Abstract
We describe the structures and styles of deformation at the northeastern margin of the Adria microplate during Miocene to recent times. Throughout the Miocene, deformation induced by Adria-Europe convergence was partitioned between thrusting in the Dinaric and South-Alpine belts and eastward escape in front of the Adriatic indenter, north of the Periadriatic fault zone. At the Miocene-Pliocene transition, a temporary termination of tectonic escape and the onset of Adria counterclockwise rotation triggered a major change in regional tectonics. At that time, major strike-slip and contractional deformation started between rigid Adria and the Periadriatic fault, accompanied by uplift, folding, strike-slip basin formation, and, perhaps, rigid-block rotation. There is a gradual eastward change in structural style from head-on thrusting in the Italian Alps to oblique and then to predominately strike-slip deformation in the Dinaric and Pannonian regions of Slovenia. Distribution of recent seismicity and first results of GPS measurements suggest that this, or a similar, mode of deformation is still active.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
REFERENCES
Accaino F., Gosar A., Millahn K., Niccolich R., Poljak M., Rossi G., Zgur F. Regional and high-resolution seismic reflection investigations in the Krško basin (SE Slovenia). Annales Universitatis Scientarium Budapestinensis, Sectio. Geologica 2003; 35: 116–117.
Anderson H.A., Jackson J.A. Active tectonics of the Adriatic region. Geophys. J. R. Astr. Soc. 1987; 91: 937–983.
Buser S. Basic geological map of SFR Yugoslavia 1: 100.000. Explanatory notes for sheet Celje (In Slovenian with English abstract). Zvezni geološki zavod, Beograd 1979.
Castellarin A., Cantelli L. Neo-Alpine evolution of the Southern Eastern Alps. J. Geodynamics 2000; 30: 251–274.
Csontos L. Tertiary tectonic evolution of the Intra-Carpathian area: a review. Acta Vulcanologica 1995; 7: 1–13.
Dewey J.F., Helman L., Turco E., Hutton D.H.W., Knott S.D. “Kinematics of the Western Mediterranean.” In Alpine Tectonics, M.P. Coward, D. Dietrich, R.G. Park, eds., London: Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ. 1989; 45: 265–283.
Doglioni C. Tectonics of the Dolomites. J. Structural Geology 1987; 9: 181–193.
Fodor L., Jelen B., Márton E., Skaberne D., ar J., Vrabec M. Miocene-Pliocene tectonic evolution of the Slovenian Periadriatic Line and surrounding area - implication for Alpine- Carpathian extrusion models. Tectonics 1998; 17: 690–709.
Fodor L., Csontos L., Bada G., Györfi I., Benkovics L. “Tertiary tectonic evolution of the Pannonian basin system and neighbouring orogens: a new synthesis of paleostress data.” In The Mediterranean Basins: Tertiary extension within the Alpine Orogen, B. Durand, L. Jolivet, F. Horváth, M. Séranne, eds., Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 1999; 156: 295–334.
Frisch W., Kuhlemann J., Dunkl I., Brügel A. Palinspastic reconstruction and topographic evolution of the Eastern Alps during late Tertiary tectonic extrusion. Tectonophysics 1998; 297: 1–15.
Grenerczy G., Kenyeres A., Fejes I. Present crustal movement and strain distribution in Central Europe inferred from GPS measurements. J. Geophys. Res. 2000; 105(B9): 21835–21846.
Horváth F. Phases of compression during the evolution of the Pannonian basin and its bearing on hydrocarbon exploration. Marine and Petroleum Geology 1995; 12: 837–844.
Horváth F., Cloething S. Stress-induced late-stage subsidence anomalies in the Pannonian Basin. Tectonophysics 1996; 266: 287–300.
Kázmér M., Kovács S. Permian-Paleogene paleogeography along the Eastern part of the Insubric-Periadriatic Lineament system: Evidence for continental escape of the Bakony- Drauzug unit. Acta Geologica Hungarica 1985; 28: 71–84.
Kázmér M., Fodor L., Józsa S., Jelen B., Herlec U., Kuhlemann J. Late Miocene paleogeography of Slovenia and the Southern Alps: a palinspastic approach. 6th Symposium on Tektonik, Strukturgeologie, Kristalingeologie, Salzburg, Austria, 1996.
Kuščer D. Tertiary formations of Zagorje (in Slovenian with English abstract). Geologija 1969; 10: 5-85.
Márton E., Ćosović V., Drobne K., Moro A. Palaeomagnetic evidence for Tertiary counterclockwise rotation of Adria. Tectonophysics 2003; 377: 143–156.
Márton E., Fodor L., Jelen B., Márton P., Rifelj H., Kevrić R. Miocene to Quaternary deformation in NE Slovenia: complex paleomagnetic and structural study. J. Geodynamics 2002; 34: 627–651.
Mellere D., Stefani C., Angevine C. Polyphase tectonics through subsidence analysis: the Oligo-Miocene Venetian and Friuli Basin, north-east Italy. Basin Research 2000; 12: 159- 182.
Mencej Z. The gravel fill beneath the lacustrine sediments of the Ljubljansko barje (in Slovenian with English abstract). Geologija 1988; 31–32: 517–553.
Nemes F., Neubauer F., Cloething S., Genser J. The Klagenfurt basin in the Eastern Alps: an intra-orogenic decoupled flexural basin? Tectonophysics 1997; 282: 189–203.
Placer L. Contribution to macrotectonic subdivision of the border region between Southern Alps and External Dinarides. Geologija 1999a; 41: 223–255.
Placer L. Structural meaning of the Sava folds. Geologija 1999b; 41: 191–221.
Placer L. Geological structure of Southwestern Slovenia (in Slovenian with English abstract). Geologija 1981; 24: 27–60.
Placer L., Živčić M., Vrabec M. “Recent deformation and seismic activity at the Adria microplate boundary in Western Slovenia and Croatia.” In Quantitative neotectonics and seismic hazard assessment: new integrated approaches for environmental management, G. Bada eds., Malév Air Tours str. 2001; 74–75.
Placer L., Čar J. Structure of Mt. Blegoš between the Inner and Outer Dinarides. Geologija 1998; 40: 305–323.
Peruzza L., Poli E., Rebez A., Renner G., Rogledi S., Slejko D., Zanferrari A. The 1976–1977 seismic sequence in Friuli: new seismotectonic aspects. Mem. Soc. Geol. It. 2002; 57: 391–400.
Poljak M., Živčić M., Zupančić P. The seismotectonic characteristics of Slovenia. Pure and Applied Geophysics 2000; 157: 37–55.
Prelogovi E., Safti B., Kuk V., Velić J., Dragaš M., Luč ić D. Tectonic activity in the Croatian part of the Pannonian basin. Tectonophysics 1998; 297: 283–293.
Ratschbacher L., Frisch W., Linzer H. G., Merle O. Lateral extrusion in the Eastern Alps, part 2.: structural analysis. Tectonics 1991; 10: 257–271.
Schreurs G., Coletta B. “Analogue modeling of faulting in zones of continetal transpression and transtension.” In Continetal transpressional and transtensional tectonics, R.E. Holdsworth, R.A. Strachan, J.F. Dewey, eds., Geol. Soc. Spec. Publ. 1998; 59–79.
Schmid S.M., Pfiffner O.A., Froitzheim N., Schönborn G., Kissling E. Geophysical-geological transect and evolution of the Swiss-Italian Alps. Tectonics 1996; 15: 1036–1064.
Šifrer M. Nova dognanja o geomorfološkem razvoju Ljubljanskega Barja. Geografski zbornik 1984; 23: 8–48.
ŠušteršičF. Poljes and caves of Notranjska. Acta Carsologica 1996; 25: 251–289.
Tari V. “Evolution of the northern and western Dinarides: a tectonostratigraphic approach.” In Continetal collision and the tectono-sedimentary evolution of forelands, G. Bertotti, K. Schulmann, S.A.P.L Cloething, eds., EGU Stephan Mueller Publication Series 2002; 1: 223–236.
TomljenovićB., Csontos L. Neogene-Quaternary structures in the border zone between Alps, Dinarides and Pannonian basin (Hrvatsko zagorje and Karlovac basin, Croatia). Int. J. Earth Sciences 2001; 90: 560–578.
Vidic N. Pedogenesis and soil-age relationships of soils on glacial outwash terraces in the Ljubljana basin, PhD thesis, Boulder: University of Colorado, 1994.
Vrabec M. Structural analysis of the Sava fault zone between Trstenik and Stahovica (in Slovenian with English abstract), PhD thesis, University of Ljubljana, 2001.
Vrabec M. Style of postsedimentary deformation in the Plio-Quaternary Velenje basin, Slovenia. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatshefte 1999; 8: 449–463.
Vrabec M. Some thoughts on the pull-apart origin of karst poljes along the Idrija strike-slip fault zone in Slovenia. Acta Carsologica 1994; 23: 158–168.
Vrabec M., Pavlovčič Prešeren P., Stopar B. Active movements along the faults of the Periadriatic line system in NE Slovenia: first results of GPS measurments. Annales Universitatis Scientarium Budapestinensis, Sectio Geologica 2003; 35: 114–115.
Žlebnik L. Pleistocene Deposits of the Kranj, Sora and Ljubljana Fields (in Slovenian with English abstract). Geologija 1971; 14: 5–51.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Springer
About this paper
Cite this paper
Vrabec, M., Fodor, L. (2006). LATE CENOZOIC TECTONICS OF SLOVENIA: STRUCTURAL STYLES AT THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER OF THE ADRIATIC MICROPLATE. In: Pinter, N., Gyula, G., Weber, J., Stein, S., Medak, D. (eds) The Adria Microplate: GPS Geodesy, Tectonics and Hazards. Nato Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 61. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4235-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4235-3_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-4233-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4235-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)