fluvial, and 

delta-plain deposits.

General Geologic Setting 15
Petroleum Geology

Reservoir Rocks

Reservoir rocks of the Pannonian Basin province are varied in age and lithology. According to Dank (1987), Neogene 

reservoir units account for 61 percent of discovered petroleum 

resources in Hungary; Mesozoic and Paleozoic units account 

for 33 percent; and Paleogene rocks account for 7 percent. 

More recent data from Kókai (1994) indicate that 62 percent 

of oil production is from Tertiary sedimentary rocks, and 24 

percent of oil production is from Mesozoic carbonates; 70 

percent of natural gas production is from Tertiary reservoirs. 

Production is often from multiple zones, particularly in large 

anticlinal closures.

Fractured and weathered crystalline Paleozoic and 

Precambrian basement rocks are the oldest reservoirs in the 

province and include a variety of igneous and metamorphic 

types. They often produce along with overlying Cenozoic 

sedimentary rocks and, in some instances, as combined reservoirs, particularly on the Great Hungarian Plain. The Algyö 

field (fig. 8), which is the largest oil and gas field in Hungary, 

produces from fractured Paleozoic metamorphics, a basal Pannonian conglomerate, and overlying Miocene sandstones. In 

the Battonya field, production is from weathered and fractured 

Paleozoic granites and quartz porphyries and Miocene conglomerates and marls. In the Sarkadkeresztúr field, production is from fractured and fissured mica schist and Miocene 

conglomerate. In the large Pusztaföldvár field, production is 

from mica schist as well as Pannonian sandstones (refer to 

fig. 8 for field locations). Fractured Devonian carbonate schist 

reservoirs are productive in the northwest Dráva trough. 

Crystalline basement reservoirs constitute about 5 percent 

of reservoirs in the Pannonian Basin system, and, in them, 

porosities range from 1 to about 20 percent and commonly 

average less than 11 percent. Fractured Devonian carbonate 

schist reservoirs in the Dráva Basin exhibit average porosities around 2 percent, with fractured Lower Triassic quartzites 

and meta-arenites ranging from 0–5 percent (Baric and others, 

1991).

Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are important reservoirs 

in the Zala and Dráva subbasins. At Nagylengyel field, they 

include Cretaceous rudistid limestone (Ugod Limestone) and 

Upper Triassic Haupdolomit and, elsewhere, include marls and 

lightly metamorphosed limestones. In the Serbian part of the 

Dráva Basin, Lower Jurassic and Middle Triassic dolomites 

and coarse clastic reservoirs are productive, with reported 

porosities of 12 percent, 8 percent, and 3 percent, respectively 

(Baric and others, 1991). Triassic limestones are also productive in the Hungarian Paleogene Basin. Reported average 

porosities of Mesozoic reservoirs in the Pannonian Basin 

system range from 2 to 25 percent and average about 

14 percent. Fracture enhancement of these reservoirs is 

everywhere important. 

Eocene and Oligocene sandstones, tuffaceous sandstones, limestones, and marls—particularly the Eocene Szöc 

Limestone and the Oligocene sandstones associated with the 

Kiscell Clay—constitute primary reservoirs in the Hungarian 

Paleogene Basin (Kókai, 1994). Conglomerates, sandstones 

and siltstones, along with marls, shales, and limestones are 

reservoirs in the Szolnok Flysch and in the Podhale Flysch and 

equivalents of the Central Carpathian area, where they include 

coarse-grained arenaceous reservoirs, which average 8 to 10 

percent porosity (Nemcok and others, 1996). Others are of 

low matrix porosity, and fracture enhancement is important for 

reservoir development. 

Neogene rocks are the principal reservoirs of the Pannonian Basin Province and account for more than 80 percent 

of all reservoirs reported. Of these, sandstones make up about 

95 percent, and, of these, about 90 percent are Miocene in 

age; the balance are Pliocene. Badenian, Sarmatian, and lower 

Pannonian reservoir units are the most productive and include 

shallow-water sandstones and conglomerates of fluvial, 

marine, and lacustrine origin, as well as turbidites, marls, algal 

limestones, and freshwater limestones. The Pliocene produces 

relatively small amounts of oil and gas, including scattered 

gas accumulations of biogenic origin. Quaternary rocks also 

produce small quantities of gas in a few areas. Algal limestone 

reservoirs are largely limited to the synrift sediments, particularly in Badenian sequences. A few Neogene volcanoclastic 

reservoirs are reported. According to Kókai and Pogácsás 

(1991), the eastern and southwestern Hungarian subbasins 

contain the following Neogene reservoir types: basinal and 

prodelta turbidites (40 percent), delta-slope turbidites (30 

percent), mouth bars (15 percent), channel fills (8 percent), 

barrier bars (3 percent), and point bars (2 percent). 

Data from Petroconsultants (1996) indicate that average porosities for Neogene synrift sandstone reservoirs range 

from 5 percent to more than 30 percent, and cluster around 16 

percent. Average porosities for postrift reservoirs are somewhat higher, ranging from 8 percent to 40 percent, and average 

around 22 percent. 

Source Rocks and Maturity

The oldest known source rocks in the region are Triassic organic-rich shales and marlstones, namely the Rhaetian 

Kössen Marl and Carnian Veszprém Marl of the basement 

complex (Kókai and Pogácsás, 1991). They are locally present 

on the Pelso block and provide potential source rocks where 

not thermally overmatured prior to Cenozoic burial. According to Pogácsás and others (1996), total organic carbon (TOC) 

of the Veszprém ranges from 3 to 5 percent, whereas that of 

the Kössen ranges from 3 to 20 percent; both source rocks 

contain type-I and type-II kerogen. Kössen Marl has yielded 

most of the oil in the Zala Basin according to Clayton and 

Koncz (1994b). There, at least five fields contain oils of Triassic origin, including the giant Nagylengyel field. In this area, 

16  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
26O

Adriatic 

Sea

16oE 18oE 20oE 22oE 24oE

50oN

48oN

46oN

44oN

0 100 KIL

BARABÁSSZEG

NAGYLENGYEL

MATZEN

GBELY

LIPANY

PUSZTAAPÁTI

SZILVAGY

BUJAVICA

GOJLO

BAK

SATCHINEZ

MOKRIN

VARJAS

TURNU

BATTONYA ALGYÖ

PUSZTAFÖLDVÁR

SARKADKERESZTÚR

SUPLACU DE BARCAU

HAJDÚSZOBOSZLÓ

BUDAFA

PEKLENICA

SELNICA

Thickness of Neogene–Quaternary 

> 0 – 2 2 – 4 > 4 

Outer Alpine-Carpathian foldb

Outcrop of Neogene calc-alkalInner Alpine-Carpathian foldbe

Neogene Pannonian basin 

Oil field centerpoint

Gas field centerpointOil and gas field centerpoint

EXPLANATION

Figure 8. Map showing oil and gas fields of the Pannonian Basin Province (4048) and associated Vienna and Transylvanian Basins. Fields mentioned in text are named.
generation and expulsion began in the Miocene, according to 

Clayton and Koncz (1994b). 

Equivalent rocks may be present in several other parts of 

the Pelso block; however, their distribution is poorly known. 

Milicka and others (1996) call on an early stage of generation 

prior to the Tertiary for Mesozoic rocks in the northern Danube Basin, although Mattick and others (1996) suggest that, in 

the Hungarian part of this basin, upper Paleozoic or Mesozoic rocks probably were not subjected to significant thermal 

maturation until Miocene time. As with the Cenozoic, the top 

of the oil-generation zone is generally in the 2,200- to 2,500-

m depth interval; the bottom of the wet-gas generating zone 

is around 4,000 m, and that for dry gas is placed at 5,000 m 

(Kókai, 1994). 

Upper Jurassic marl of the overridden European plate 

provided most of the oil in the Vienna Basin. According to 

Ladwein (1988) and Seifert (1996), this source has a high content of type-II and type-III kerogen, locally exceeds 1,500 m 

in thickness, and matured during Miocene loading. The result 

was oil migration upward through fault systems of the flysch 

belt into nappes of the inner foldbelt and the overlying Tertiary. Where sufficiently buried elsewhere along the margin of 

the Inner Carpathian foldbelt, equivalent rocks, if present, may 

provide sources for oil and gas to nappes of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt.

Jurassic rocks elsewhere also have source-rock potential. 

In the central part of the Pannonian Basin, fine-grained pelagic 

sediments of Early and Middle Jurassic age have been identified as source rocks of fair to good potential (Milota, 1991; 

Kókai, 1994; Kókai and Pogácsás, 1991; Pogácsás and others, 

1996). The most prospective of the Jurassic sources is reported 

as having an average total organic content (TOC) of 8 percent 

(Pogácsás and others, 1996). Kókai and Pogácsás (1991) and 

Pogácsás and others (1996) indicate that Lower Jurassic coaly 

formations provide possible sources within the Tisza block 

and are viewed primarily as potential sources for gas. 

Within the Hungarian part of the Pannonian Basin, Kókai 

(1994) indicates that 7 percent of the Upper Cretaceous volume of sedimentary rocks could be source rocks. Pogácsás and 

others (1996) specifically identify the Jáko and Polány Marls 

of the Pelso block as potential source rocks of Cretaceous 

age, though of relatively low TOC and containing gas-prone 

kerogen.

Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene shales, marls, and 

marly clays of the Carpathian Flysch and equivalents in the 

Outer Carpathian Flysch belt are potential source rocks at the 

northern margin of the Pannonian province. Oil and sourcerock correlations and biomarkers indicate the Oligocene flysch 

series to be an important source rock in the Outer Carpathian 

foldbelt (Ziegler and Roure, 1996), and Francu and others 

(1996) suggest that they may have generated or co-sourced 

some of the Vienna Basin oils. Where sufficiently underthrust 

elsewhere beneath the Inner Carpathian nappes, these rocks 

may provide hydrocarbons, although other than in the Vienna 

Basin and in the Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin, effective 

seals for the overlying nappes appear largely lacking.

Important Paleogene source rocks of the Hungarian 

Paleogene Basin include the upper Eocene–lower Oligocene 

euxinic Tard Clay and lower Oligocene Kiscell Clay (Kókai 

and Pogácsás, 1991). These rocks have good source potential 

for oil and gas, as probably do equivalent beds in the Slovenian Paleogene Basin. In northern Hungary, the Tard and 

Kiscell Clays have an average TOC content of 0.5–1.0 percent, 

with local concentrations of 0.8–1.8 percent to as much as 

4.5 percent (Kókai, 1994; Milota and others, 1995). Their 

kerogen is mostly type I and type II, but type-III kerogen is 

present in the upper part of the sequence and in the oil-generating zone at depth. According to Milota and others (1995), 

much of the Oligocene sequence in the southern part of the 

Hungarian Paleogene Basin lies in the zone of hydrocarbon 

generation, with the maturation level of the principal source 

intervals equivalent to the wet-gas zone in the south and to the 

main oil-generation zone in the north. Maturation is hypothesized to have occurred during maximum heat flow in the late 

Miocene or Pliocene (6–2 Ma), and, according to Ziegler and 

Roure (1996), the Oligocene Series in the Pannonian Basin 

accounts for significant hydrocarbon reserves. In the Central 

Carpathian Paleogene Basin, Nemcok and others (1996) report 

two organic-rich intervals of Eocene age, the first containing 

between 0.1 to 1.5 percent total organic content (TOC) and the 

latter containing between 1.1 and 10.3 percent. They contain 

mostly type-III kerogen, along with some type-II kerogen. 

Maturity within the area varies considerably due to local 

variation in structural and burial histories, but locally, these 

rocks are documented to be in the oil and wet-gas generative 

windows. In the more distant Szolnok trough (fig. 7), Kókai 

and Pogáscás (1991) indicate that the Cretaceous–Paleogene 

Szolnok Flysch and Debrecen Formation may have source 

potential.

Neogene rocks of Miocene age are considered to be the 

principal source for oil and gas in most of the province. They 

are generally middle to upper Miocene shale, clay-marl, and 

marl. Szalay and Koncz (1991) indicate that potential sourcerock thickness in the Hungarian part of the Pannonian Neogene Basin system ranges from less than 1 m to 4 km, but the 

rocks are generally of low quality. These rocks contain mostly 

type-II and type-III kerogen. However, middle Miocene shale 

and marl locally contain the richest source rocks (TOC as high 

as 5.0 weight percent), and upper Miocene rocks, in particular 

lower Pannonian lutites, locally contain good source beds, 

as the Tótkomlós Formation of the Békés Basin (as much 

as 2 weight percent TOC, of mostly type-III kerogen). The 

Tótkomlós is the probable source of the oil in fractured Paleozoic metamorphic basement rocks and the basal Pannonian 

conglomerates in the Békés Basin (Clayton, Koncz, and others, 1994; Clayton, Spencer, and Koncz, 1994). Source-rock 

evaluation and correlation of extracts with oils indicate three 

separate genetic oil types for the Neogene of the Békés Basin, 

originating from different beds within the sequence (Clayton, 

Koncz, and others, 1994).

In the Zala Basin, according to Clayton and Koncz 

(1994b), one of the oil types is probably from Miocene source 

 ́

18 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
rocks, although its variable composition suggests more than 

one unit. In the nearby Dráva and Sava depressions, Baric and 

others (1998, 2000) indicate that, based on geochemical studies, the oils originate from Miocene source rocks. In the Hungarian part of the gas-prone Danube Basin, Mattick and others 

(1996) document the Neogene as a poor, largely gas-prone, 

source rock; Milicka and others (1996) indicate Neogene 

sources for the Slovakian part of the basin, particularly lower 

Pannonian, Sarmatian, middle Badenian, and lower Miocene 

rocks, which contain largely type-III kerogen. 

The average geothermal gradient in the Pannonian system 

is about 3.6°C/100 m, and in places exceeds 5.8°C/100 m. 

Because of the high geothermal gradients, organic-rich rocks 

provide sources for oil and gas at relatively shallow depths. 

Although heat flow and depth of the oil window are variable 

regionally (as noted by Horváth and others, 1988; Dövényi 

and Horváth, 1988; and evident in isotherm maps published by 

Kókai, 1994), investigators generally suggest onset of thermal 

generation in much of the system at about 2,000 m for immature oils and at about 2,500 m for mature oils (Dövényi and 

Horváth, 1988; Clayton, Koncz, King, and Tatár, 1994; Clayton, Spencer, and Koncz, 1994). Rocks below about 5,000 m 

are typically in the gas-generative realm. (Areas of inferred 

mature Neogene source rocks are shown in fig. 13.)

Oil generation in Neogene sediments started about 

8–5 Ma and has progressed so that sediments below a depth 

of 4–5 km have passed through the oil-generation window 

(Horváth and others, 1988; Szalay, 1988; Clayton, Koncz, and 

others, 1994; Horváth and others 1996). The upper 2 to 3 km 

of the Neogene sedimentary rocks are immature throughout 

the basin system, and, as a result, upper Pannonian organicrich beds are insufficiently buried to have generated thermal 

hydrocarbons. However, in several areas, young sediments 

contain dry hydrocarbon gases consisting of isotopically light, 

biogenic or diagenetic methane derived from humic sources, 

including lignite and brown coal layers (Clayton and others, 

1990; Koncz and Etler, 1991; Clayton and Koncz, 1994a). 

Oil and gas reservoirs are often situated in thermally 

immature rocks above basement highs or are laterally removed 

from areas of generation, indicative of pervasive vertical and 

lateral migration. Oil fields are commonly located on the 

perimeters of gas-generative areas, suggesting that gas may 

have displaced oil from areas more proximal to generation. 

Local chemical and isotopic analyses of gases and characteristics of oils, indicate that significant vertical and lateral 

migration has occurred, particularly for gas (Clayton and 

Koncz, 1994a; Clayton, Koncz, and others, 1994). Concurrently, the lower Miocene sequence commonly appears to be 

overpressured (Szalay, 1988; Spencer and others, 1994; Baric 

and others, 1991). 

Throughout the Pannonian Basin system, gas reservoirs 

commonly contain substantial quantities of CO2 as a result of 

high geothermal gradients and carbonate decomposition in 

deeply buried basement rocks (Clayton and Koncz, 1994a). 

Values of CO2 content range from 0.5 to 99.5 percent (Kertai, 

1968) and average 28 percent (Kókai, 1994). In the Danube 

Basin, in particular, the CO2 content is so high as to make 

most of the gas unusable. 

Traps and Seals

Producing traps in the Pannonian Basin Province (4048) 

range in depth from 80 m to about 5,000 m, with most oil 

occurring between 800 and 3,000 m and most gas occurring 

somewhat deeper (figs. 9 and 10). A wide variety of structural, stratigraphic, and combination trap types are present. 

Within the Cenozoic basin fill, productive structural traps are 

common, particularly compactional anticlines over basement 

highs, fault-closed features, roll-overs associated with growth 

faults, and closures in flower structures along strike-slip 

faults (Kókai, 1994). Inversion structures are noted in some 

areas as a result of shear and compression, such as at Budafa 

anticline in the Zala Basin. In most structurally controlled 

accumulations, stratigraphy plays a secondary role; however, 

many stratigraphic traps occur in the Tertiary rocks, including 

pinch-outs in fluvial, shallow-water, and turbidite sandstones 

and conglomerates, and in patch reefs and at truncations—particularly at the unconformity between synrift and postrift 

rocks. Seals in the Tertiary fill are provided by associated 

fine-grained sediments, particularly middle to upper Miocene 

shale, clay-marl, and marl.

Traps involving the basement complex include paleotopographic highs, folds and faults in the nappes, and truncations 

at the Tertiary unconformity. They involve strongly folded 

and faulted Mesozoic sedimentary rocks as well as crystalline rocks. Seals are provided by associated fine-grained rocks 

and by overlying Tertiary sediments, such as mudstones and 

marls of Sarmation and early Pannonian age, which are often 

overpressured. 

Exploration Status

The Pannonian region has a long history of petroleum 

exploration. Virtually all initial exploration was focused on the 

Neogene of the Pannonian Basin, and the principal producing 

subbasins are those of the Great Hungarian Plain (primarily 

the Jaszsag, Derecske, Nagykunság, and Békés Basins and 

Makó trough) and subbasins of southwestern Hungary and 

adjoining Croatia and Slovenia (comprising the Zala Basin 

and the Dráva and Sava troughs or depressions) (see fig. 1). 

Petroleum discovered through 1995 totals approximately 

2.1 billion barrels of oil and 11.2 trillion cubic feet of gas, 

mostly in Hungary, followed by Croatia, Romania, and Serbia 

and Montenegro (Petroconsultants, 1996). In Hungary alone, 

Kókai (1994) reports 668 million barrels of recoverable oil 

(MMBO) and 8.5 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of recoverable gas 

as having been discovered, and, as of January 1, 1995, annual 

Hungarian petroleum production was 11.6 MMBO and 187 

BCF of natural gas, with reserves estimated at 132.7 MMBO 

and 3.0 TCFG (Hungarian Geological Survey, 1996).

Petroleum Geology 19

 ́
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

0– <500

500– <1,000

1,000– <1,500

1,500– <2,000

2,000– <2,500

2,500– <3,000

3,000– <3,500

3,500– <4,000

4,000+

Unknown

DEPTH, IN METERS

OIL, IN MMBO

Figure 9. Discovered oil by depth interval. Data from Petroconsultants (1996).

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500

0– <500

500– <1,000

1,000– <1,500

1,500– <2,000

2,000– <2,500

2,500– <3,000

3,000– <3,500

3,500– <4,000

4,000+

Unknown

DEPTH, IN METERS

GAS, IN BCFG

Figure 10. Discovered gas by depth interval. Data from Petroconsultants (1996).

20 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
About 500 fields have been discovered (fig. 8). The size 

distribution of fields estimated to be greater than 1 MMBO 

or 6 BCFG, based on Petroconsultants’ data (1996), is shown 

in figures 11 and 12. Production is primarily from middle 

Miocene reservoirs, largely Badenian and Sarmatian synrift 

rocks, and upper Miocene Pannonian postrift sediments. More 

than one quarter of the oil discovered in the province is found 

in three fields: Nagylengyel and Algyö (Hungary) and Suplacu 

de Barcau (Romania). Approximately one-third of the gas is in 

two fields: Algyö and Hajdúszoboszló (both in Hungary). 

Although oil was produced from hand-dug wells as early 

as 1856 in Croatia (Filjak and others, 1969), the first commercially significant field in the country was discovered in 1917 in 

the Sava trough at Bujavica gas field; this was followed by the 

Gojlo oil and gas field in 1930. 

The initial discovery of commercial oil in Hungary was 

made at Budafa field in the Zala Basin in 1937 in lower Pannonian sandstones in an anticline identified by surface mapping and further delineated by gravity and seismic surveys. 

In this area, the giant Nagylengyel field, one of the largest 

fields of the basin, was found in 1951, and has since produced 

more than 128 million barrels from a Miocene (Karpatian) 

sandstone, Upper Cretaceous rudistid limestones, and Triassic 

dolomites (Kokai, 1994; Clayton and Koncz, 1994b). In the 

Dráva depression, oil was first discovered in 1942, in Slovenia. Today, the largest gas and gas-condensate accumulations 

in the southwestern Pannonian Basin system occur in the Sava 

and Dráva troughs, principally in Miocene reservoirs and in 

fracture-enhanced Mesozoic basement reservoirs (Filjak and 

others 1969; Baric and others, 1991). 

Systematic exploration for oil and natural gas in the 

northern part of the greater Pannonian region began in 1909, 

spurred by use of the Eotvos torsion balance, and, in 1913, 

resulted in discovery of oil at the Egbell field (Gbely) in the 

nearby Vienna Basin (within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, 

now Slovakia). Although not included in this assessment, 

the Vienna Basin represents the northernmost element of the 

overall Pannonian Basin system and provides useful perspective. Following discovery of oil at Gbely, oil was found in a 

number of small fields within the present Czech, Slovak, and 

Austrian sectors of the Vienna Basin and, in 1949, the Matzen oil field complex, the largest oil field in central Europe, 

was discovered. This field contained an estimated recovery of 

564 MMBO from multiple Miocene sandstone reservoirs and 

fractured Triassic carbonates of the underlying nappe system 

(Rieder, 1996). In the Vienna Basin, Sarmatian and Badenian 

sandstones are the principal reservoirs, and most traps are 

related to faulted anticlinal structures. 

In 1915, exploration began in the Great Hungarian Plain 

and Transdanubian areas in Hungary, and initially yielded 

discouraging drilling results. The first seismic survey was 

done there in 1937, and this was followed after World War 

II by intensive reflection and refraction seismic geophysical 

efforts. These efforts resulted in discovery of a major gas field 

(approximately 434 BCFG) at Pusztaföldvár in the Békés 

Basin in 1958 (Kovács and Teleki, 1994), which produced 

mostly from lower Pannonian sandstones and conglomerates 

on a large anticlinal feature over a basement high. Numerous 

other fields associated with basement highs on the peripheries of the subbasins have since been discovered. Among these 

is the Algyö field, the largest oil and gas field in Hungary 

(more than 200 MMBO and 3,000 BCFG), discovered in 

1965, which produces from fractured Precambrian crystalline 

basement and upper Pannonian sandstones on a structural high 

between the Békés Basin and Makó trough. Throughout Hungary, anticlinal features (particularly compactional anticlines 

over basement uplifts), paleogeographic highs, horst blocks, 

growth faults, and rollover structures play significant roles 

in trapping. Most large fields are associated with structural 

highs or with combination structural-stratigraphic traps around 

margins of the deeper subbasins. Most of these structuralstratigraphic traps are situated in the area of the Great Hungarian Plain, where today they account for major reserves of 

both oil and gas. According to Kókai (1994), more than 5,200 

exploratory wells were drilled between 1935 and 1990 in the 

Hungarian part of the Pannonian Basin system. Drilling there 

reached a peak in 1943, followed by a brief decline, which was 

succeeded in 1947 by another long period of intense drilling 

activity that lasted into the late 1980s. 

In the Romanian part of the Pannonian Basin system, 

as elsewhere, anticlinal features, paleotopographic highs, 

growth faults, and rollover structures play a significant role 

in trapping. Exploration activity began in 1942, and, according to Ionescu (1994), the first field was discovered in 1963 at 

Turnu, although Petroconsultants (1996) indicates discovery 

of Suplacu de Barcau in 1956. More than 70 oil and gas fields 

have since been identified, mainly in Miocene and Pliocene 

sandstone reservoirs and weathered metamorphic and igneous 

basement rocks (Ionescu, 1994). The largest oil field in the 

Romanian sector is Suplacu de Barcau, with approximately 

144 MMBO, followed by Varjas and Satchinez, each with 

somewhat more than 40 MMBO. 

In Serbia and Montenegro of the former Yugoslavia, in 

the south-central part of the Pannonian Basin, production was 

first established in 1951. The largest field is the Mokrin oil 

and gas field, which was discovered in 1961. 

Most production in the Pannonian Basin system is concentrated in and around deep subbasins that contain mature 

source rocks. Many of the gas fields are rich in condensate and 

commonly contain substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from 

thermal decomposition of carbonate rocks in the basement 

(Clayton and others, 1990; Clayton, Koncz, and others, 1994; 

Clayton and Koncz, 1994a; Mattick and others, 1994). 

Because of extensive exploration, most of the obvious 

structural and paleotopographic features have been tested 

and the largest oil and gas accumulations probably have 

been found, especially within the Neogene. However, Neogene turbidite sequences in basinal areas and on flanks of 

structures, pinch-outs and truncations of fluvial, marine, and 

lacustrine strandline and deltaic sandstones, and biohermal 

Petroleum Geology  21
35

30

25

20

15

10

 5

 0

NUMBER OF DISCOVERED OIL FIELDS 

1– <2 2– <4 4– <8 8– <16 16– <32 32– <64 64– <128 128– <256 256– <512

OIL FIELD SIZE, IN MMBO

Figure 11. Size distribution of discovered oil fields with reported known sizes greater than 1 MMBO in the Pannonian Basin 

Province (4048). Data from Petroconsultants (1996).

30

25

20

15

10

 5

 0

NUMBER OF DISCOVERED GAS FIELDS

6– <12 12– <24 24– <48 48– <96 96– <192 192– <384 384– <768 768– <1,536 1,536– <3,072

GAS FIELD SIZE, IN BCFG

Figure 12. Size distribution of discovered gas fields with reported known sizes greater than 6 BCFG in the Pannonian Basin 

Province (4048). Data from Petroconsultants (1996).

22  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
buildups appear not to be fully explored, particularly in deep 

basinal areas, and Paleogene rocks are relatively unexplored, 

especially in the northern part of the Pannonian Basin system. 

Basement nappe structures involving Mesozoic sedimentary 

sequences also offer significant exploration targets. With reference to Hungary, Pogácsás, Mattick, Tari, and Várnai (1994) 

indicate, in particular, that, “...potential traps associated with 

Neogene strike-slip zones have not been explored adequately 

and ... little is known about the fractured and fissured traces of 

these zones in the pre-Tertiary basement complex,” a condition 

applicable to much of the basin. 

Total Petroleum Systems

As used here, a total petroleum system (TPS) includes all 

genetically related petroleum in both discovered and undiscovered accumulations that has been generated by a pod or related 

pods of source rocks. A TPS exists within mappable geologic 

space together with the essential geologic elements of source, 

reservoir, trap, and seal that control the fundamental processes 

of oil and gas generation, expulsion, migration, accumulation, 

and preservation. A number of TPSs have been defined in the 

Pannonian Basin system. Virtually all show some indication 

of being composite and are variously sourced by organic-rich 

beds ranging in age from Mesozoic to Neogene. They commonly appear not to be well confined and often show evidence 

of substantial vertical migration and mixing, with different oils 

or gases in associated reservoirs and with mixed oils within 

individual reservoirs and, in some cases, the petroleum systems do not appear to be isolated to individual subbasins. On a 

regional basis, it is difficult to determine the relative contributions of specific source beds to individual reservoir and trap 

sequences because geochemical data sufficient for correlation 

of oils and source rocks are available only locally. Subbasins 

may be individually treated in some cases, as done with the 

Békés Basin by Clayton, Spencer, and Koncz (1994) and the 

Dráva and Sava depressions by Baric and others (1998, 2000). 

However, for this assessment, the petroleum systems are 

grouped into geographic areas that appear to have common or 

similar geologic characteristics and histories and within each 

TPS, the assessment units (AU), as defined, are coincident 

with their associated TPS. Events charts for the total petroleum systems summarizing the age of the source, seal, and 

reservoir rocks and the timing of trap development and generation and migration of petroleum are provided in discussions of 

each TPS.

The following table 1 names the TPSs that were defined 

for the Pannonian Basin Province. For each, a single AU was 

defined and is listed here with that TPS. The boundaries of 

each TPS and its associated AU are coincident (fig. 13). The 

ages of the TPS allow some grouping and generalization in the 

following discussion.

Neogene Total Petroleum Systems

[Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene TPS (404801); Danube 

Neogene TPS (404803); Transcarpathian Neogene TPS 

(404804); part of Zala-Dráva-Sava Mesozoic/NeogeneTPS 

(404802)]

These systems represent petroleum generation and migration from Neogene source rocks into underlying basement 

rocks and into reservoirs of the Neogene basin fill. Extensive 

vertical and lateral migration has occurred. The systems 

are widespread and partially segregated geographically into 

individual deep basinal areas where optimum conditions for 

thermally generated oil and gas are found. Traps include a 

variety of tectonic, compactional, syndepositional, and stratigraphic types in the Neogene and fractured and weathered 

Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and Precambrian basement rocks in 

paleotopographic and structural highs. The systems commonly 

contain multiple source units, primarily of early and mid-late 

Miocene age. In those basins deep enough to have generated 

gas during late stages of burial, the abundance of oil fields on 

the perimeters of gas-generative areas and their lack within the 

interior suggests that gas may have displaced oil from traps 

proximal to gas generation. A burial history diagram from the 

Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene TPS is shown in figure 14

and that of the Danube Neogene TPS is shown in figure 15. 

Generalized events charts for TSPs are shown in figures 16,

17, and 18. 

Mixed Mesozoic-Neogene Total Petroleum 

System

[Zala-Dráva-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene TPS (404802)]

This system consists of oils generated locally by Mesozoic source rocks that migrated into reservoirs of the pre-Tertiary basement complex and into reservoirs of the overlying 

Tertiary basin fill and consists, more generally, of oil and 

gas generated and migrated from Neogene source rocks into 

reservoirs of the Neogene basin fill (burial history plot, fig. 19; 

events chart, fig. 20). Traps consist of compactional and tectonic anticlines, folds, faults, and stratigraphic traps (including 

paleotopographic, truncation, and porosity pinch-out traps in 

both the basement and the Tertiary basin fill). Although the 

Upper Triassic Kössen Marl is the main source rock of the 

oils in the Zala Basin, Cenozoic source rocks appear to have 

generated hydrocarbons and, in areas where Mesozoic source 

rocks are absent, such as in the Dráva and Sava depressions, 

Neogene rocks alone appear to have generated the hydrocarbons (Baric and others, 1998, 2000). A TPS involving both 

Mesozoic and Neogene source rocks may also be present in 

the Danube Basin, where presently overmature Mesozoic 

source rocks may be hypothesized, although not documented, 

and is suggested in the events chart shown in figure 20.

Petroleum Geology  23
Table 1. Total petroleum systems and associated assessment units.

Total petroleum system 

(TPS)

Assessment unit

(AU)

Age of source

rock

Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene (404801) Greater Hungarian Plain Basins (40480101)

Danube Neogene (404803) Danube Basin (40480301) Neogene

Transcarpathian Neogene (404804) Transcarpathian Basin (40480401)

Zala-Drava-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene (404802) Zala-Drava-Sava Basins (40480201) Neogene–

Mesozoic

Hungarian Paleogene (404806) Hungarian Paleogene Basin (40480601)

Central Carpathian Paleogene (404805) Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin (40480501) (not assessed Paleogene

quantitatively)

Paleogene Total Petroleum Systems

[Hungarian Paleogene TPS (404806); Central Carpathian 

Paleogene TPS (404805)]

The Hungarian Paleogene TPS (404806) occurs in 

epicontinental Paleogene basins (fig. 7) and encompasses a 

suite of structural, stratigraphic, and combination trap types in 

Paleogene sequences that are strongly influenced by syndepositional tectonic controls and charged by associated Paleogene 

source rocks. Within the Hungarian Paleogene Basin, Slovenian Paleocene Basin, and possibly the Graz (Styrian) Basin, 

the euxinic Tard Clay and Kiscell Clay and equivalents of 

late Eocene and early Oligocene age appear to provide source 

potential for oil and gas. According to Milota and others 

(1995), much of the Oligocene sequence in the southern part 

of the Hungarian Paleogene TPS lies in the oil window, with 

the maturation level of the source complex equivalent to the 

wet-gas zone in the extreme south and to the main oil-generation zone in the north. Maturation is hypothesized to have 

occurred during maximum heat flow in late Miocene or Pliocene time (6–2 Ma). Source rocks may also charge underlying 

basement rocks. A burial and thermal history of the Oligocene 

source rocks in the Hungarian Paleogene TPS is shown in 

figure 21 and a generalized events chart in figure 22.

The Central Carpathian Paleogene TPS (404805) occurs 

in the Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin of Slovakia, north 

of the Neogene Pannonian Basin system. Source rocks are 

principally Eocene organic-rich beds that have charged associated reservoirs and underlying basement reservoirs. Nemcok 

and others (1996) determined that these source rocks reached 

maturity in late Paleogene or early Miocene time. A separate 

system also exists in the Paleogene flysch sequence of the 

Szolnok trough, but this was treated as a subordinate contributor to the principal overlying Neogene system. A generalized 

events chart for the Central Carpathian Paleogene TPS is 

shown in figure 23.

Other Total Petroleum Systems

Additional total petroleum systems were recognized or 

hypothesized within the province or adjacent to it but were not 

separately assessed. They were incorporated either in assessments of adjoining petroleum provinces or considered as subordinate contributors to the preceding assessed total petroleum 

systems. They include the following:

Frontal Carpathian Jurassic TPS.—This system contains oils generated in Jurassic and other source rocks of the 

overridden European plate. The oil has migrated upward into 

reservoirs of marginal nappes of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt and into reservoirs of the overlying Tertiary basin fill, as 

demonstrated in the Vienna Basin (Ladwein, 1988; Francu and 

others, 1996; Seifert, 1996). Folds, faults, and unconformities provide traps within the nappes of the Inner Carpathian 

foldbelt, accompanied by structural and stratigraphic traps in 

the overlying Tertiary basin fill. This hypothetical system is 

limited to the margin of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt, particularly in the Central Carpathian Paleogene area, but was not 

assessed due to lack of data.

Frontal Carpathian Paleogene TPS.—This system contains oils generated in Cretaceous and Paleogene source rocks 

of the Outer Carpathian flysch belt that have migrated into 

marginal nappes of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt, into reservoirs of the Paleogene and Cretaceous flysch, and into overlying Neogene basin fill. The Paleogene fill of the Carpathian 

foredeep is probably sufficiently underthrust beneath the 

marginal Inner Carpathian nappes to have provided hydrocarbons locally to the extreme northern edge of the Pannonian 

Basin Province and, according to Francu and others (1996) 

and Seifert (1996), this Paleogene fill may have generated or 

co-sourced some Vienna Basin oils. The presence of a Tertiary 

seal appears to be a virtual requisite for traps within the 

nappes of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt, where traps are anticipated to be complex and much faulted. Although not assessed, 

24 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
16oE 18oE 20oE 22oE 24oE 26oE

50oN

48oN

46oN

44oN

0 

Area of mature source rocks for Neogenmixed Mesozoic/Neogene Total PetroleArea of mature source rocks for PaleogTotal Petroleum SystemsOuter Alpine-Carpathian flysch belt

Outcrop of Neogene calc-alkaline volcaInner Alpine-Carpathian foldbelt and DTertiary Pannonian basin boundaryAssessment unit and TPS boundary

EXPLANATION

Adriatic 

Sea

404805

404803

404804

404806

404802

Zala-Dráva-Sava  Mesozoic/Neogene 

Transcarpathian Neoge

Central Carpathian Paleogene 

Hungarian Paleogene 

Danube  Neogene

Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene

404801

Figure 13. Map showing boundaries and names of TPSs in the Pannonian Basin Province (4048), with areas of inferred mature source rock systems in red and Neogene and mixed Mesozoic/Neogene source rocks in green. Boundaries of associated assessment units correspond of the TPS (see table 1). Source rocks in the Vienna and Transylvanian Basins are not shown. Approximate locations of burial history plots atriangles.
MIDDLE

MIOCENE UPPER MIOCENE PLIOCENE PLEISTOCENE

PLEISTOCENE PLIOCENE UPPER MIOCENE

LOWER PANNONIAN UPPER PANNONIAN

AGE, IN MILLIONS OF YEARS

15 10 5 0

BASEMEN

T

PANNONIAN

Algyo Fm.

Nagyalfold,

Zagyva,

Tortel Fms.

Tótkomós Fm.

80°C

120°C

160°C

Ro = 0.4%

Ro = 1.3%

Ro = 1.0%

Ro = 0.6%

Sz

Basal clay marl and 

olnok Fm.

marl

Middle and lower Miocene

LOWER AND 

MIDDLE MIOCENE

Early mature (oil) .4-.6 (% Ro)

Mid mature (oil) .6-1.0 (% Ro)

Late mature (oil) 1.0-1.3 (% Ro)

Main gas generation 1.3-2.6 (% Ro)

EXPLANATION

``

``

QUAT.

POSTRIFT

SYNRIFT

40°C

20

Hydrocarbon maturation zones: 

DEPTH, IN KILOMETERS

1.0

0

2.0

3.0

4.0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

5.0

Figure 14. Burial history plot of the Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene TPS (404801). Location shown in figure 13. Source 

rocks are principally lower Pannonian and lower-middle Miocene. Modified after Clayton, Spencer, and Koncz (1994).

26  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
MIDMIOCENE UPPER MIOCENE PLIOCENE PLEISTOCENE

PLEISTOCENE

PLIOCENE UPPER MIOCENE

LOWER PANNONIAN UPPER PANNONIAN

MIDDLE MIOCENE

BASEMEN

T

DEPTH, IN KILOMETERS

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

AGE, IN MILLION YEARS

EXPLANATION

Hydrocarbon maturation 

 zones: 

Sea and lake

Mid mature (oil)

Early mature (oil) 

SYNRIFT

POSTRIFT

0.5

0

Figure 15. Burial history plot and hydrocarbon generation zones of the Danube Neogene TPS (404803). Location shown in 

figure 13. Principal source rocks are in the lower Pannonian and middle Miocene. Modified from Milicka and others (1996).

Petroleum Geology  27

 ́
CRITICAL MOMENT

GENERATIONTRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE

ACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC

TERTIARY

PALEO. EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

PLIO.

J CRET. QUAT.

?

?

(Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d

Figure 16. Generalized events chart for the Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene Total Petroleum System (404801).

?

?

GENERATIONACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

TERTIARY

PALEO. EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

CRET. QUAT.

?

?

?

J

PLIO.

CRITICAL MOMENT

TRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC (Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d

Figure 17. Generalized events chart for the Danube Neogene Total Petroleum System (404803).

28 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
GENERATIONACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

PALEO. EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

PLIO.

J CRET. QUAT.

?

?

? ?

?

TERTIARY

CRITICAL MOMENT

TRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC (Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d

Figure 18. Generalized events chart for the Transcarpathian Neogene Total Petroleum System (404804).

this system may have contributed to the Central Carpathian 

Paleogene TPS (404805) in the Central Carpathian Paleogene 

Basin of Slovakia.

Neogene Biogenic Gas Total Petroleum System.—Pliocene sediments locally contain dry, hydrocarbon-rich gases of 

isotopically light, biogenic methane derived from immature 

upper Pannonian organic-rich sediments that contain lignite 

and brown coal layers (Clayton and others, 1990; Koncz and 

Etler, 1991; Clayton and Koncz, 1994a). According to Seifert 

(1996), nearby small gas fields south of the Danube River in 

the Vienna Basin and along its east flank also contain biogenic 

gas generated from the middle to upper Miocene section. 

Quantities of gas in this TPS are generally small, and the 

system was included as a minor component of the principal 

Neogene Total Petroleum Systems.

Assessment Units

Six assessment units (AU) were defined within the Pannonian Basin Province. They were based on geographic sets of 

subbasins containing what was considered to be an operative 

total petroleum system (fig. 13; table 1). Each assessment unit 

therefore equates to a corresponding total petroleum system 

(TPS) that may include several source beds that have contributed hydrocarbons to a shared trap and reservoir sequence:

Greater Hungarian Plain Basins AU (40480101)

Zala-Dráva-Sava Basins AU (40480201)

•

•

Danube Basin AU (40480301)

Transcarpathian Basin AU (40480401)

Hungarian Paleogene Basin AU (40480601)

Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin AU (40480501)

General geologic characteristics of the assessment units 

are described below. The reader is referred to U.S. Geological 

Survey Digital Data Series DDS-60 (2000) for statistical detail 

of the individual assessment units, assessment input, methodology, and results.

Greater Hungarian Plain Basins AU (40480101)

Description.—This assessment unit represents an area 

of petroleum generation and migration from Neogene source 

rocks into reservoirs of the Neogene basin fill of the Great 

Hungarian Plain and locally into underlying reservoirs of 

the Alpine thrust system. Vertical and lateral migration is 

pervasive. The coincident Greater Hungarian Neogene Total 

Petroleum System (404801) contains five or six depocenters 

within which source rocks have passed through the oil-generative into the gas-generative phase. Traps in the Tertiary 

fill are structural, stratigraphic, and combination, including a 

variety of compactional and syndepositional types. Paleogene 

reservoir rocks within the geographic limits of this assessment 

unit, excepting those within the Hungarian Paleogene Basin 

Assessment Unit are also included, particularly the Szolnok 

•

•

•

•

Petroleum Geology  29
POSTRIFT

SYNRIFT

BADENIAN – SARMATIAN PANNONIAN PONTIAN

UPPER MIOCENE MIDDLE MIOCENE PLIOCENE

PLIOCENE

MIOCENE PLIOCENE QUAT.

AGE, IN MILLIONS OF YEARS

DEPTH, IN KILOMETERS

? 0

1.0

3.0

2.0

4.0

20 15 10 5 0

Early mature (oil) 0.5–0.6 (% Ro)

Mid mature (oil) 0.6–1.0 (% Ro)

Late mature (oil) 1.0–1.3 (% Ro)

Main gas generation 1.3–2.6 (% Ro)

EXPLANATION

Hydrocarbon maturation zones: 

Figure 19. Burial history plot of the Sava depression (Zala-Drava-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene Total Petroleum System 

(404802)). Location is shown in figure 13. Principal source rocks are of early Pannonian and Badenian age. Note that 

Mesozoic source rocks are not present in this part of the Zala-Drava-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene TPS (404802). Modified 

after Baric, Ivkovic, and Perica (2000).

 ́

 ́

30 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
GENERATIONACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

PALEO. EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

PLIO.

J CRET. QUAT.

?

?

?

?

CRITICAL MOMENT

TRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE

PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC

TERTIARY

(Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d

Figure 20. Generalized events chart for the Zala-Drava-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene Total Petroleum System (404802).  ́

Flysch of the Szolnok trough. An events chart for the involved 

petroleum system is shown in figure 16.

Source rocks.—Miocene (Badenian and Sarmatian) and 

Pannonian sediments are considered the principal sources of 

oil and gas. Geochemical and biomarker analysis has shown 

that, in general, source-rock quality is poor, although individual units of better quality are present. They are generally 

middle–upper Miocene shale, clay-marl, and marls. Source 

rocks commonly contain type-III and, locally, type-II kerogen 

(Szalay and Koncz, 1991). As an example, several Miocene 

source beds are documented within the Bekes Basin, where 

source-rock evaluation and correlation of extracts with oils 

indicate three genetic oil types with separate Neogene sources 

in the lower Pannonian containing principally type-II kerogen 

(Clayton, Koncz, and others, 1994; Clayton, Spencer, and 

Koncz, 1994). They are the probable source of the oil produced both from the fractured Paleozoic metamorphic rocks as 

well as Miocene reservoirs. Pliocene organic-rich rocks locally 

appear to have produced small accumulations of biogenic gas 

in shallow sediments.

Maturation.—According to recent work, hydrocarbon 

generation from middle and upper Miocene source rocks 

started about 7–6 Ma and is still in progress (Clayton, Koncz, 

and others, 1994; Horváth and others, 1996). Horváth and others (1988) indicate that hydrocarbon generation has progressed 

so that sedimentary rocks currently below a depth of 4–5 km 

have passed through the oil-generation window, but indicate 

that the upper 2 to 3 km of the sedimentary rocks are immature. As an example, oil generation begins in the Bekes Basin 

at a depth between 2 and 3.5 km and ends at 3.5 to 5 km, as 

noted by Clayton, Koncz, and others (1994). Rocks are generally in the gas-generative stage below 5 km. In some cooler 

areas, maturity zones are somewhat depressed. In most of the 

system, oil was generated at maturation levels corresponding 

to present-day burial depths (refer to fig. 14). The entrapped 

gas locally contains CO2 as a result of thermal decomposition 

of carbonates in basement nappes (Kertai, 1968; Clayton and 

Koncz, 1994a). 

Migration.—The timing of migration is favorable with 

reference to trap formation (refer to figs. 14 and 16). Lateral migration is evident, although most fields are within or 

in close proximity to areas of mature source rocks. Vertical 

migration appears extensive, with oil and gas found in basement rocks beneath the Tertiary basin fill and in immature 

sediments above mature sources––confirmed by geochemical 

analyses of gases, oils, and source rocks (Koncz and Etler, 

1991; Clayton and Koncz, 1994a; Clayton, Koncz, and others, 

1994; Clayton, Spencer, and Koncz, 1994; Spencer and others, 

1994). In those basins deep enough to have generated gas in 

late stages, oil fields are often situated on the peripheries of 

gas-generative areas and are virtually lacking within them; this 

suggests that gas may have displaced oil from the more proximal traps. The leaky character of this system probably stems 

from extensive faulting and high sandstone content within the 

Neogene rock column. 

Petroleum Geology  31

 ́  ́
AGE, IN MILLIONS OF YEARS

30 20 10 

DEPTH, IN KILOMETERS1.0 2.0

3.0

OLIGOCENE MID - UPPER MIOCENE PLIOCENE - QUAT.

LOWER MIOCENE

5

TARD AND KISCELL CLAYS

0

35 25 15

1.5

2.50.5

Mid mature (oil) Late mature (oil) Main gas generation 

EXPLANATION

Hydrocarbon maturation  zones:

Figure 21. Burial history plot of the Hungarian Paleogene Total Petroleum System (404806). Principal source rocks are the Oligocene Tard and Location is shown in figure 13. Modified from Milota, Kovacs and Galicz (1995).  ́
?

?

GENERATIONACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

PALEO.

PLIO.

CRET. QUAT.

EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

TERTIARY

CRITICAL MOMENT

TRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC (Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d J

Figure 22. Generalized events chart for the Hungarian Paleogene Total Petroleum System (404806).

variable

GENERATIONACCUMULATION MIGRATION600 400 200 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

PALEO.

PLIO.

J CRET. QUAT.

?

?

?

EOCENE OLIG. MIOCENE

TERTIARY

CRITICAL MOMENT

TRAP FORMATION

OVERBURDEN ROCK

RESERVOIR ROCK

SEAL ROCK

SOURCE ROCK

ROCK UNIT

PETROLEUM

SYSTEM EVENTS

GEOLOGIC TIME

SCALE PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC (Ma)

PRESERVATION

Pe

d

Figure 23. Generalized events chart of Central Carpathian Paleogene Total Petroleum System (404805).

Petroleum Geology  33
Reservoir rocks.—Reservoir rocks range in age from 

Precambrian to late Pliocene. The oldest are fractured and 

weathered igneous and metamorphic rocks of the basement complex. The most important reservoirs are Neogene 

sedimentary rocks, particularly Miocene lower Pannonian 

sandstones and conglomerates, brecciated pre-Pannonian 

Miocene marls and, locally, upper Pannonian and Pontian 

(Miocene) sandstones. The sandstones are of highly varied 

origin, representing marine, lacustrine, and deltaic settings. 

Miocene patch reefs, which produce in the Vienna Basin and 

elsewhere, provide analogs for similar pre-Pannonian reservoirs within the Sarmatian and Badenian units, as in the Békés 

Basin (Szentgyörgyi and Teleki, 1994). Basal conglomerates 

(namely, Békés Conglomerate) often overlie crystalline basement or brecciated synrift Miocene sedimentary rocks and 

sometimes form a common reservoir. Small amounts of mostly 

biogenic gas are produced from upper Pannonian sandstones. 

In the area of the Szolnok trough, Paleogene reservoirs are 

also anticipated, including sandstones, marls, and bioherms 

within the Szolnok Flysch.

Reservoirs of the basement complex are largely weathered and fractured crystalline rocks of Paleozoic and Precambrian age (and occasional Mesozoic metamorphosed 

carbonates and marls). Matrix porosity is low, and fracturing 

is important in reservoir development. In Battonya field, gas 

production is chiefly from weathered and fractured Paleozoic 

granites and quartz porphyries in association with overlying 

lower Pannonian conglomerate and Miocene marls. Algyö 

field (the biggest oil and gas field of Hungary) and Sarkadkereszdtúr field also produce from fractured Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and basal Pannonian conglomerates, as well as 

from younger reservoirs, all sourced from Miocene shales and 

marls. The Derecske Basin has fractured Precambrian metamorphic basement reservoirs that yield gas, as well as Mesozoic and Paleozoic reservoirs and production from Tertiary 

basin fill (Pogácsás, Mattick, Tari, and Várnai, 1994). 

Traps/seals.—Traps in the Neogene fill are structural, 

stratigraphic, and combination. Historically important are 

those associated with growth faults and compaction features 

over basement highs. Also important are faulted uplifts, 

growth faults, and flower structures along strike-slip faults and 

pinch-outs in fluvial, shallow-water, and turbidite sandstones 

and conglomerates, patch reefs, and traps at unconformities—

particularly at the regional unconformity between synrift and 

postrift sequences. Stratigraphic traps include subtle features 

in basinal areas and on flanks of structures as well as the more 

obvious pinch-outs of marine, strandline, and deltaic sandstones. Traps in fractured and weathered Mesozoic, Paleozoic, 

and Precambrian basement rocks include paleotopographic 

and basement structural highs. Seals for both Neogene and 

basement reservoirs are provided by fine-grained rocks of the 

Neogene basin fill. 

Exploration status.—This assessment unit has had a 

long exploration history. Structural traps are associated with 

basement highs and features along strike-slip faults. Existing 

production is largely from relatively simple structures, the 

larger of which are compaction anticlines cored by basement 

rocks. Because of extensive exploration, the largest of these 

traps probably have been discovered. Subtle traps associated 

with stratigraphic pinch-outs and syndepositional features and 

unconformities appear to offer significant potential, particularly those associated with displacements along listric normal 

faults and unconformities, and those involving turbidites. Paleotopography at the unconformity at the top of the basement 

and localized porosity zones within the basement, especially 

on the flanks of structures, offer potential. Although many of 

the more prominent features have been tested, many subtle 

unconformity traps and localized porosity trends probably 

remain untested. See table 2 for estimates of undiscovered oil 

and gas in this AU.

Zala-Dráva-Sava Basins AU (40480201)

Description.—This assessment unit deals with traps and 

accumulations in the Cenozoic basin fill of the Zala Basin and 

Dráva and Sava depressions and in the underlying basement 

that were charged variously by Neogene or Mesozoic source 

beds. The assessment unit is coincident with the Zala-DrávaSava Mesozoic/Neogene TPS. Significant vertical and lateral 

migration characterizes this unit. Structural, stratigraphic, 

and combination traps are present in the Neogene (including 

growth faults, compaction features over basement highs, and 

pinch-outs in fluvial, shallow-water, and turbidite sandstones 

and conglomerates) as well as unconformity traps, particularly at the regional unconformity between Miocene synrift 

and Pannonian postrift rocks. Traps in the basement complex 

include Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks in paleotopographic 

highs and structural high blocks, basement structures, fracture 

zones, and unconformity traps beneath the Tertiary. An events 

chart for the involved petroleum system is shown in figure 20.

Source rocks.—Principal source rocks are in the Neogene 

basin fill and, locally, organic-rich rocks within the basement 

complex. In the Zala Basin, principal source rocks are considered to be Upper Triassic Kössen Marl and equivalents, 

and Miocene source beds; some Cretaceous source rocks may 

have locally contributed petroleum. According to Clayton and 

Koncz (1994b), Upper Triassic source rocks have yielded most 

of the oil in the Zala Basin but have not been recognized over 

much of the adjoining area. They appear to be limited to the 

Pelso block and absent from areas to the south, including the 

Dráva and Sava depressions. Where exposed in the Transdanubian Central Range in western Hungary, Upper Triassic Kössen Marl has excellent source-rock potential. Fields producing Triassic oils in the Zala Basin include Bak, Barabásszeg, 

Nagylengyel, Pusztaapáti, and Szilvágy. 

Neogene rocks are considered as source rocks over most 

of the assessment unit. Those of the Zala Basin are considered 

to be Miocene Badenian and Pannonian rocks, and studies by 

Baric and others (1991, 1998, and 2000) have established the 

34 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
existence of mature, organic-rich source rocks of predominantly Pannonian and Badenian age in both the Dráva and 

Sava depressions. 

Maturation.—Miocene source rocks in the Dráva and 

Sava troughs reached maturity in middle to late Miocene 

(Baric and others, 1991; Baric, Ivkovic and Perica, 2000). In 

the Zala Basin, generation and expulsion in both Triassic and 

Miocene source rocks also began in late Miocene (Clayton and 

Koncz, 1994b). However, some workers document a break in 

the vitrinite profile, indicating a pre-Neogene thermal event 

that affected the Triassic sequence, followed by burial and 

heating in the Neogene (Laczo and Jambor, 1988). Within 

these basins, the Neogene is in an active oil- and gas-generative phase. The entrapped gas locally contains CO2

 as a result 

of thermal decomposition of carbonates in basement nappes 

(Kertai, 1968). 

Migration.—Timing of migration is favorable with 

reference to trap formation. In the Zala Basin, generation and 

expulsion began in late Miocene time during rapid subsidence, 

accompanied by extensive vertical migration, according to 

Clayton and Koncz (1994b). Similarly, Baric and others (1991, 

1998, and 2000) conclude that source rocks of Miocene age in 

the Dráva and Sava troughs reached maturity with generation 

and expulsion in middle to late Miocene. Accumulations in all 

subbasins are largely within areas of mature source rocks. The 

overall system is characterized by extensive vertical migration 

and less pronounced lateral migration. 

Reservoir rocks.—Two reservoir sequences occur within 

this assessment unit, that is, Neogene reservoirs of the basin 

fill, and Mesozoic and Paleozoic reservoirs of basement 

nappes. Neogene reservoirs are principally sandstones, but 

also include marls and occasional biohermal buildups (patch 

reefs). Sandstones are widely distributed and are especially 

important in the Miocene Badenian, Sarmatian, lower Pannonian, and Pontian intervals.

Reservoirs of the basement complex are largely dolomites, limestones, and sandstones. They include Cretaceous 

rudistid limestone and Upper Triassic dolomites (particularly 

the Hauptdolomit) and, in other areas, marls and slightly metamorphosed limestones. In the Zala Basin, reservoirs include 

the Cretaceous Ugod Limestone and Cretaceous sandstones. 

The Croatian part of the Dráva trough contains Lower Jurassic and Middle Triassic dolomite reservoirs, Lower Triassic 

quartzite reservoirs, and Devonian schist reservoirs. In the 

Sava trough, the older reservoirs include weathered Paleozoic 

crystalline rocks (Baric, Ivkovic, and Perica, 2000). In all 

instances, fracturing is important in reservoir development.

Traps/seals.—Traps in the basin fill include a variety 

of tectonic, compactional, stratigraphic, and syndepositional 

types. Many are primarily structural, often related to basement 

highs and positive structures along strike-slip faults. Subtle 

traps are associated with stratigraphic pinch-outs and syndepositional features and unconformities, particularly those associated with the regional unconformity between middle Miocene 

(synrift) and late Miocene Pannonian (postrift) rocks and in 

turbidite sequences. Seals are associated fine-grained rocks. 

Traps in the basement complex include Mesozoic and 

Paleozoic reservoirs in highs and structural closures within the 

nappes, including anticlines, fault blocks, elevated thrust elements, paleotopographic features, and truncation traps beneath 

the Tertiary—all in a basement further complicated locally 

by extensional, shear, and reverse faults. Traps are sealed by 

fine-grained Tertiary rocks and impervious rocks within the 

basement sequence. 

Exploration status.—As a result of extensive successful 

exploration, the assessment unit has produced substantial oil 

and gas. Significant traps are associated with basement highs 

and with structures along strike-slip faults. Reservoirs within 

nappes of the pre-Tertiary basement constitute important 

exploration objectives; however, they are pervasively faulted 

and fractured, and their distribution and structural configurations are not well known. 

Subtle traps in the Tertiary are not well explored, 

including those associated with stratigraphic pinch-outs and 

syndepositional features and unconformities, including those 

in turbidite sequences. Structural, stratigraphic, and unconformity traps in the basement remain incompletely explored. 

Although the largest fields have most likely been discovered, significant potential remains for subtle structural, 

stratigraphic, and combination traps in both the Tertiary and 

underlying basement. Most of these traps are expected to be 

of modest or small size. As noted by Pogácsás, Mattick, Tari, 

and Várnai (1994), “...potential traps associated with Neogene 

strike-slip zones have not been explored adequately [in Hungary]; however, little is known about the fractured and fissured 

traces of these zones in the pre-Tertiary basement complex.” 

See table 2 for estimates of undiscovered oil and gas in this 

AU.

Danube Basin AU (40480301)

Description.—This assessment unit deals with traps and 

accumulations within the Neogene basin fill of the Danube 

Basin and within the Mesozoic basement complex, both of 

which are charged by Tertiary and (or) Mesozoic organicrich source rocks. This assessment unit is coincident with the 

Danube Neogene TPS. Traps in the basin fill include a variety 

of structural, stratigraphic, and combination types, including growth faults; compaction features over basement highs; 

pinch-outs in fluvial, shallow-water, and turbidite sandstones 

and conglomerates; unconformity traps, particularly at the 

regional unconformity between synrift and postrift rocks; and 

traps associated with strike-slip zones. Basement traps include 

structural and paleotopographic highs beneath the Tertiary 

fill and unconformity traps. The assessment unit appears to 

be characterized by vertical and lateral migration, pervasive 

extensional faulting, and a high sandstone content within 

the Neogene sequence. Local Eocene sedimentary rocks are 

treated as subordinate components of the assessment unit. An 

events chart for the involved petroleum system is shown in 

figure 17.

Petroleum Geology  35
Source rocks.—Neogene rocks, principally in the Sarmatian and Badenian sequences, are the primary source rocks. 

These source rocks are of poor quality and are largely gas 

prone within the Hungarian part of the basin, with kerogen 

being primarily type II and type III (Mattick and others, 1996). 

Milicka and others (1996) infer that, in the Slovakian part of 

the basin, the sources are also Neogene rocks, particularly 

lower Pannonian, Sarmatian, middle Badenian, and lower 

Miocene sediments, which contain primarily type-III kerogen.

The Upper Triassic Kössen Marl, which is a principal 

source rock of the oils in the nearby Zala Basin, has not been 

identified in the Danube Basin. The Middle Triassic Veszprém 

Marl has been tentatively identified as a possible source rock, 

although it is of low organic content (Mattick and others, 

1996). Where exposed in the adjoining Transdanubia Central 

Range, the Kössen Marl and Veszprém Marl are documented 

as good source rocks, although they are thermally immature 

(Clayton and Koncz, 1994b). In outcrop west of the basin, 

the organic-rich Reifling Formation of Middle Triassic age 

has been described, but it is overmature (Milicka and others, 

1996). 

Maturation.—Maturation of both Tertiary and Mesozoic 

source rocks began in late Miocene in the Hungarian part of 

the basin (Mattick and others, 1996). In Slovakia, the alteration of organic matter in the basement has been interpreted 

to have been reached before the Tertiary, possibly during 

the mid- to Late Cretaceous, followed by Tertiary burial and 

heating (Milicka and others, 1996) (fig. 15). Mesozoic source 

rocks are so deeply buried in much of the basin that they are 

in a gas generative stage. Milicka and others (1996) indicate that early oil generation was achieved at approximately 

2,600–3,000 m, with onset of primary oil generation from 

about 2,800–3,300 m, and exclusive gas generation below 

about 4,000 m. They indicate that generation began in late 

Pannonian time and continues to the present. 

Migration.—Timing of migration is favorable with reference to trap formation. All fields are located on the perimeter 

of the deep generative area of the basin. This suggests lateral 

migration and diffusion; vertical migration appears pervasive, 

accompanied by abundant CO2. 

Reservoir rocks.—Reservoir rocks range in age from 

Paleozoic to late Pliocene. The principal reservoirs are sandstones within the Neogene basin fill, particularly the Badenian, 

Sarmatian, and lower Pannonian sequences of Miocene age, 

although some gas is produced from upper Pannonian sandstones. Reservoirs include lower Pannonian conglomerate and 

Miocene marls and may include occasional biohermal buildups, as shown by analogs in the Vienna Basin and elsewhere. 

Fractured Paleozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks and 

Mesozoic carbonates and sandstones are inferred as possible 

reservoirs. 

Traps/seals.—The basin shows a considerable structural 

and stratigraphic complexity (Hrusecky and others, 1996; Mattick and others, 1996). Traps include structural, stratigraphic, 

and combination types, including growth faults; compaction 

features over basement highs; pinch-outs in fluvial, shallowwater, and turbidite sandstones and conglomerates; and unconformity traps, particularly at the regional unconformity involving synrift and postrift rocks. Existing production is largely 

from relatively simple structures, largely compaction anticlines cored by basement rocks and in closures along faults. 

Traps also result from a combination of tectonic, lithologic, 

and stratigraphic factors, including fault-closed anticlinal features and roll-over structures associated variously with uplifts, 

growth faults, and flower structures. Prospects are likely in 

deeper zones where hydrocarbons could have accumulated in 

more subtle stratigraphic and unconformity traps and in the 

fractured basement. Included also are Miocene patch reefs, 

turbidite sequences in basinal areas and on flanks of structures, 

and pinch-outs of marine, strandline, and deltaic sandstones. 

Basement traps at the unconformity include paleotopography, 

truncations, and localized porosity zones along fractured and 

fissured traces of shear zones. Within basement nappes, traps 

include anticlinal features, fault blocks, and elevated thrust 

elements. Traps are sealed by associated fine-grained Tertiary 

rocks and impervious rocks within the basement.

Exploration status.—Discoveries have been disappointing 

in spite of a long history of exploration (Mattick and others, 

1996; Blizkovsky and others, 1994). Other than oil shows and 

a noncommercial oil discovery in the Hungarian part of the 

basin, only gas fields have been discovered in Neogene rocks. 

CO2 is a widespread and abundant contaminant, presumably 

due to thermal decomposition of carbonate rocks of the underlying nappes. The largest hydrocarbon traps probably have 

been tested, but opportunity for smaller traps remains, particularly subtle traps associated with stratigraphic pinch-outs and 

syndepositional features and unconformities in the Neogene, 

and traps associated with strike-slip zones. Basement reservoirs have not been well tested and include paleotopographic 

highs, unconformity traps, anticlinal and fault-related structures, and traps internal to the nappes themselves. Gas quality 

and prediction of reservoirs and traps within basement nappes 

remain problematic, and vertical leakage along faults and 

fractures is of concern, considering the pervasive extensional 

faulting of the thrust sheets. See table 2 for estimates of undiscovered oil and gas in this AU.

Transcarpathian Basin AU (40480401)

Description.—This assessment unit consists of traps and 

accumulations in the Neogene basin fill of the Transcarpathian 

Basin that have been charged by Cenozoic organic-rich rocks. 

The assessment unit is coincident with the Transcarpathian 

Neogene TPS. Traps include structural, stratigraphic, and combination traps, including growth faults; compaction features 

over basement highs; pinch-outs in fluvial, shallow-water, and 

turbidite sandstones and conglomerates; and unconformity 

traps. Significant vertical and lateral migration characterize 

this unit. Also included in the assessment unit are reservoir 

rocks in the underlying Paleogene and Mesozoic basement. An 

events chart for the AU/TPS is shown in figure 18.

 ́

 ́

 ́

36  Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
Source rocks.—Inferred source rocks are of early Karpatian, Badenian, and early Sarmatian ages (middle Miocene). 

Their average concentration of organic matter is less than 1 

to 1.3 percent, and kerogen is mainly humic; however, known 

hydrocarbons are seemingly derived from these rocks inasmuch as the pre-Tertiary rocks were overmature prior the 

Paleogene (Blizkovsky and others, 1994). Contributions from 

Paleogene source rocks remain unknown.

Maturation.—Maturation of source rocks in the central 

part of the basin appears to have been achieved prior to Pliocene sedimentation. Early generation was reached at depths 

of about 1.7 to 2.0 km, followed by main oil generation from 

2 to 2.8 km, and wet gas from 2.8 to 3.4 km (Blizkovsky and 

others, 1994). The gas is generally accompanied by CO2. 

Biogenic methane also occurs in shallow reservoirs at depths 

less than 1.2 km. 

Migration.—Timing of migration is favorable with reference to trap formation. Vertical migration appears pervasive. 

Reservoir rocks.—Principal reservoirs are sandstones in 

the Miocene lower Sarmatian and upper Badenian sequences. 

They are largely fine-grained calcareous sandstones with clay 

intercalations that have porosities ranging from 0.1 percent to 

12.5 percent (Danko and Lacny, 1996). Potential reservoirs 

include marls and biohermal buildups (patch reefs) within the 

Neogene. Paleogene sandstones are productive in two fields, 

and, in another, Mesozoic dolomite in a basement nappe is 

productive. See table 2 for estimates of undiscovered oil and 

gas in this AU.

Traps/seals.—Traps include a variety of structural, 

stratigraphic, and combination types, including growth faults; 

compaction features over basement highs and pinch-outs in 

fluvial, shallow-water, and turbidite sandstones and conglomerates; and unconformity traps. Most production is associated 

with compactional anticlines above basement highs and with 

structures along faults, including growth faults and flower 

structures. According to Blizkovsky and others (1994), the 

structure of the basin was strongly influenced by the presence 

of salt layers, by differential compaction, by synsedimentary 

faults, and by volcanic activity. Blizkovsky and others (1994) 

report hydrocarbon shows on the slopes of buried stratovolcanoes. A variety of stratigraphic traps are also considered prospective, including Miocene patch reefs, turbidite sandstones, 

and pinch-outs of marine, strandline, and deltaic sandstones. 

Traps in Neogene rocks are sealed by associated clays or salt 

layers, whereas basement reservoirs situated in structural 

traps, paleotopographic highs, and unconformity traps beneath 

the Tertiary are sealed by fine-grained Tertiary rocks. 

Exploration status.—Exploration in this basin, beginning 

in 1966, has produced a relatively few gas fields of small size, 

all in Slovakia. Four fields are currently in production (Danko 

and Lacny, 1996). Discoveries are largely from relatively 

simple fault-closed anticlinal features, roll-over structures 

associated variously with uplifts and growth faults, and in 

compaction anticlines cored by basement rocks. The largest 

accumulations probably have been discovered, but potential 

traps in the basement are relatively unexplored, and a variety 

of stratigraphic traps are considered prospective, including 

Miocene patch reefs, turbidite sandstones in basinal areas and 

on flanks of structures, pinch-outs of marine, strandline, and 

deltaic sandstones, and combination traps associated with 

syndepositional features and unconformities. See table 2 for 

estimates of undiscovered oil and gas in this AU.

Hungarian Paleogene Basin AU (40480601)

Description.—This assessment unit contains reservoirs 

and traps occurring in Paleogene rocks of an epicontinental 

Hungarian Paleogene Basin that are hypothesized to have been 

charged by indigenous Paleogene source rocks. Also included 

are underlying basement reservoirs, similarly charged. Rocks 

of the Paleogene Szolnok Flysch of the Szolnok trough, however, are not included here, but are treated within the assessment of the Greater Hungarian Plain Basins AU (40480101). 

The Hungarian Paleogene Basin AU is coincident with the 

Hungarian Paleogene TPS. An events chart for the ASU/TPS 

is shown in figure 22.

Source rocks.—The euxinic Tard Clay of late Eocene 

and early Oligocene age and the early Oligocene age Kiscell 

Clay have good source potential for oil and gas, as probably 

do equivalent beds of the Slovenian Paleogene Basin. It is 

reported that the Tard and Kiscell anoxic clays in north 

Hungary have an average TOC content of 0.5–1.0 percent, 

with local concentrations of 0.8–1.8 percent to as much as 

4.5 percent (Kókai, 1994; Milota and others, 1995). Their 

kerogen is mostly types I and II, but type-III kerogen is 

present in the upper part of the sequence.

Maturation.—Given the high thermal gradient and 

presence of several small oil and gas fields, Paleogene 

source rocks are considered to be in the oil window at depth. 

According to Milota and others (1995), much of the Oligocene sequence in the southern part of the basin lies in the 

oil window, with the maturation level of the source complex 

equivalent to the wet-gas zone in the south and to the main 

oil-generation zone in the north. Maturation is hypothesized 

to have occurred in late Miocene or Pliocene, during maximal 

heat flow (6–2 Ma) (fig. 21). 

Migration.—Timing of migration appears to be favorable with reference to trap formation; however, preservation 

of hydrocarbons may be a significant problem due to trap disruption during an active tectonic history.

Reservoir rocks.—Reservoirs include Paleogene sandstones, limestones, and marls. Principal reservoirs include 

the Eocene Szöc Limestone and sandstones of the Oligocene 

Kiscell Clay, largely turbidites, some of which are tuffaceous. 

Producing reservoirs also include Triassic limestones of the 

basement.

Traps/seals.—This epicontinental Paleogene basin is 

characterized by deep sedimentary troughs bounded by sets 

of large-displacement faults and shears. Traps include a suite 

of structural, stratigraphic, and combination types in sequences 

that were strongly influenced by syndepositional tectonic controls. Structural traps include fault blocks and other structures 

Petroleum Geology  37
related to basement tectonics, secondary fault closures, and 

anticlinal features. Stratigraphic traps such as truncations by 

unconformities and pinch-outs in shallow-water and turbidite 

sandstones are expected, as are combination traps involving 

growth faults and roll-overs. Locally, traps in the Mesozoic 

basement beneath the Tertiary unconformity offer potential. 

Seals are provided by fine-grained rocks within the Paleogene 

sequence and, for basement traps, by overlying Neogene rocks 

or fine-grained rocks within the Mesozoic sequence.

Exploration status.—The Hungarian Paleogene Basin is 

relatively unexplored, although it contains a thick sedimentary rock section. One gas field and one oil field exceeding 1 

MMBO equivalent have been found, along with six fields of 

smaller size. Hydrocarbon exploration has been hampered by 

complicated tectonics; nevertheless, the probability of modestly sized undiscovered accumulations is considered good. 

See table 2 for estimates of undiscovered oil and gas in this 

AU.

Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin AU 

(40480501)

Description.—This AU, although identified, was not 

quantitatively assessed. This assessment unit deals with traps 

occurring in Paleogene rocks of the marginal Central Carpathian Paleogene flysch basin, shown in figures 7 and 13. It is 

coincident with the Central Carpathian Paleogene TPS and 

includes a suite of structural, stratigraphic, and combination 

trap types in sequences that were strongly influenced by syndepositional tectonic controls. Traps are hypothesized to have 

been charged from Paleogene source rocks. This AU includes 

underlying basement reservoirs, similarly charged. An events 

chart for the ASU/TPS is shown in figure 23.

Source rocks.—Source rocks are considered to be within 

the Paleogene Podhale Flysch and equivalents and are of 

fair to excellent quality. They contain as much as 1.5 weight 

percent TOC, although now mostly depleted due to a high 

thermal history (Blizkovsky and others, 1994). Nemcok and 

others (1996) report two organic-rich intervals of Eocene age, 

the first containing between 0.1 to 1.5 percent total organic 

content (TOC) and the latter containing between 1.1 and 10.3 

percent. These contain mostly type-III kerogen, along with 

some type II. 

Maturation.—Maturity varies considerably due to variations in structural and burial histories. The vitrinite reflectance 

for Paleogene units is typically more than 1.2 percent at the 

surface and reaches 1.8 percent at 1-km depth. Nemcok and 

others (1996) indicate that maturity within the area varies considerably due to local structural and burial histories, and that 

source rocks are within the oil and wet gas generative windows locally, where they have been sufficiently buried to have 

undergone high thermal flux. Maximum kerogen maturity in 

the Paleogene corresponds to the end of oil-generation and 

wet-gas stages, as where the thickness of Paleogene resting 

on the Mesozoic–Paleozoic units of the Central Carpathians 

reaches 3,000 m toward the bounding Pieniny Klippen Belt, 

whereas underlying Mesozoic rocks are in the wet- and drygas window.

Migration.—Timing of hydrocarbon generation and 

migration appears favorable with reference to trap formation, and a small amount of oil and gas has been discovered at 

Lipany field. Both horizontal and vertical migration is likely. 

Maximum burial occurred during Oligocene–early Miocene, 

and was concluded by thrusting, uplift, and erosion. 

Reservoir rocks.—Eocene and Oligocene rocks locally 

contain abundant coarse- and fine-grained clastics within the 

Podhale Flysch and its equivalents (Nemcok and others, 1996) 

and provide reservoirs of poor to fair quality, with porosity on 

the order of 8–10 percent. Fractured claystones and marlstones 

have produced a small amount of oil and gas at Lipany field, 

and potential reservoirs elsewhere also include fractured sandstones and siltstones, generally with low matrix porosity.

Traps/seals.—A suite of structural, stratigraphic, and 

combination trap types are expected. The only discovery, 

Lipany field, is located on a Mesozoic basement high. Intense 

compressive structural deformation, beginning in Eocene, 

may have adversely affected integrity and sizes of traps. Seals 

within the sequence associated with the reservoirs are considered to be of good quality where unbroken (Nemcok and 

others, 1996).

Exploration status.—There has been a lack of significant 

exploration success to date (Blizkovsky and others, 1994; 

Nemcok and others, 1996). Fractured claystones and marlstones have produced a small amount of oil and gas at Lipany 

field, but exploration drilling elsewhere has been very light. 

Poor to fair reservoir characteristics, a complexly folded and 

faulted structural setting, and subsequent deep erosion seemingly contribute to a relatively unfavorable environment for 

substantial oil and gas resources, and the unit was not quantitatively assessed.

Frontal Inner Carpathian AU

Description.—This AU, although described here, was not 

quantitatively assessed. This assessment unit consists of oil 

trapped largely in Mesozoic reservoirs of the marginal nappes 

of the Inner Carpathians that override Cretaceous and Paleocene source rocks of the Outer Carpathian flysch belt. The 

reservoirs may be charged from autochthonous Mesozoic beds 

or from subthrust Paleogene source rocks. Traps are largely 

structural in character and consist of folds, faults, and unconformity traps internal to the nappes and local structural and 

stratigraphic traps within the overlying Tertiary. The assessment unit is associated with the Frontal Carpathian Jurassic 

TPS and Frontal Carpathian Paleogene TPS and is limited to 

the northern margin of the Inner Carpathian foldbelt. Where 

the nappes are blanketed by Tertiary sediments, as in the Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin, this unit may be of particular 

interest for exploration.

38 Pannonian Basin Province, Central Europe—Petroleum Geology, Total Petroleum Systems and Resource Assessment
Source rocks.—Organic-rich rocks of the overridden 

European plate and Outer Carpathian Flysch belt (fig. 7) may 

provide hydrocarbon sources along the edge of the Inner Carpathians. Most of the oils in Neogene reservoirs of the analogous Vienna Basin belong to an autochthonous Upper Jurassic 

source and have migrated upward through the fault systems of 

the flysch zone into reservoirs of the Inner Carpathian nappes 

and the overlying Tertiary (Seifert, 1996; Francu and others, 

1996). The Oligocene synflexural fill of the Carpathian foredeep, involved in the Outer Carpathian foldbelt, also may be 

sufficiently underthrust beneath the Inner Carpathian nappes 

to provide hydrocarbons to the extreme northern margin of the 

Pannonian Basin system. 

Based on oil/source-rock correlations and biomarkers, 

the Oligocene Series is believed to be the most efficient source 

rock in the Outer Carpathians (Ziegler and Roure, 1996) and 

may account for some of the oil in the Vienna Basin where 

most of the oils originate from an Upper Jurassic source. 

There, source rocks of Paleogene age in the flysch nappes 

or autochthonous Paleocene generated or at least co-sourced 

some of the oils, according to Francu and others (1996), 

although Seifert (1996) indicates that the contribution to the 

oil and gas fields in the Vienna Basin from the Oligocene 

formations in the outer thrust belt is insignificant. 

Generation and migration.—In the area of the Vienna 

Basin and elsewhere along the frontal Carpathians, Paleogene 

and autochthonous Mesozoic source rocks reached maturity 

in late Miocene and were properly situated to provide hydrocarbons to the extreme northern marginal nappes of the Inner 

Carpathians. Migration along faults and fractures is required 

and locally probably has occurred, considering the pervasive 

faulting of thrust sheets and the evident vertical migration in 

the Vienna Basin.

Reservoir rocks.—Reservoirs include Mesozoic sandstone and carbonate rocks within nappes of the Inner Carpathians and sandstones within the blanketing Tertiary. Reservoirs 

are commonly fractured. According to data provided by Rieder (1996), approximately 10 percent of the initial oil in place 

found in Matzen field in the central part of the Vienna Basin is 

from the Upper Triassic Hauptdolomit, whereas the remainder 

is from stacked sandstone reservoirs in the Tertiary sequence. 

Flysch reservoirs within the overridden Outer Carpathian foldbelt are principally fractured sandstones and siltstones. 

Traps.—Traps are principally structural and consist of 

folds and faults of the strongly folded Inner Carpathian thrust 

complex and of the overridden flysch and structural and stratigraphic traps within the Tertiary cover. Trap types involving 

the Inner Carpathian nappes include paleotopography, stratigraphic pinch-outs, structural closures, and unconformities 

internal to the nappes, where they are associated with sealing impermeable rocks, including overlying Tertiary. Traps 

within the overlying Tertiary include anticlinal features over 

basement highs, fault-bounded structures, and stratigraphic 

closures. At the giant Matzsen field in the Vienna Basin, the 

trap is an anticlinal Tertiary compaction feature over a high of 

thrusted Mesozoic rocks. 

Exploration status.—This largely speculative AU may be 

favorably situated for hydrocarbon accumulations in several 

areas. However, outside of the Vienna Basin, it has not proven 

productive to date. Because of the structural complexity and 

lack of data, available information does not allow adequate 

resolution, and the assessment unit was not quantitatively 

assessed.

Estimated Undiscovered Resources

Estimates of undiscovered oil, gas, and natural gas liquids 

were made for each of the assessment units and aggregated 

for the province as a whole. The assessment procedures and 

methodology are reported in Klett, Charpentier, and Schmoker 

(2000), and the reader is referred to U.S. Geological Survey 

Digital Data Series DDS-60 (2000) for statistical detail of the 

individual assessment units, assessment input, methodology, 

and results.

Undiscovered resources as estimated for the individual 

assessment units are shown in table 2. Collectively, these 

units indicate that between 153 and 631 million barrels of oil 

(MMBO) and 1.7 and 7.4 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG), at 

the F95 and F5 probability levels, remain undiscovered within 

the Pannonian Basin Province. Mean values of undiscovered 

resources for the province are 359 million barrels of oil and 

4.1 trillion cubic feet of gas, although the quantity is better 

represented by the range of possible values. Estimated field 

sizes and numbers accompanying the mean estimates reflect a 

modest future field size expectation, suggesting that most large 

fields in the area have been discovered. 

The most important of the assessment units is the Greater 

Hungarian Plain Basins AU (40480101), followed by the ZalaDráva-Sava Basins AU (40480201), and Hungarian Paleogene 

Basin AU (40480601). The Central Carpathian Paleogene 

Basin AU (40480501) was not quantitatively assessed, 

although fractured claystones and marlstones have produced 

a small amount of oil and gas at Lipany field in Slovakia. 

Exploration has been light, but because of lack of significant 

exploration success combined with generally poor reservoir 

characteristics in a deeply eroded and complexly folded and 

faulted structural setting, the area is believed to be a relatively 

unfavorable environment for substantial resources. The Frontal 

Carpathian Assessment Unit also was not quantitatively 

assessed due to its hypothetical character and lack of data, 

thereby omitting some unknown quantity of undiscovered 

resources for the province.

Petroleum Geology  39
Code

and Field

Type

Undiscovered resources

MFS Prob. Oil (MMBO)

(0-1) F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 F5 Mean F95 F50 

Gas (BCFG) NGL (MMBNG

404801 Greater Hungarian Plain Neogene Total Petroleum System40480101

Oil Fields 1 90 188 326 196 77 187 410 208 3 7 

Gas Fields 6 925 2,111 3,684 2,188 23 61 

Total 1.00 90 188 326 196 1,002 2,298 4,094 2,395 26 68 

Greater Hungarian Plain Basins Assessment Unit 

1.00

404802 Zala-Drava-Sava Mesozoic/Neogene Total Petroleum System40480201

Oil Fields 1 54 108 194 114 45 108 241 121 2 4 

Gas Fields 6 500 970 1,759 1,030 12 28 

Total 1.00 54 108 194 114 545 1,078 2,000 1,151 14 32 

Zala-Drava-Sava Basins Assessment Unit 

1.00

404803 Danube Neogene Total Petroleum System40480301

Oil Fields 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Gas Fields 6 43 132 299 146 1 3 

Total 1.00 0 0 0 0 43 132 299 146 1 3 

Danube Basin Assessment Unit 

1.00

404804 Transcarpathian Neogene Total Petroleum System40480401

Oil Fields 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 

Gas Fields 6 29 100 236 112 1 2 

Total 1.00 0 0 0 0 29 100 236 112 1 2 

Transcarpathian Basin Assessment Unit 

1.00

Table 2. Assessment results summary for undiscovered resources Pannonian Basin Province (4048). [MMBO, million barrels of oil. BCFG, billion cubic feet of gas. MMBNGL, million barrels of natural gas liquids. MFS, minimum field size assessed (MMBO or BCFGProb., probability (including both geologic and accessibility probabilities) of at least one field equal to or greater than the MFS. Results shown are fully risked estFor gas fields, all liquids are included under the NGL (natural gas liquids) category. F95 represents a 95-percent chance of at least the amount tabulated. Other fraare defined similarly. Fractiles are additive under the assumption of perfect positive correlation. Shading indicates not applicable] 

404806 Hungarian Paleogene Total Petroleum System40480601

Oil Fields 1 9 42 111 49 10 49 140 59 0 1 

Gas Fields 6

16

59 249 605 280 2 10 

Total 1.00 9 42 111 49 69 299 744 339 2 11 

1.00

Hungarian Paleogene Basin Assessment Unit 

4048 Total: Assessed portions of Pannonian Basin Province

Oil Fields 153 339 631 359 132 344 790 387 5 13 

Gas Fields 1,556 3,563 6,582 3,756 39 103 

Total 1.00 153 339 631 359 1,688 3,907 7,372 4,143 43 116 

1.00
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Manuscript approved for publication June 27, 2005

Published in the Central Region, Denver, Colorado

Graphics by author

Photocomposition by Sharon Powers

Edited by Richard W. Scott, Jr. and Tom Judkins