Silvia Králiková

Cretaceous—Quaternary tectonic evolution of the Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians): constraints from structural, sedimentary, geomorphological, and fission track data

Abstract The Tatra Mts area, located in the northernmost part of Central Western Carpathians on the border between Slovakia and Poland, underwent a complex Alpine tectonic evolution. This study integrates structural, sedimentary, and geomorphological data combined with fission track data from the Variscan granite rocks to discuss the Cretaceous to Quaternary tectonic and landscape evolution of the Tatra Mts. The presented data can be correlated with five principal tectonic stages (TS), including neotectonics. TS-1 (~95-80 Ma) is related to mid-Cretaceous nappe stacking when the Tatric Unit was overlain by Mesozoic sequences of the Fatric and Hronic Nappes. After nappe stacking the Tatric crystalline basement was exhumed (and cooled) in response to the Late Cretaceous/Paleogene orogenic collapse followed by orogen-parallel extension. This is supported by 70 to 60 Ma old zircon fission track ages. Extensional tectonics were replaced by transpression to transtension during the Late Paleocene to Eocene (TS-2; ~80-45 Ma). TS-3 (~45-20 Ma) is documented by thick Oligocene-lowermost Miocene sediments of the Central Carpathian Paleogene Basin which kept the underlying Tatric crystalline basement at elevated temperatures (ca. > 120 °C and < 200 °C). The TS-4 (~20-7 Ma) is linked to slow Miocene exhumation rate of the Tatric crystalline basement, as it is indicated by apatite fission track data of 9-12 Ma. The final shaping of the Tatra Mts has been linked to accelerated tectonic activity since the Pliocene (TS-5; ~7-0 Ma).

Neogene and Quaternary development of the Turiec Basin and landscape in its catchment: a tentative mass balance model

Neogene and Quaternary development of the Turiec Basin and landscape in its catchment: a tentative mass balance model The development of the Turiec Basin and landscape evolution in its catchment has been reconstructed by methods of geological research (structural geology, sedimentology, paleoecology, and geochronological data) as well as by geophysics and geomorphology. The basin and its surrounding mountains were a subject of a mass balance study during periods of tectonic activity, accompanied by considerable altitudinal differentiation of relief and also during quiet periods, characterized by a development of planation surfaces in the mountains. The coarse clastic alluvial fans deposited beneath the offshore pelitic sediments document the rapid Middle Miocene uplift of mountains on the margin of the Turiec Basin. The Late Miocene finegrained sedimentation represents the main fill of this basin and its origin was associated with the formation of planation surfaces in the surrounding mountains. The rapid uplift of the western and northern parts of the catchment area during the latest Miocene and Early Pliocene times further generated the deposition of coarse-grained alluvial fans. The Late Pliocene basin inversion, due to uplift of the whole Western Carpathians mountain chain, was associated with the formation of the Early Quaternary pediment and ultimately with the formation of the Turiec river terrace systems.

The Alpine tectonic evolution of the Danube Basin and its northern periphery (southwestern Slovakia)

Abstract The tectonic evolution of the pre-Cenozoic basement, as well as the Cenozoic structures within the Danube Basin (DB) and its northern periphery are presented. The lowermost portion of the pre-Cenozoic basement is formed by the Tatricum Unit which was tectonically affected by the subduction of the Vahicum / Penninicum distal continental crust during the Turonian. Tectonically disintegrated Tatricum overlaid the post-Turonian to Lower Eocene sediments that are considered a part of the Vahicum wedge-top basin. These sediments are overthrust with the Fatricum and Hronicum cover nappes. The Danube Basin Transversal Fault (DBTF) oriented along a NW–SE course divided the pre-Neogene basement of the DB into two parts. The southwestern part of the DB pre-Neogene basement is eroded to the crystalline complexes while the Palaeogene and Mesozoic sediments are overlaid by the Neogene deposits on the northeastern side of the DBTF. The DBTF was activated as a dextral fault during the Late Oligocene – Earliest Miocene. During the Early Miocene (Karpatian – Early Badenian) it was active as a normal fault. In the Middle – Late Miocene the dominant tectonic regime with NW – SE oriented extension led to the disintegration of the elevated pre-Neogene basement under the simple and pure shear mechanisms into several NE – SW oriented horst and graben structures with successive subsidence generally from west to east. The extensional tectonics with the perpendicular NE – SW orientation of the Shmin persists in the Danube Basin from the ?Middle Pleistocene to the present.

Geological evolution of the southwestern part of the Veporic Unit (Western Carpathians): Based on fission track and morphotectonic data

Abstract Zircon and apatite fission track (FT) and morphotectonic analyses were applied in order to infer quantitative constraints on the Alpine morphotectonic evolution of the western part of the Southern Veporic Unit which is related to: (1) Eo-Alpine Cretaceous nappe stacking and metamorphism of the crystalline basement in the greenschist facies. (2) Exhumation phase due to underthrusting of the northerly located Tatric-Fatric basement (~ 90–80 Ma), followed by a passive en-block exhumation with cooling through ~ 320–200 °C during the Palaeocene (ZFT ages of ~ 61–55 Ma). (3) Slow Eocene cooling through ~ 245–90 °C, which most likely reflected erosion of the overlying cover nappes and the Gosau Group sediments. Cooling reached up to 60 °C till the Oligocene (AFT ages of ~ 37–22 Ma) in association with erosion of cover nappes. The efficient Eocene erosion led to the formation of the first Cenozoic planation surface with supergene kaolinization in many places. (4) The early Miocene erosion coincided with surface lowering and resulted in the second planation surface favourable for kaolinization. (5) In the middle Miocene, the study area was covered by the Poľana, Javorie, and Vepor stratovolcanoes. (6) The late Miocene stage was related to the erosion and formation of the third Cenozoic planation surface and the final shaping of the mountains was linked to a new accelerated uplift from the Pliocene.