The Pannonian Basin: A Study in Basin Evolution
The Pannonian basin system is an integrap part of the Alpine mountain belts of east-central Europe. It is completely encircled by the Carpathian Mountains to the north and east, the Dinaric Alps to the south, and the Southern and Eastern Alps to the west. In 1912, Kober defined the Pannonian basin as one of the type “Zwischengebirge,” a relatively un-deformed region characterized by block faulting and situated between externally vergent thrust belts. More recent studies using subsurface data have shown that the Pannonian area was extensively deformed by Mesozoic thrusting and subsequently disrupted by a complex system of Cenozoic normal and wrench faults. Thus, the Pannonian “massif” has undergone several types of deformation, which are partly hidden by a thick sequence of sedimentary rocks of Neogene-Quaternary age. The Pannonian basin is actually a system of small, deep basins separated by relatively shallow basement blocks. The Neogene-Quaternary sedimentary rocks exceed 7 km in thickness in some areas, and the basin system (including the Transylvanian basin) is about 400 km from north to south and 800 km from east to west. It is currently interpreted by most workers as a Mediterranean back arc extensional basin of the middle Miocene age. The Carpathians, Eastern Alps, and Dinarides, which surround the Pannonian basin, are the result of Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental collision between Europe and several continental fragments to the south, including Africa. Thrusting was direted outward from the present Pannonian basin toward the European platform and the Adriatic region. In all the orogenic belts, the interior parts of the thrust belts were deformed in Mesozoic time, while the outer parts were deformed in Tertiary time. The volume presents 26 papers and eight regional maps resulting from a joint five-day symposium held in Veszprem, Hungary, in 1982 entitled “Evolution of Extensional Basins within Regions of Compression with Emphasis on the Intra-Carpathian Region.” The symposium was sponsored jointly by the Hungarian Oil and Gas Trust, the Hungarian Geological Survey, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Structure and Development of the Vienna Basin in Austria
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Published:January 01, 1988
Abstract
The Vienna basin is mainly a Miocene feature superimposed on allochthonous nappes of the Alpine-Carpathian thrust belt. It is a classic area of exploration for oil and gas. The most recent target of exploration is the autochthonous sub-Alpine complex underneath the basin and thrust sheets. The autochthonous basement consists of crystalline and Paleozoic rocks overlain by a Jurassic-Upper Cretaceous cover. The Alpine-Carpathian units of the Waschberg zone, Flysch zone, and upper and lower Austro-Alpine-Tatride zone strike from the Alps underneath the Vienna basin and into the Carpathians, and form a bend in the vicinity of the Vienna basin. A structural synopsis of the basin shows a distinct arrangement of elevated and subsided blocks. Shallow, marginal horsts are bordered by deep depressions. A series of horsts forms a slightly sigmoidal median ridge.