The Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM) represents a composite crystalline belt within the Eastern European Alpine orogen, outcropping from the Pannonian basin in the north, to the Aegean Sea in the south. ...The central parts of the massif (i.e. southeastern Serbia, southwestern Bulgaria, eastern Macedonia) consist of the medium- to high-grade Lower Complex, and the low-grade Vlasina Unit. New results of U–Pb LA-ICP-MS analyses, coupled with geochemical analyses of Hf isotopes on magmatic and detrital zircons, and main and trace element concentrations in whole-rock samples suggest that the central SMM and the basement of the adjacent units (i.e. Eastern Veles series and Struma Unit) originated in the central parts of the northern margin of Gondwana. These data provided a basis for a revised tectonic model of the evolution of the SMM from the late Ediacaran to the Early Triassic.
The earliest magmatism in the Lower Complex, Vlasina Unit and the basement of Struma Unit is related to the activity along the late Cadomian magmatic arc (562–522Ma). Subsequent stage of early Palaeozoic igneous activity is associated with the reactivation of subduction below the Lower Complex and the Eastern Veles series during the Early Ordovician (490–478Ma), emplacement of mafic dykes in the Lower Complex due to aborted rifting in the Middle Ordovician (472–456Ma), and felsic within-plate magmatism in the early Silurian (439±2Ma). The third magmatic stage is represented by Carboniferous late to post-collisional granites (328–304Ma). These granites intrude the gneisses of the Lower Complex, in which the youngest deformed igneous rocks are of early Silurian age, thus constraining the high-strain deformation and peak metamorphism to the Variscan orogeny. The Permian–Triassic (255–253Ma) stage of late- to post-collisional and within-plate felsic magmatism is related to the opening of the Mesozoic Tethys.
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•The SMM was part of a North-Gondwanan magmatic arc during the late Neoproterozoic.•LA-ICPMS U–Pb dating of zircons revealed four pre-Alpine stages of magmatism in the SMM.•High-strain deformation in the SMM is constrained to the Variscan orogeny.
In this study, we report evidence about coupling between tectonic and magmatic processes in a complex orogenic system. The study focuses on the Kopaonik Mts. situated between the Dinarides and the ...Carpatho-Balkanides (Southern Serbia), and a perfect area for investigating tectono-magmatic evolution. We combine a new data set on tectonic paleostress tensors with the existing information on Cenozoic magmatic rocks in the wider Kopaonik Mts. area. The paleostress study revealed the presence of four brittle deformational phases. The established link between fault mechanism and igneous processes suggests that two large tectono-magmatic events occurred in this area. The Late Eocene–Early Miocene tectono-magmatic event was generally characterized by transpressional tectonics that provided conditions for formation of basaltic underplating and subsequent lower crustal melting and generation of I-type magmas. Due to predominant compression in the first half of this event, these magmas could not reach the upper crustal levels. Later on, limited extensional pulses that occurred before the end of this event opened pathways for newly formed mantle melts to reach shallower crustal levels and mix with the evolving I-type magmas. The second event is Middle–Late Miocene in age. It was first associated with clear extensional conditions that caused advancing of basaltic melts to mid-crustal levels. This, in turn, induced the elevation of geotherms, melting of shallow crust and S-type granite formation. This event terminated with transpression that produced small volumes of basaltic melts and finally closed the igneous scene in this part of the Balkan Peninsula. Although we agree that the growth of igneous bodies is usually internally controlled and can be independent from the ambient structural pattern, we have strong reasons to believe that the integration of regional scale observations of fault kinematics with crucial petrogenetic information can be used for establishing spatial–temporal relationships between brittle tectonics and magmatism.
•Paleostress inversion applied to determine Cenozoic brittle tectonic history.•New synthesis of Cenozoic igneous processes in Internal Dinarides reported.•For the first time two tectono-magmatic events determined for the Kopaonik area.
The Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM) represents a composite crystalline belt within the Eastern European Alpine orogen, outcropping from the Pannonian basin in the north to the Aegean Sea in the south. ...The central parts of this massif (south-eastern Serbia) consist of the medium- to high-grade Lower Complex and the low-grade Vlasina Unit. Outcrop- and micro-scale ductile structures in this area document three major stages of ductile deformation. The earliest stage D
1
is related to isoclinal folding, commonly preserved as up to decimetre-scale quartz–feldspar rootless fold hinges. D
2
is associated with general south-eastward tectonic transport and refolding of earlier structures into recumbent metre- to kilometre-scale tight to isoclinal folds. Stages D
1
and D
2
could not be temporally separated and probably took place in close sequence. The age of these two ductile deformation stages was constrained to the Variscan orogeny based on indirect geological evidence (i.e. ca. 408-ca. 328). During this period, the SMM was involved in a transpressional amalgamation of the western and eastern parts of the Galatian super-terrane and subsequent collision with Laurussia. Outcrop-scale evidence of the final stage D
3
is limited to spaced and crenulation cleavage, which are probably related to formation of large-scale open upright folds as reported previously.
40
Ar/
39
Ar thermochronology was applied on hornblende, muscovite, and biotite samples in order to constrain the age of tectonothermal events and activity along major shear zones. These
40
Ar/
39
Ar data reveal three major cooling episodes affecting the central SMM. Cooling below greenschist facies conditions in the western part of the Vlasina Unit took place in a post-orogenic setting (extensional or transtensional) in the early Permian (284 ± 1 Ma). The age of activity along the top-to-the-west shear zone formed within the orthogneiss in the Božica area of the Vlasina Unit was constrained to Middle Triassic (246 ± 1 Ma). This age coincides with widespread extension related to the opening of the Mesozoic Tethys. The greenschist facies retrogression in the Lower Complex probably occurred in the Early Jurassic (195 ± 1 Ma), and it was related to the thermal processes in the overriding plate above the subducting slab of the Mesozoic Tethys Ocean.
The tectonic development of the northeast margin of the Korabi-Pelagonian continent and the adjacent Vardar ocean is discussed based on study of nine traverses across the former northeastern margin ...of the Korabi-Pelagonian continent, represented by the West Vardar subzone in the Republic of Macedonia. A detailed correlation of units is also made across the international border with Greece, coupled with regional comparisons.
Precambrian–Palaeozoic units were metamorphosed and intruded by granitic rocks, followed by Mid-Triassic rifting and the construction of a carbonate platform bordering a Late Triassic–Early Jurassic ocean. Neritic deposition was followed by Late Jurassic (syn‐ or pre-Early Tithonian) subsidence with radiolarian and then terrigenous turbidite sedimentation. Overlying ophiolitic rocks are characterised by a relatively thin (<500m), laterally persistent (>200km N–S) sheet of sheared, blocky serpentinite (mainly mantle harzburgite), associated with ophiolite-derived debris flows. The emplaced ophiolitic rocks were subaerially weathered to form local Fe–Ni accumulations. Following marine transgression, a shallow-water carbonate–siliciclastic deposits, including coralgal reefs, accumulated during Late Tithonian–Early Cretaceous. After a hiatus, mixed terrigenous-carbonate gravity flows accumulated in deep water during the Late Cretaceous.
The Vardar ocean opened during the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic separating the Korabi-Pelagonian and Serbo-Macedonian continents. Northeastward subduction created a Late Jurassic magmatic arc along the southern margin of the Serbo-Macedonian continent, while future ophiolites formed by supra-subduction zone spreading within the Vardar ocean. These ophiolites were emplaced in response to collision of the subduction trench with the Korabi-Pelagonian continent. The pre-Mesozoic basement detached and subducted undergoing high pressure–low temperature metamorphism during the Late Jurassic (Tithonian), followed by amphibolite/greenschist facies metamorphism and exhumation prior to the Late Cretaceous. A much reduced Vardar ocean survived into the Late Cretaceous until this finally closed during the latest Cretaceous–Early Cenozoic, triggering continental collision and thick-skinned folding/thrusting of the Pelagonian, Vardar and Serbo-Macedonian zones towards the W/SW.
► Evolution of Vardar ocean ► Vardar ocean ophiolites ► Continental margin evolution ► Alternative tectonic models
The Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM) represents a crystalline belt situated between the two diverging branches of the Eastern Mediterranean Alpine orogenic system, the northeast-vergent ...Carpatho-Balkanides and the southwest-vergent Dinarides and the Hellenides. We have applied fission-track analysis on apatites and zircons, coupled with structural field observations in order to reveal the low-temperature evolution of the SMM. Additionally, the age and geochemistry of the Palaeogene igneous rocks (i.e. Surdulica granodiorite and dacitic volcanic rocks) were determined by the LA-ICPMS U–Pb geochronology of zircons and geochemical analysis of main and trace elements in whole-rock samples. Three major cooling stages have been distinguished from the late Early Cretaceous to the Oligocene. The first stage represents rapid cooling through the partial annealing zones of zircon and apatite (300–60 °C) during the late Early to early Late Cretaceous (ca. 110–ca. 90 Ma). It is related to a post-orogenic extension following the regional nappe-stacking event in the Early Cretaceous. Middle to late Eocene (ca. 48–ca. 39 Ma) cooling is related to the formation of the Crnook–Osogovo–Lisets extensional dome and its exhumation along low-angle normal faults. The third event is related to regional cooling following the late Eocene magmatic pulse. During this pulse, the areas surrounding the Surdulica granodiorite (36 ± 1 Ma) and the slightly younger volcanic bodies (ca. 35 Ma) have reached temperatures higher than the apatite closure temperature (120 °C) but lower than ca. 250 °C. The geochemistry of the igneous samples reveals late- to post-orogenic tectonic setting during magma generation.
Abstract Ensuring the quality protection of geospatial elements entails environmental control, a task unattainable without precise measurement results. This article aims to conduct a spatio-temporal ...analysis of soil degradation and vegetation status within the influence zone of the Kolubara Mining Basin in Serbia. Remote sensing is employed to assess vulnerability to erosion using the erosion potential method. A geographic information system environment is utilized to generate an erosion map, illustrating erosive processes across different time periods, particularly comparing the present situation (2022) to 1983. Results indicate that observed areas are experiencing erosion due to changes in land use. Furthermore, this study investigates the use of the normalized difference vegetation index to monitor vegetation cover changes from 1992 to 2022. The objective is to demonstrate that these methods effectively depict degradation levels and vegetation status in the area. This comprehensive overview provides insights into the changes occurring across the analyzed years. Such insights are crucial for informing future efforts to restore the region to its natural state prior to lignite mining.
In this study, we report evidence for brittle deformation in a part of the Carpatho–Balkan orogen, which is explained in terms of effects of the rigid Moesian promontory of the European plate on ...fault kinematics in East Serbia. We focus on the westernmost part of the Getic Unit of the East Serbian Carpatho–Balkanides, i.e. the Gornjak–Ravanica Unit, located between two main thrusts that were repeatedly activated from Early Cretaceous to recent times. We combine a new data set on fault kinematics and tectonic paleostress tensors, with literature data about neotectonic and recent fault activity, in order to reconstruct brittle tectonic events that were active in this area since Oligocene times. Two brittle tectonic phases were distinguished. The older phase was most probably active from the Oligocene to the end of the middle Miocene, and was characterized by the activation of faults that accommodated a complex sequence of clockwise rotations of the Dacia mega-unit around the rigid Moesian promontory. The younger deformational phase most likely started in the late Miocene and is probably still active in recent time. It is characterized by strike-slip tectonics, resulting from the far-field stress generated by the collision of the Adriatic microplate, the Moesian promontory and the tectonic units in between. This stress field is shown to be highly heterogeneous even in the relatively small research area; local areas of transtension and transpression have also been very important in controlling the fault kinematics in the western part of the Getic Unit.
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