Pelech O., Hók J., Havrila M. & Pešková I., 2016: Structural position of the Upper Cretaceous sediments in the Považský Inovec Mts. (Western Carpathians). Acta Geologica Slovaca, 8, 1, 43–58.

Structural position of the Upper Cretaceous sediments in the Považský Inovec Mts. (Western Carpathians)

Ondrej Pelech¹, Jozef Hók², Milan Havrila¹ & Ivana Pešková¹

¹State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr, Mlynská dolina 1, 817 04 Bratislava, Slovakia; ondrej.pelech@geology.sk
²Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University in Bratislava, Mlynská dolina, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovakia

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the analysis of the structures and tectonic attribution of the Upper Cretaceous rocks in the Selec and Hlohovec blocks of the Považský Inovec Mts. One of the principal questions arising from conflicting views is whether the Upper Cretaceous sequences represent exhumed Vahicum – a tectonic unit of possibly oceanic character cropping out from beneath the Tatricum basement, or sediments which originally overlaid the Tatricum, but were later involved in the imbricated thrust belt. All known localities with Upper Cretaceous complexes were investigated. The proposed interpretation takes into account stratigraphic, structural, geochronological, and geophysical evidence that have accumulated in recent years. New results document superposition of the Upper Cretaceous sediments above the Tatricum and suggest their evolution in a wedge top basin covering the Tatricum external zones.

Key words: Western Carpathians, Považský Inovec Mts., Late Cretaceous, Tatricum, Penninicum, Vahicum, Horné Belice Group

Manuscript received: 2016-01-27

Revised version accepted: 2016-03-29