Palaeobathymetric model of the Upper Senonian Flysch sediments of a part of the Silesian Basin (Polish Carpathians)

The occurrence of redeposited sediments and foraminiferids within the Upper Senonian deposits of the Silesian Unit (Northern Carpathians) have allowed a reconstruction of a part of the southern slope of the Silesian Basin. Three main zones have been established with specific sediments and associations of foraminiferids; basin plain, slope and upper slope-shelf which correspond to part of the “Recurvoides” and “Marssonella” associations sensu Haig (1979). Nine species of Foraminiferida from the uppermost associations are described.     

Passive and active margin history of the northern Tatricum (Western Carpathians,Slovakia)

The Tatricum, an upper crustal thrust sheet of the Central Western Carpathians, comprises pre-Alpine crystalline basement and a Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic sedimentary cover. The sedimentary record indicates gradual subsidence during the Triassic, Early Jurassic initial rifting, a Jurassic-Early Cretaceous extensional tectonic regime with episodic rifting events and thermal subsidence periods, and Middle Cretaceous overall flexural subsidence in front of the orogenic wedge prograding from the hinterland. Passive rifting led to the separation of the Central Carpathian realm from the North European Platform. A passive margin, rimmed by peripheral half-graben, was formed along the northern Tatric edge, facing the Vahic (South Penninic) oceanic domain. The passive versus active margin inversion occurred during the Senonian, when the Vahic ocean began to be consumed southwards below the Tatricum. It is argued that passive to active margin conversion is an integral part of the general shortening polarity of the Western Carpathians during the Mesozoic that lacks features of an independent Wilson cycle. An attempt is presented to explain all the crustal deformation by one principal driving force - the south-eastward slab pull generated by the subduction of the Meliatic (Triassic-Jurassic Tethys) oceanic lithosphere followed by the subcrustal subduction of the continental mantle lithosphere.     

The origin of shallow landslides in Moravia (Czech Republic) in the spring of 2006

At the end of March 2006, the Czech Republic (CZ) witnessed a fast thawing of an unusually thick snow cover in conjunction with massive rainfall. Most watercourses suffered floods, and more than 90 shallow landslides occurred in the Moravian region of Eastern CZ, primarily in non-forested areas. This region, geologically part of the Outer Western Carpathians, is prone to landslides because the bedrock is highly erodible Mesozoic and Tertiary flysch.The available meteorological data (depth of snow, water equivalent of the snow, cumulative rainfall, air and soil temperatures) from five local weather stations were used to construct indices quantitatively describing the snow thaw. Among these, the Total Cumulative Precipitation (TCP) combines the amount of water from both thawing snow and rainfall. This concurrence of rain and runoff from snow melt was the decisive factor in triggering the landslides in the spring.The TCP index was applied to data of snow thaw periods for the last 20 years, when no landslides were recorded. This was to establish the safe threshold of TCP without landslides. The calculated safe threshold value for the region is ca. 100 mm of water delivered to the soil during the spring thaw (corresponding to ca. 11 mm day^− 1). In 2006, 10% of the landslides occurred under or at 100 mm of TCP. The upper value of 155 mm covered all of the landslides.     

Constraining exhumation pathway in an accretionary wedge by (U-Th)/He thermochronology—Case study on Meliatic nappes in the Western Carpathians

This study reconstructs the late stages in the exhumation history of a nappe derived from the Meliatic accretionary wedge in the Western Carpathians by means of zircon and apatite (U-Th)/He dating. The Meliatic accretionary wedge formed due to the closure of the Neotethyan Triassic–Jurassic Meliata–Hallstatt Ocean in the Late Jurassic. The studied fragments of the blueschist-bearing Meliatic Bôrka Nappe were metamorphosed at low-temperature and high- to medium-pressure conditions at ca. 160–150 Ma and included into the accretionary wedge. The time of the accretionary wedge formation constrains the beginning of the Bôrka Nappe northward thrusting over the Gemeric Unit of the evolving Central Western Carpathians (CWC) orogenic wedge. The zircon (U-Th)/He data on four samples recorded three evolutionary stages: (i) cooling through the ∼180 °C isotherm at 130–120 Ma related to starting collapse of the accretionary wedge, following exhumation of the high-pressure slices in the Meliatic accretionary wedge; (ii) postponed exhumation and cooling of some fragments through the ∼180 °C isotherm from 115 to 95 Ma due to ongoing collapse of this wedge; and (iii) cooling from 80 to 65 Ma, postdating the thrusting (∼100–80 Ma) of the Bôrka Nappe slices during the Late Cretaceous compression related to formation of the CWC orogenic wedge. The third stage already documents cooling of the Meliatic Bôrka Nappe slices in the CWC orogenic wedge. The apatite (U-Th)/He data may indicate cooling of a Bôrka Nappe slice to near-surface temperatures at ∼65 Ma. The younger AHe age clusters indicate that at least one, or possibly two, reheating events could have occurred in the longer interval from ∼40 to ∼10 Ma during the Oligocene–Miocene. These were related to sedimentary burial and/or the magmatism as documented in other parts of the CWC.     

Late Miocene–Quaternary volcanism, tectonics and drainage system evolution in the East Carpathians, Romania

Middle Miocene (Sarmatian) convergence created the fold and thrust belt of the Eastern Carpathians of Romania, which subsequently experienced post-collisional crustal deformation combined with calc-alkaline and alkalic-basaltic volcanism in late Miocene–Quaternary time. This deformation led to the rise of the Cǎlimani–Gurghiu–Harghita volcanic mountains and to the subsidence of the N–S-oriented intramontane Borsec/Bilbor–Gheorgheni–Ciuc and Braşov pull-apart basins, and the E-oriented monocline-related Fǎgǎraş basin. The regional drainage network is the composite of:

(1) Older E-, SE- and S-flowing rivers, which cross the Carpathians, radiate towards the foreland and were probably established during the Middle Miocene (Sarmatian) collision event.

(2) A more recent drainage system related to the contemporaneous development of the volcanoes and intramontaneous basins, which generally drains westward into the Transylvanian Basin since late Miocene time and has been capturing the older river system.

The older river drainage system has also been modified by Late Pliocene–Quaternary folding, thrusting and monoclinal tilting along the Pericarpathian orogenic front and by reactivated transverse high angle basement faults, which cross the Eastern Carpathian foreland.     

Late Pliocene–Quaternary tectonics in the frontal part of the SE Carpathians: Insights from tectonic geomorphology

The Romanian East Carpathians display large-scale heterogeneities along the mountain belt, unusual foredeep geometries, significant post-collisional and neotectonic activity, and major variations in topography, mostly developed in the aftermath of late Miocene (Sarmatian; 11 Ma) subduction/underthrusting and continental collision between the East European/Scythian/Moesian foreland and the inner Carpathians Tisza-Dacia unit. In particular, the SE corner of the arcuate orogenic belt represents the place of still active large-scale differential vertical movements between the uplifting mountain chain and the subsiding Focşani foredeep basin. In this key area, we have analysed the configuration of the present day landforms and the drainage patterns in order to quantify the amplitude, timing and kinematics of these post-collisional late Pliocene–Quaternary vertical movements. A river network is incising in the upstream a high topography consisting of the external Carpathians nappes and the Pliocene–Lower Pleistocene sediments of the foreland. Further eastwards in the downstream, this network is cross-cutting a low topography consisting of the Middle Pleistocene–Holocene sediments of the foreland. Geological observations and well-preserved geomorphic features demonstrate a complex succession of geological structures. The late Pliocene–Holocene tectonic evolution is generally characterised by coeval uplift in the mountain chain and subsidence in the foreland. At a more detailed scale, these vertical movements took place in pulses of accelerated motion, with laterally variable amplitude both in space and in time. After a first late Pliocene uplifting period, subsidence took place during the Earliest Pleistocene resulting in a basal Quaternary unconformity. This was followed by two, quantifiable periods of increased uplift, which affected the studied area at the transition between the Carpathians orogen and the Focşani foreland basin in the late Early Pleistocene and the late Middle to late Pleistocene. Both large-scale deformation events affected the western Focşani basin flank, tilting the entire structure with 9° during the late Early Pleistocene and uplifted it as a block during the early Late Pleistocene. The late Early Pleistocene tilting resulted in 750 m uplift near the frontal monocline and by extrapolation in a presumed 3000 m uplift near the central parts of the Carpathians. The late Middle to late Pleistocene cumulative uplift reaches 250 m and correlates with a contemporaneous progradation of the uplifted areas towards the Focşani Basin. The uplifting events are separated by a second Quaternary unconformity. On the whole, the late Pliocene–Quaternary evolution of the Carpathians orogen/Focşani basin structure indicate large-scale differential uplift during the latest stages of a continuous post-collisional orogenic evolution.     

The effects of a lateral variation in lithospheric strength on foredeep evolution: Implications for the East Carpathian foredeep

Lateral variations in lithospheric strength have been adopted often in flexural modeling (both 2D and 3D) to better fit the observed basement deflections, typically supported by gravity data. This approach provides essentially a “snap-shot” of the role of lithosphere strength in determining the present day geometry.In contrast, we investigate and quantify the effects of a lateral change in lithospheric strength on the evolution of the foredeep in front of an advancing orogen. Transitions in lithospheric strength are common in the foreland of orogens and show large variations in the width of the transition zone and the strength difference. Former passive margins, for instance, will display strength changes distributed over several tens to hundreds of kilometers. Other transitions may originate from juxtaposition or accretion of pieces of lithosphere with different properties and may be characterized by a much smaller width than former passive margins.In our modeling, a constant load, representing an advancing orogenic belt, is displaced towards and across a transition from a weak to a strong plate in a 2D elastic thin plate model. The effect of different transition widths and strength contrasts on foredeep geometry and bending stress is investigated. Interference of flexural wavelengths across the transition affects foredeep geometry by causing rapid basin widening, oscillation of the bulge and volume increase. The bending stresses are found to concentrate and amplify around the strength transition. Large transition gradients, i.e. large strength contrast or small transition width, cause the highest rates of change.Basin widening caused by the orogenic load advancing towards the transition between the East European Craton and the Moesian Platform, appears to control the Sarmatian transgression over the East Carpathian foreland in Romania.     

Application of space analysis of electromagnetic fields to investigation of the geoelectrical structure of the Earth

Lateral composition inhomogeneities of the Earth's deep geoelectric structure require special consideration for any conductivity evaluation of a region. This paper presents a review of some theoretical techniques for determining both the vertical and horizontal conductivity profiles of a region using a spatial distribution of observed electromagnetic fields at the Earth's surface. Effects of shallow positioned anomalies upon a deep conductivity determination are also considered. An application of the procedure is illustrated by a conductivity study in the Soviet Carpathians.     

Authigenic dolomites in the Eocene–Oligocene organic carbon-rich shales from the Polish Outer Carpathians: Evidence of past gas production and possible gas hydrate formation in the Silesian basin

Eocene–Oligocene dolomite concretions and beds from the Grybów and Dukla units of the Polish Outer Carpathians were studied. These rocks occur in the organic carbon-rich, marine and fine-grained deposits of hemipelagic or turbiditic origin. Mineralogic, elemental and stable C and O isotopic composition of the dolomites was determined. Results indicate that the rocks were formed by precipitation of predominantly Fe-rich dolomite cement close to the sediment-water interface prior to significant compaction. The main source of bicarbonate for dolomite formation was bacterial methanogenesis as evidenced by the high δ¹³C values up to 16.6‰. The main source of alkalinity was probably weathering of silicate minerals which might have also liberated Ca and Mg ions for the dolomites to form. The distribution of these dolomites indicates that microbial methane production was widespread in the Silesian basin. Moreover, formation of some dolomites in the Eastern part of the Dukla unit was probably associated with gas hydrates as suggested by the elemental and oxygen isotopic composition of dolomitic matrix. Therefore, the dolomites may serve as a proxy of areas where biogenic methane was produced, where the rocks had high hydrocarbon potential, and where hydrates could have existed.Detailed mineralogic and petrographic analyses allowed for the reconstruction of the diagenetic sequence and the evolution of pore fluids. Textural relationships between successive cement generations indicate that the central parts of the composite dolomite crystals experienced corrosion and that the latest ankerite cement filled the secondary intragranular cavities within those crystals. This observation shows that reconstructions of pore fluid evolution based on core-to-rim analyses of such composite crystals may lead to wrong interpretations. Septarian cracks developed in the dolomites are often filled with multistage cements. The earliest generations are ferroan dolomite and ankerite cements which precipitated within the cracks simultaneously to the ferroan dolomite and ankerite cements from the matrix of the dolomitic rocks which shows that septarian cracking occurred very early, during the final stages of concretionary formation. These cements were followed by the late-diagenetic precipitates, mainly quartz, kaolinite and blocky calcite. This calcite is commonly associated with bitumen which shows that it precipitated during or after oil migration in the decarboxylation zone.