GeolCarp_Vol62_No6_519

www.geologicacarpathica.sk

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

, DECEMBER 2011, 62, 6, 519—534 doi: 10.2478/v10096-011-0037-4

Late Miocene and Pliocene history of the Danube Basin:

inferred from development of depositional systems and

timing of sedimentary facies changes

MICHAL KOVÁČ

, RASTISLAV SYNAK

, KLEMENT FORDINÁL

, PETER JONIAK

, CSABA TÓTH

RASTISLAV VOJTKO

, ALEXANDER NAGY

, IVAN BARÁTH

, JURAJ MAGLAY

and JOZEF MINÁR

Department of Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina G, 842 15 Bratislava,

Slovak Republic;

kovacm@fns.uniba.sk

State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr, Mlynská dolina 1, 817 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina B1,

842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Central Slovak Museum, Department of Natural History, Radvanská 27, 974 05 Banská Bystrica, Slovak Republic

(Manuscript received March 17, 2011; accepted in revised form June 9, 2011)

Abstract: The development of the northern Danube Basin (nDB) was closely related to the Late Miocene geodynamic
evolution of the Pannonian Basin System. It started with a wide rifting which led to subsidence of several basin depocenters
which were gradually filled during the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene. In the Late Pliocene the subsidence continued
only in the basin’s central part, while the northern marginal zone suffered inversion and the uplifted sedimentary fill
began to be eroded. Individual stages of the basin development are well recorded in its sedimentary succession, where
at least three great tectono-sedimentary cycles were documented. Firstly, a lacustrine cycle containing Lower, Middle
and lowermost Upper Pannonian sediments (A—F Zones; sensu Papp 1951) deposited in the time span 11.6—8.9 Ma and
is represented in the nDB in Slovakia by the Ivanka and Beladice Formations. In the Danube Basin of the southern part
in Hungary, where the formations are defined by the appearance of sedimentary facies in time and space, the equivalents
are: (1) the deep-water setting marls, clays and sandy turbidites of the Endrőd and Szolnok Formations leading to the
overlying strata deposits of the basin paleoslope or delta-slope represented by the Algyő Formation, and (2) the final
shallow-water setting deposits of marshes, lagoons and a coastal and delta plain composed of clays, sands and coal
seams, represented by the Újfalu Formation. The second tectono-sedimentary cycle was deposited in an alluvial envi-
ronment and it comprises the Upper Pannonian (G and H Zones; sensu Papp 1951) and Lower Pliocene sediments dated
8.9—4.1? Ma. The cycle is represented in the nDB, by the Volkovce Formation and in the southern part by the Zagyva
Formation in Hungary. The sedimentary environment is characterized by a wide range of facies from fluvial, deltaic and
ephemeral lake to marshes. The third tectono-sedimentary cycle comprises the Upper Pliocene sediments. In Slovakia
these are represented by the Kolárovo Formation dated 4.1—2.6 Ma. The formation contains material of weathering crust
preserved in fissures of Mesozoic carbonates, diluvial deposits and sediments of the alluvial environment.

Key words: Late Miocene, Pliocene, Lake Pannon, Danube Basin, tectono-sedimentary cycles.

Introduction

The Danube Basin is situated in the territories of Slovakia,
Hungary and Austria; it is located in the NW part of the Pan-
nonian Basin System (Fig. 1). A large part of this basin system
was covered by a Late Miocene lake which represented one of
the most extensive flooded areas in Central Europe (Harzhaus-
er & Mandič 2008; Magyar 2009).

Lake Pannon (Magyar et al. 1999), surrounded by the East

Alpine—Western  Carpathian  and  Dinaride  mountain  chains,
developed due to the isolation of this part of the Central Para-
tethys Sea from the Eastern Paratethys and the Mediterranean
(Royden & Horváth 1988; Horváth 1993; Rögl 1998; Kováč
et  al.  1999,  2006,  2010;  Magyar  et  al.  1999;  Konečný  et  al.
2002;  Popov  et  al.  2006;  Harzhauser  &  Mandič  2008).  The
specific environmental conditions of the lake are confirmed by
an enormously diversified endemic mollusc fauna, which suf-
fered  selective  rapid  phylogenetic  radiation  (Magyar  et  al.

1999;  Harzhauser  et  al.  2004;  Harzhauser  &  Mandič  2008;
Magyar 2009). From the Late Miocene to the Pliocene, Lake
Pannon was continuously filled by sediments, generally from
the W—NW to E—SE (Meulenkamp et al. 1996; Magyar et al.
1999).  Gradual  infilling  of  the  individual  depocenters  or  ba-
sins  is  reflected  in  the  extent  of  specific  sedimentary  facies
and their change over time and space. Evaluation of hundreds
of seismic lines and electrical logs from boreholes penetrating
the sedimentary fill of the lake’s individual depocenters docu-
ments the presence of a great number of depositional systems
in  shallow-  and  deep-water  settings  whose  positions  varied
over time and space (Juhász 1991; Pogácsás & Seifert 1991;
Csató 1993; Vakarcs et al. 1994; Magyar et al. 1999; Sacchi &
Horváth 2002; Kováč et al. 2006; Csató et al. 2007; Juhász et
al. 2007; Uhrin et al. 2009; Magyar 2009; Leever et al. 2011).

These individual depocenters have their own tectono-sedi-

mentary history and the main factors which influenced the de-
velopment of their depositional systems were climatic

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changes controlling humidity and evaporation and also local
tectonics which influenced uplift and subsidence, and conse-
quently the development of the river network and burial his-
tory (Kováč et al. 2006, 2010; Uhrin et al. 2009; Leever et al.
2011). The sedimentary record of individual basins normally
started with brackish to freshwater lacustrine deposits chang-
ing in the overlying strata to lagoonal, deltaic, fluvial and al-
luvial facies with a great thickness of often more than
2000—4000 m. This deposition was mostly in an alluvial envi-
ronment and it was followed by tectonic inversion of the basin
margins during the Pliocene and Quaternary era (Cloetingh
et al. 2005; Jarosinski et al. 2011).

The predominantly lacustrine to alluvial character of the

Late Miocene and Pliocene sedimentation in individual depo-
centers of Lake Pannon gave rise to many problems in correla-
tive lithostratigraphy between the Carpathian, Pannonian, and
Dinaride  regions  (Magyar  2009;  Kováč  et  al.  2010).  Al-
though, the thick piles of lacustrine deposits are mainly cor-
related  on  the  basis  of  fossil  records  using  endemic  aquatic
fauna and flora, the biostratigraphy of alluvial sequences re-
lies on scarce results from mammalian fossils. The biostrati-
graphical data are only supported by magnetostratigraphy or
numerical dating of interbedded volcanic rocks in some places
(Vasiljev et al. 2004; Kováč et al. 2006; Magyar et al. 2007).
Therefore the correlation of sedimentary formations existing
between  individual  depocenters  over  greater  distance  is
sometimes difficult.

The more important second problem is the confidentiality

of data which can be acquired by the Oil and Gas Industry.
Previously, this has led to many problems in the exchange of
geological  and  geophysical  information  on  the  sedimentary
records  of  basins  encompassing  the  territories  of  more  than
one country. An excellent example of the different approach-
es  in  geological  investigation  can  be  found  in  the  Danube
Basin  which  encompasses  both  a  northern  Slovak  portion
and a southern Hungarian part.

A complete re-evaluation of geophysical and geological

data obtained in the northern Danube Basin (nDB), together
with new field-work and laboratory results formed the
ground-work for a new determination of particular sedimen-
tary facies and their changes in time and space. This allowed
a new model of the development of the basin’s depositional
system and an inter-regional correlation of the sedimentary
fill and formations within the northern Slovak and the south-
ern Hungarian portions of the Danube Basin.

Late Miocene and Pliocene biostratigraphy of the

northern Danube Basin

The biostratigraphy of the nDB Upper Miocene sediments

(Fig. 2), similar to that in the Vienna Basin, is predominantly
based  on  the  following;  (1)  brackish  to  freshwater  mollusc
fauna  (A—F  Zones,  sensu  Papp  1951,  1953;  Fordinál  1997,
1998; Magyar et al. 1999; Harzhauser et al. 2004; Kováč et
al.  2006,  2008),  (2)  refined  mammalian  biozonation
(Harzhauser  et  al.  2004;  Joniak  2005;  Kováč  et  al.  2005,
2006,  2008,  2010;  Vlačiky  et  al.  2008;  Magyar  2009;  Tóth
2010a,b),  and  (3)  dinoflagellates  and  sporadic  calcareous
nannoplankton  (Hudáčková  1995;  Hudáčková  &  Slamková
2000;  Andrejeva-Grigorovich  et  al.  2003a,b;  Kováč  et  al.
2006, 2008).

The shallow-water mollusc associations (Fig. 2) docu-

mented  during  the  Early  Pannonian  (A,  B,  C  Zones;  sensu
Papp  1951)  belong  to  the  Mytilopsis  ornithopsis  and
Mytilopsis  hoernesi  Biozones  (Harzhauser  et  al.  2004;
Kováč  et  al.  2005,  2006,  2008).  In  the  Middle  Pannonian
sediments (D, E Zones; sensu Papp 1951), in the Lymnocar-
dium conjugens Biozone associations with Congeria partschi
and Congeria subglobosa were found (Fordinál 1997; Kováč
et  al.  2006,  2008).  The  Early  and  Middle  Pannonian  deep-
water mollusc fauna has previously only been recognized in

Fig. 1. Position of the Danube Basin within the Alpine-Carpathian-Pannonian region. The northern part of the Danube Basin (nDB) – po-
sition of basin depocenters: Blatné, Rišňovce, Komjatice, Želiezovce and Gabčíkovo Depressions.

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Hungary and it is characterized by the Congeria banatica
Biozone (Magyar et al. 1999).

The beginning of the Late Pannonian (F Zone; sensu Papp

1951) represents a time interval when the lacustrine environ-
ment  of  the  Vienna  Basin  changed  into  an  environment  of
marshes  and  alluvial  plains,  and  it  is  characterized  by  the
Mytilopsis neumayri—Mytilopsis zahalkai Biozone (Harzhauser
et al. 2004). A similar environment was also detected on the
western  flanks  of  the  nDB  and  it  is  documented  by  the
Mytilopsis  neumayri  Biozone  in  the  Ivánka  Formation’s  up-
permost part (Fordinál 1997). In the basin center which is doc-
umented  only  on  seismic  lines  and  also  on  the  basin’s  SE
Hungarian  margin,  a  lacustrine  environment  defined  by  the
Congeria  czjzeki  and  Lymnocardium  ponticum  Biozone  was
still present during this time (Magyar et al. 1999; Cziczer et al.
2009;  Magyar  2009).  For  the  following  Late  Pannonian  to
Pliocene  predominantly  alluvial  sedimentary  record  of  the
nDB, we are unable to use further correlation based on mol-
lusc  assemblages.  The  biostratigraphy  of  these  sediments  is
therefore  based  only  on  scarce  findings  of  mammalian  fossil
associations (Figs. 3, 4).

Biostratigraphy using “small mammals” helped us to deter-

mine not only the Ruscinian MN15b Biozone, but also the
Vallesian MN9 and MN10 Biozones (sensu Harzhauser et al.
2004; Harzhauser & Tempfer 2004; Daxner-Höck et al. 2004;
Joniak 2005). The proboscideans teeth of “big mammals”, con-
stituted the main evidence used to solve the chronological suc-

cession from the Turolian to Villanyian deposition in the stud-
ied area (MN12, MN13, MN14, MN15a, MN16, and MN17;
sensu Tóth 2010a,b). The results of this research simultaneously
helped us to deduce important facts about changes in paleoecol-
ogy and paleogeography of the broader nDB area.

The oldest Late Miocene mammalian fossil associations

(MN10 and MN9 mammal Biozones) were discovered at the
Pezinok  brickyard  (Blatné  Depression  of  the  nDB)  where
Deinotherium giganteum was found together with other fos-
sils (Holec 2005; Tóth 2010a,b). The sediments form the up-
permost part of the Ivánka Formation and the lowermost part
of the Beladice Formation. The local fauna of the Vallesian
mammalian stage document an open landscape on the Lake
Pannon  shoreline  (Holec  1981,  1986;  Sabol  & Holec  2002;
Joniak  2005).  Climate  can  be  characterized  by  a  gradual
change  from  subtropical  to  warm  temperate,  with  evidence
of  the  sporadic  presence  of  thermophilous  and  evergreen
taxa (Kvaček et al. 2006).

The fossil fauna of the overlying Volkovce Formation

forms  part  of  the  MN11  to  MN14  mammal  Biozones  and
they  cover  the  Turolian  and  Lower  Ruscinian  mammalian
stage  of  the  Late  Miocene  and  Early  Pliocene  epochs
(Fig. 4). The fauna and characteristics of the sediments docu-
ment the change from lacustrine to prevailingly alluvial and
fluvial environments.

The Turolian shift of the Lake Pannon shoreline from the

nDB towards the southeast confirms seismic data (Magyar

Fig. 2. Biostratigraphy of the northern Danube Basin. Central Paratethys stratigraphy sensu Kováč et al. (1998), Rögl (1998), Gradstein et
al. (2004), Harzhauser et al. (2004), Vasiliev (2006), Harzhauser & Mandic (2008). Calcareous Nannoplankton sensu Martini (1971),
Marunteanu (1997), Kováč et al. (2008). Dinoflagellates sensu Sütő-Szentai (1988, 1990), Magyar et al. 1999, Szuromi-Korecz et al. 2004.
Molluscs and mammals sensu Kováč et al. 2006; Vlačiky et al. 2008; Tóth 2010a,b.

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2009) and also mammalian fossil sites at Nyárád, Tihany and
Csákvár in Hungary (Bernor et al. 1987; Kordos 1987; Nar-
golwalla et al. 2006). The associations document an increase
in species diversity during the MN11 mammal Biozone. The
findings,  represented  by  “large”  and  “small”  mammals  are
characterized by a murid-cricetid dominated assemblage and
by  an  increase  in  carnivores,  ruminants  and  proboscideans.
The fauna points to relatively open woodland environments
and drier conditions with seasonal climate changes – com-
pared  to  the  Vallesian  (Daxner-Höck  1996).  The  Turolian
MN11  Zone  which  is  also  well  known  from  the  Eichkogel
limestone in the Vienna Basin (Wenz & Edlauer 1942; Dax-
ner-Höck  1996;  Harzhauser  &  Binder  2004;  Nargolwalla  et
al. 2006) can be partly correlated with the Hlavina Member
(Fordinál  1994;  Fordinál  &  Nagy  1997)  a  freshwater  lime-
stone described from the western foothill of the Tribeč Mts or
with the Ratnovce limestone appearing at the western foothill
of  the  Považský  Inovec  Mts.  The  Hlavina  limestone  is  posi-
tioned in the Volkovce Formation basal portion (Fig. 4).

Discovery of the Deinotherium proavum (originally de-

scribed as D. gigantissimum) at the Madunice locality in the
Blatné Depression refers to the presence of the MN12 Biozone
in the nDB (Musil 1959; Tóth 2010a,b). The first occurrence of

a primitive Anancus (Anancus sp.) comes from the Topo čany-
Kalvária site. Various proboscidean taxa such as “Mammut” aff.
borsoni, Anancus sp., and Tetralophodon sp., which can be dat-
ed at MN12—13? Biozones have also been reported at the Ve ké
Bielice, Klížske Hradište, Prusy, and Horné Obdokovce locali-
ties on the basin’s northern margin, in the Bánovce and Riš-
ňovce Depressions (Figs. 1, 3). All the aforementioned Turolian
Anancus teeth have a small to extremely small size, a complex
morphology and very low hypsodonty. The remains of the Vall-
esian species Tetralophodon longirostris were also documented
at the Topo čany-Kalvária site. The taphonomy of this locality
is therefore extremely difficult and the remains of two taxa were
presumably excavated from two separate or mixed strata.

The MN12—13 Biozone mammalian fauna is also known

from the Hungarian part of the Danube Basin at Tardosbánya
(Kordos  1987;  Daxner-Höck  1996;  Van  Dam  2006;  Nargol-
walla et al. 2006), Györszentmárton (Hugeney 1999) and Bal-
tavár localities (Kordos 1987; Bernor et al. 1987; Nargolwalla
et al. 2006). The Baltavár site has the best preserved faunal as-
semblage  of  the  “Middle  Turolian”  in  Central  Europe,  with
paleoenvironments  of  open  country  woodlands  in  a  warm,
temperate climatic zone with seasonal changes (Bernor et al.
1996; Solounias et al. 1999; Kaiser & Bernor 2006).

Fig. 3. Northern part of the Danube Basin; localization of the sites with mammal fossil occurrences and figured outcrops (see Fig. 5); local-
ization of seismic profile and boreholes (white circles: AB1 – Abrahám 1, DI1 – Diakovce 1, IV1 – Ivánka 1, KRAL1 – Králová 1,
KOL2 – Kolárovo 2, MOJ1 – Mojmírovce 1, OB1 – Obdokovce 1 and SP1 – Špačince 1, SVM1 – Tajná).

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The findings of fossil remains of large mammalians from

the Volkovce Formation at the Slepčany site in the Komjatice
Depression of the nDB (Holec 1981) belong to the MN13—14?
Biozones (Figs. 1, 3). The teeth of Anancus aff. arvernensis
have a more complex morphology and are more hypsodont
in comparison with the Anancus from previous Turolian lo-
calities (MN12—13? Biozones).

The first appearance of the “typical” Anancus arvernensis

was  recognized  from  the  Kuzmice  (MN13?—14),  Nitra—
Kynek  and  Biskupová  (both  MN14)  localities.  These  find-
ings document the Early Pliocene age of the sediments. The
molars  are  large  with  a  less  complex  morphology  and  low
hypsodonty.  There  is  a  progressive  trend  of  hypsodonty,
shortening  and  morphological  simplification  of  the  molars
(sensu Metz-Muller 1995). This is clearly observable in the
fossil  record  from  Slovakia  from  the  Early  Pliocene  to  the
Early Pleistocene; and the final appearance of the “Mammut”
aff. borsoni taxon is reported at the Kuzmice site (Fig. 3).

The Late Pliocene fauna located in the “red beds” of the

Kolárovo  Formation,  cover  a  wide  area  of  the  Považský
Inovec  Mts  and  the  uplifted  margin  of  the  nDB  in  the
Rišňovce  and  partly  Komjatice  Depressions,  and  this  docu-
ments  an  abrupt  change  at  the  Early  and  Late  Pliocene
boundary, which is clearly visible in the sedimentary record.
The  Ruscinian  mammalian  stage  (MN15  Zone)  documents
the  first  occurrence  of  the  typical  “Mammut”  borsoni  from
the  Velké  Ripňany  and  Drahovce  (Tóth  2010a)  and  also
from  the  Ceroviny  sites  (Holec  et  al.  2002)  placed  in  the
MN15—16 Zones (the Ruscinian-Villanyian boundary). At the
Ivanovce  site  near  Trenčín,  a  Late  Pliocene  small  mammal
faunal association of the Late Ruscinian (MN15b) was docu-
mented  (Fig. 3).  This  fauna  points  to  humid  forests  with
scarce open land near rivers or local lakes in a temperate cli-
matic zone (Fejfar 1961a,b, 1970; Fejfar & Heinrich 1985).

The Early Pleistocene mammalian faunal associations

(Anancus  arvernensis,  “Mammut”  borsoni,  Mammuthus  cf.
meridionalis) were found in the SE part of the nDB at Nová
Vieska and Strekov localities (Figs. 1, 3). This mammal fau-
na  is  represented  mainly  by  large  mammals  and  belongs  to
the  MN16—17  Zones  of  the  Villanyian  mammalian  stage
(Holec 1996; Vlačiky et al. 2008). The fossil fauna points to
open  woodlands  in  temperate  climatic  zone  with  seasonal
changes; however, the sedimentary environment and compo-
sition  of  fauna  indicate  allochthonous  and  probably  also
heterochthonous origin of the assemblage.

The rare foraminifers identified in pelitic deposits at the

base of the Late Miocene sedimentary record of the nDB –
Miliammina  subvelatina  Venglinskij,  Trochammina  kibleri
Venglinskij  (Jiříček  1974;  Jámbor  et  al.  1985;  Kováč  et  al.
2008)  confirm  an  initially  brackish  environment.  The  en-
demic nannoplankton (Fig. 2) of the Praenoelaerhabdus ba-
natensis

and

Noelaerhabdus

bozinovicae

Biozones

(Andrejeva-Grigorovich  et  al.  2003a,b;  Kováč  et  al.  2008)
correlated with NN9 and NN10 Zones (sensu Martini 1971;
Marunteanu 1997) partly support a brief connection with the
Eastern Paratethys, at least during the very early stage of the
Lake  Pannon  on  the  Middle/Late  Miocene  boundary.  After
9 Ma,  the  nDB  was  almost  totally  isolated  from  the  rest  of
the lake.

Fig. 4. Lithostratigraphic scheme of the northern Danube Basin forma-
tions; Standard Neogene stages and Central Paratethys stratigraphy sensu
Rögl (1998), Kováč et al. (1998), Gradstein et al. (2004). Explanatory
notes:  dots  –  coarse  clastics,  sand  and  conglomerate;  lines  –  fine-
grained  deposits,  clays  and  silts;  black  rectangles  –  coal  seams  and
coalificated plant remnants;  H – Hlavina Member freshwater carbon-
ates. Time span of the Late Miocene formations after Kováč et al. (2010).

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Lithostratigraphy of the Upper Miocene and

Pliocene northern Danube Basin fill

The Danube Basin (DB), situated in the Western Car-

pathians hinterland between the Eastern Alps on the west and
the  Mid-Hungarian  Range  on  the  east,  began  to  open  at  the
end of the Early Miocene (Tari et al. 1992). The initial rifting
was followed by the Middle Miocene subsidence of individual
depocenters  (Lankreijer  et  al.  1995;  Kováč  et  al.  1999).  The
Late Miocene to Pliocene represents a separate chapter in the
basin’s  history,  during  which  more  than  4500 m  sediments
were  deposited  in  the  basin  center  (Kilényi  &  Šefara  1989;
Lankreijer et al. 1995; Kováč 2000).

In the nDB (Slovakia), the lower part of the Upper Miocene

basin  fill  (Early  and  Middle  Pannonian  A—E  Zones;  sensu
Papp 1951) is represented by the Ivánka Formation, originally
correlated  with  the  time  range  of  11.6—7.1 Ma  (Priechodská
& Harčár 1988; Vass 2002). New results from paleomagnetic
dating  and  biostratigraphy  proved  its  Vallesian  age  and  a
time  range  of  approximately  11.6—9.7 Ma  (Kováč  et  al.
2006, 2010; Magyar et al. 2007). The formation, with a max-
imal thickness of up to 2000 m, was deposited in a brackish
to  freshwater  lacustrine  environment  (Fig. 5A).  It  consists
predominantly of calcareous clays (claystones) and silts (silt-
stones) intercalated with sand bodies (sandstones). Occasion-
ally,  gravels  (conglomerates),  coal-clays  and  coal  seams  are
present on the basin margin (Fig. 4, Fig. 5B).

The Beladice Formation (Priechodská & Harčár 1988) was

deposited towards overlying strata and this correlated with the
Late Pannonian Zone F (sensu Papp 1951) described as Pon-
tian in the time range of 7.1—5.3 Ma (Vass 2002). It is formed
by clays and silts with various sand contents attaining a thick-
ness from 30 to 500 m. The Beladice Formation was original-
ly  defined  as  occurring  only  in  shallow-water  to  alluvial
environments containing typical coal-clays and coal seams de-
posited in marshes, oxbows of meandering rivers and ephem-
eral lakes (Fig. 5C). However, it is clear from the seismic lines
crossing  the  basin  center  (Fig. 6a)  that  the  accepted  lithos-
tratigraphical definition of this formation is valid only for the
basin margins. Toward the basin center, in the southeast, the
alluvial to shallow-water facies continuously pass into deep-
water lacustrine facies. Therefore, the formation can be cor-
related with the Szák Formation located on the NE margin of
the Mid-Hungarian Range in Hungary (Cziczer et al. 2009).
The formation represents high stand deposits of the  Conge-
ria  czjzeki  and  Spiniferites  paradoxus  Biozones  (Magyar  et
al.  1999  or  Zone  F  sensu  Papp  1951),  in  the  time  span  of
9.4—8.9 Ma, and therefore the upper boundary of deposition
of  the  Beladice  Formation  can  be  placed  at  approximately
8.9 Ma (Figs. 2, 4).

In the southern (Hungarian) part of the DB, Upper Miocene

sediments identical to the Ivánka and Beladice Formations can
be approximately correlated to at least four formations (sensu
Juhász 1991, 1994; Juhász et al. 2007). The Újfalu Formation
is formed of sediments deposited in a shallow-water setting as
shelf deposits, alluvial and deltaic sediments of marshes, la-
goons, coastal and delta plains. The Algyő Formation is com-
posed of fine-grained sediments, mostly clays, and marls in
the area of the basin or delta slope. The deep-water sandy tur-

bidites form the Szolnok Formation and the clays and marls of
the distant basin floor are part of the Endrőd Formation
(Fig. 6b).

The Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene basin fill of the nDB

(G and H Zones; sensu Papp 1951) is represented by the Vol-
kovce Formation described as Dacian and correlated with the
time range of 5.3—3.6 Ma (Priechodská & Harčár 1988; Vass
2002).  The  formation  was  deposited  in  an  alluvial  environ-
ment  and  contains  fluvial  deposits  and  also  sediments  of
marshes, ephemeral lakes and small deltas (Fig. 5E,F, and G).
The formation is more than 1200 m in the central part of the
basin,  and  it  consists  predominantly  of  variegated  clays  and
silts with sand bodies, often with a lot of plant detritus. At the
basin margin, fluvial and deltaic sands and gravels are present
as well; on tectonic lines (in the case that carbonate rocks form
the  pre-Neogene  basement)  freshwater  limestone  and  “lake
chalk”  were  deposited  (Fig. 5D).  The  freshwater  limestone
bodies represent the Hlavina Member with an estimated age of
approximately  8 Ma  (Fordinál  &  Nagy  1997;  Kováč  et  al.
2010; Tóth 2010a,b). The base of the Volkovce Formation has
been newly dated to 8.9 Ma (Kováč et al. 2010) with its upper
part  approaching  the  Upper  Pliocene  base,  which  is  about
4.1 Ma old (sensu Gradstein et al. 2004). This new time span
of  the  formation  is  proved  by  findings  of  mammal  fossils
ranging  between  the  MN11  and  MN14  Biozones  (Turolian
and Early Ruscinian; 8.9—4.1 Ma).

In the southern, Hungarian part of the basin, the same pack-

age  of  sediments  represents  the  Zagyva  Formation  with  a
thickness  of  1000—1200 m  (Juhász  1991,  1994;  Juhász  et  al.
2007).  Its  sedimentary  sequence  is  composed  of  sandstones,
siltstones, clays and marls deposited in lacustrine, alluvial and
fluvial environments, similar to the northern part of the basin.
This  formation  contains  a  lot  of  plant  remnants,  coal  clays,
and coal seams. Sandy bodies of 10—20 m thickness are inter-
preted as alluvial plain channel fill or deposits of point bars.

Upper Pliocene sediments in the nDB are represented by

the  Kolárovo  Formation  (Priechodská  & Harčár  1988).  The
age of the formation base has conventionally been stated as
the  base  of  the  Romanian  regional  stage  (Vass  2002)  at
present dated to 4.1 Ma (Vasiliev et al. 2004). The age of the
formation upper boundary was also stated conventionally to
be at base of the Quaternary 2.6 Ma (Gradstein et al. 2004).
Findings  of  mammal  fossils  have  currently  proved  the  time
span of the MN15, 16 and 17 mammalian Zones (Ruscinian
and  Villanyian;  4.1—2.6 Ma;  Fejfar  1966;  Vlačiky  et  al.
2008). The maximum thickness of 200—300 m the Kolárovo
Formation has been determined only from boreholes (Kováč
2000;  Vojtko  et  al.  2008).  The  sedimentary  environment  of
the deposition was proluvial to alluvial; the sequence is com-
posed  mostly  of  red  or  variegated  clays,  sand,  and  fine-  to
medium-grained  gravel  (Fig. 5H).  The  pebble  material  is
represented  by  quartz,  chert,  sandstone,  and  crystalline
schists (Priechodská & Harčár 1988).

In the southern, Hungarian part of the basin, the Hanság

Formation (Császár et al. 1997) may be the equivalent of the
Kolárovo  Formation  in  Slovak  territory.  The  formation  is
formed  by  lacustrine  to  fluvial  variegated  clays  and  sands
with  gravel  bodies,  lignite  layers  and  basalt  tuffs  occurring
in some places.

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Late Miocene and Pliocene depositional cycles in the

northern Danube Basin

The nDB Late Miocene and Pliocene tectono-sedimentary

evolution commenced with a phase of subsidence around the
Middle—Late Miocene boundary. The “wide-rifting” of the ba-
sin  was  followed  by  its  gradual  infill  which  lasted  until  the
Early  Pliocene  (Lankreijer  et  al.  1995;  Kováč  et  al.  2010).
During  the  Late  Pliocene  a  shift  of  subsidence  in  the  central
Gabčíkovo Depression was documented. This occurred simul-
taneously  with  uplift  and  denudation  at  the  basin’s  northern
margins (Lankreijer et al. 1995; Kováč et al. 2006). Three pe-
riods of deposition (tectono-sedimentary cycles) have been re-
corded in the basin sedimentary fill and these are observable
in outcrops, and especially on seismic lines and well logs.

The first, Late Miocene lacustrine tectono-sedimentary cy-

cle  began  approximately  11.6 Ma  (Magyar  et  al.  1999;
Kováč et al. 1999, 2006; Kováč 2000) and it can be approxi-
mately  correlated  with  the  base  of  the  global  TB3.1  cycle
(sensu  Haq  et  al.  1988;  Haq  1991),  or  the  Ser4/Tor1  cycle
(sensu  Hardenbol  et  al.  1998;  11.7—9.4 Ma).  The  coinci-
dence  in  timing  of  the  depositional  cycle  lower  boundary
with the global cycles, and more or less also with the lower
boundary  of  all  depositional  cycles  in  the  whole  Pannonian
Basin System can be related to the existence of a short period
of  connection  with  the  Eastern  Paratethys  during  this  time.
The possibility of such a connection is also supported by the
presence  of  marine  nannoplankton  in  the  Lower  Pannonian
deposits as far as the Danube and Vienna Basins (Andrejeva-
Grigorovič et al. 2003a,b).

Fig. 6.  NW—SE  oriented  seis-
mic  profile  in  the  central  part
of  the  northern  Danube  Basin,
situation  at  Fig. 3:  a  –  Seis-
mic  profile  with  marked  time
lines  dividing  individual  tec-
tono-sedimentary  cycles;  1  –
Late Miocene lacustrine tectono-
sedimentary cycle, 11.6—8.9 Ma,
Ivánka and Beladice Fms; 2 –
Late Miocene to Early Pliocene
alluvial

tectono-sedimentary

cycle,  8.9—4.2 Ma,  Volkovce
Fm;  3  –  Late  Pliocene  prolu-
vial  to  alluvial  tectono-sedi-
mentary  cycle,  4.2—2.6 Ma,
Kolárovo Fm. b – Distribution
of sedimentary facies on seismic
line (e logs of the same facies are
marked  on  Fig. 7).  c  –  Paleo-
depth  of  Lake  Pannon  in  the
northern Danube Basin.

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During this sedimentary cycle, the Ivánka and Beladice

Formations  (Priechodská  & Harčár  1988;  Vass  2002)  were
deposited in the nDB (Fig. 4). Reinterpretation of data from
the  outcrops,  boreholes,  and  geophysical  measurements
helped in the detection of the upper boundary of this cycle,
which we placed on seismic lines to the distinct level where
a  change  in  character  of  seismic  reflexes  appears  from  “a
typical  lacustrine  to  an  alluvial  pattern”  (Fig. 6b).  This
change  in  seismic  signal  also  coincides  with  the  change  in
shape  of  the  boreholes’  electrical  logs  in  many  places
(Fig. 7). Timing of this boundary is based on the age of the
Szák  Formation  at  8.9 Ma  (Cziczer  et  al.  2009).  Thus,  our
definition of the first Pannonian lacustrine depositional cycle
upper  boundary  can  also  be  correlated  with  the  uppermost
portion of the “Pannonian cycle PAN2” defined in the south-
ernmost part of the DB by Sacchi & Horváth (2002).

The base of the second, Late Miocene to Early Pliocene al-

luvial  tectono-sedimentary  cycle  was  confirmed  on  the  sur-
face  at  the  DB  northern  margin:  in  the  Blatné  Depression
(clay pit Hlohovec; Kováč et al. 2006) and in the Komjatice
Depression (Kováč et al. 2008), where the borehole ŠVM-1
near the town of Vráble (Fig. 3) reached below the sediments
of the Volkovce Formation on the erosion surface, lying on
the Ivánka Formation clays (E Zone, sensu Papp 1951). The
upper  boundary  of  this  depositional  cycle  is  located  at  the
contact with the overlying Upper Pliocene Kolárovo Forma-
tion, which is divided from the Volkovce Formation mainly
by an angular discordance. Erosion surfaces and incised val-
leys were often present at the outcrops in the Rišňovce De-
pression (Fig. 5H).

The third, Late Pliocene proluvial to alluvial tectono-sedi-

mentary cycle is formed by the Kolárovo Formation (Fig. 3).
The age of this cycle’s lower boundary is close to the lower-
most part of the Late Ruscinian age at approximately 4.1 Ma
where the base of the Romanian stage is established accord-
ing  to  Vasiliev  (2006).  The  upper  boundary  of  the  cycle  is
conventionally  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  Quaternary  at
2.6 Ma (sensu Gradstein et al. 2004). During this cycle, mas-
sive  erosion  of  sediments  of  the  older  formations  began  in
the  nDB  marginal  parts  and  fluvial  sedimentation  survived
only in the central Gabčíkovo Depression. The thickness of
the  Quaternary  deposits  does  not  exceed  500 m  (Janáček
1969; Scharek et al. 2000).

Correlative lithostratigraphy between the northern

and southern Danube Basin

The lithostratigraphy of the Upper Miocene and Pliocene

sediments of the DB and the consequent definition of forma-
tions in the northern Slovak and southern Hungarian portions
of  the  basin  is  totally  different  because  various  methods  and
aspects  of  their  definition  have  been  used  up  to  now.  In  the
Slovak part, the formations were defined following the verti-
cal “age” stratification of the sedimentary record (Priechodská
& Harčár 1988; Vass 2002), similar to that in the Vienna Ba-
sin (sensu Papp 1951), while in the Hungarian portion the for-
mations  were  defined  as  various  depositional  systems,
independent of age and characterized by their sedimentary en-

Fig. 7. Sedimentary environments and facies of the northern Danube
Basin and their response on the composite spontaneous potential (SP)
well log, correlation between the formations used in the northern
(Slovak) and southern (Hungarian) parts of the Danube Basin (sensu
Juhász 1991, 1994; Juhász et al. 2007 and Kováč et al. 2010).

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vironment which was predominantly conditioned by the pa-
leo-geomorphology of the basin. This included the shelf, basin
slope, and deep basin floor (Juhász 1991, 1994; Császár et al.
1997; Magyar et al. 1999; Juhász et al. 2007; Magyar 2009).
However, the Hungarian formations were mainly defined in
the Great Hungarian Plain basins and not in the Little Hungar-
ian Plain area of the Danube Basin.

The new reevaluation of borehole archival data and seismic

lines from the nDB in Slovak territory, together with reinter-
pretation of the electrical log patterns from the basin’s deepest
parts show that the northwestern shelf of Lake Pannon did not
exceed a paleo-depth of 20—50 m. However, the floor of the
basin depocenters in Slovak territory initially had depths of
200—300 m (Fig. 6c).

When the Hungarian definition of formations is considered,

a very approximate correlation can currently validly divide the
Upper  Miocene  Ivánka  and  Beladice  Formations  into  sedi-
ments deposited in shallow- and deep-water settings. Shelf de-
posits  such  as  alluvial  and  deltaic  sediments  of  the  marshes,
lagoons, coastal and delta plains are present in the Újfalu For-
mation.  Further  subdivision  include  the  fine-grained  and
mainly  clay  marl  sediments  in  the  basin  paleo-slope  or  delta
slope  of  the  Algyő  Formation  and  the  Szolnok  Formation’s
deep-water sandy turbidites and the Endrőd Formation’s clays
and  marls  on  the  distant  basin  floor.  When  these  facts  were
considered, a partial correlation of the deep-water sedimentary
record of the nDB was performed between the still used “Papp
zones” sense and the “Hungarian” definition of formations in
the sense of depositional environments (Fig. 7).

The Upper Miocene deep-water sediments, which can be

correlated  with  the  Endrőd  Formation,  correspond  to  the  A
and B zones (sensu Papp 1951) and they reach a thickness of
50—100 m.  The  calcareous  clays  and  claystones,  represent
the base of the sequence and these were deposited in a basin
floor environment (Figs. 6b,c, 7). The overlying strata have a
thickness of 200 to 600 m and mainly contain fine- to medi-
um-grained  massive  sands  and  sandstone  bodies  separated
by layers of basin clays (C Zone; sensu Papp 1951). On the
basis of electrical log interpretations (Fig. 7) from drill holes
crossing  these  sediments  in  the  central  part  of  the  basin  we
can  assume  the  presence  of  sandy  high-density  gravity  cur-
rents and turbidites localized at the foot of the basin or delta
slope and on the adjacent basin floor (Figs. 6c, 7). This part
of the sedimentary sequence can be correlated with the Szol-
nok Formation.

According to the studied electrical logs, clays and silts,

100—200 m  thick  in  the  D  Zone  (sensu  Papp  1951),  capping
the  sandy  sediments  of  the  “C  Zone”  show  a  distinct  fining
upward  trend  of  grain  size  again  followed  by  a  gradual  in-
crease  in  sandy  component  towards  the  overlying  strata
(Figs. 6c,  7).  We  can  interpret  this  part  of  the  sedimentary
record as deposits of the basin or delta slope, and also as the
facies of the lower basin or delta front in some places, and cor-
relate them with the Hungarian Algyő Formation.

Sediments of the DB marginal portion, as well as lake de-

posits above the deep-water sedimentary record were general-
ly deposited in much shallower environments (E and F Zones;
sensu Papp 1951). These sediments represent deposits of the
coastal or delta plain including marshes, lagoons and delta

front. The sedimentary record is composed of cyclic deposi-
tion of sands, silts and clays, and the presence of coal-clays
and coal seams is very common, especially in outcrops at the
basin margins. We correlate these with the Hungarian Újfalu
Formation (Figs. 6c, 7).

The Upper Miocene to Lower Pliocene basin fill (Zones G

and  H;  sensu  Papp  1951)  of  the  nDB  is  represented  by  the
Volkovce  Formation  (Priechodská  & Harčár  1988;  Vass
2002)  which  has  a  serrated  pattern  on  electrical  logs  docu-
menting  the  alluvial  sedimentary  environment  of  this  part  of
the basin fill (Figs. 4c, 6).

Late Miocene and Pliocene geodynamics and

development of the nDB

Due to new results of multidisciplinary geological and geo-

physical  research,  progress  in  biostratigraphy,  definition  of
tectono-sedimentary  cycles,  and  correlative  lithostratigraphy,
we can better understand the Late Miocene and Pliocene evo-
lution of the nDB. This evolution was influenced by a geody-
namic background set up by asthenospheric mantle upheaval
in the back arc basin acting together with the overriding slab
pull – caused by the subduction retreat in front of the Eastern
Carpathians  during  this  time  (Horváth  1993;  Csontos  1995;
Lankreijer  et  al.  1995;  Bada  et  al.  1996,  2001;  Fodor  et  al.
1999; Konečný et al. 2002).

The current shape of the nDB, with characteristic digit like

depocenters in a NE—SW direction: the Blatné, Rišňovce, and
Komjatice Depressions (Fig. 1) is a result of the Middle Mio-
cene structural pattern development which controlled the
opening of these depressions from west to the east during the
Badenian and Sarmatian ages.

At the Middle—Late Miocene boundary no marked change

in the basin sedimentary fill architecture was observed along
the seismic lines in the basin center. However, frequent angu-
lar discordance between the Sarmatian and Lower Pannonian
sediments on the basin margin document an accelerated sub-
sidence of the basin.

The Late Miocene “wide rifting” of the nDB (sensu

Lankreijer et al. 1995) was controlled by a fault pattern similar
to  the  Middle  Miocene  one  (Marko  et  al.  1990,  1991,  1995;
Fodor  et  al.  1999;  Kováč  2000).  The  Pannonian  halfgrabens
and  grabens  subsided  predominantly  along  NNE—SSW  to
NE—SW  trending  fault  zones  operating  in  a  paleostress  field
with  a  NE—SW  oriented  maximal  compression  axis.  Follow-
ing  the  thickness  of  sediments  and  average  sedimentation
rates  (m/Myr)  during  individual  time  spans  at  selected  bore-
holes, a gradual increase in the Late Miocene deposition can
be observed from the basin margins toward its center (Fig. 8).
The Beladice Formation (9.7—8.9 Ma) gained maximum thick-
ness and an accelerated sedimentation rate during this time in
the Gabčíkovo Depression.

The following Late Miocene and Early Pliocene sedimen-

tation  of  the  Volkovce  Formation  (8.9—4.1 Ma)  document
a more  moderate  deposition.  The  tectonic  background  of
subsidence during this time span is not satisfactorily solved.
However,  it  is  proposed  that  the  origin  of  the  accommoda-
tion  space  was  initiated  due  to  thermal  subsidence  of  the

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back arc basin (Horváth 1993; Hrušecký et al. 1996). It ap-
pears that the mechanism of subsidence could also be mainly
controlled by the deep sub-crustal erosion above the mantle
diapir, allowing the sinking of the thinned overheated crust
of the nDB below the load of a massive sedimentary pile of
more than 4000 m at this time.

The thermal subsidence (sensu Horváth 1993), due to cool-

ing of the overheated lithosphere, may have started in the nDB
originally  during  the  Early  Pliocene  (Konečný  et  al.  2002).
This fact documents the change of lithosphere elastic proper-
ties  towards  a  more  brittle  condition  (Lankreijer  et  al.  1995,
1999;  Lankreijer  1998;  Bada  1999;  Dérerová  et  al.  2006).  A
northward advance of crustal deformations from southern re-
gions  began  at  the  end  of  the  Late  Miocene  and  during  the

Fig. 8. Sedimentation rates (m/million years) from boreholes in the
Blatné (Špačince 1, Abrahám 1); Rišňovce (Obdokovce 1, Diakov-
ce 1); Komjatice and Gabčíkovo Depressions (Ivánka 1, Moj-
mírovce 1 and Kolárovo 2).

Early Pliocene. This is dated by folding of the Pannonian sedi-
ments  –  “Sava  folds”;  sensu  Fodor  et  al.  (1999)  and  it  first
reached the northern regions during the Late Pliocene (indi-
cated by the transpressive tectonic regime in the Western Car-
pathians  causing  their  accelerated  uplift;  sensu  Minár  et  al.
2011).  All  these  tectonic  events  were  induced  by  the  move-
ment of the Adriatic plate northward (Sacchi & Horváth 2002;
Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al. 2005; Horváth et al. 2006).

In the nDB, this considerable change in tectonic regimes is

marked by angular discordance between the Upper Pliocene
sediments and underlying strata, and also by increased deposi-
tion during this time period (Fig. 8) in the central Gabčíkovo
Depression (Kolárovo Formation; 4.1—2.6 Ma).

Inversion of the DB northern margin, due to the accelerated

uplift  of  the  Western  Carpathians  led  to  the  basin  inversion
which persisted into the Quaternary, and was associated with
erosion of the uplifted nDB sedimentary formations (Kováč et
al. 2006; Minár et al. 2011). This yielded sediments for sub-
siding depocenters in its central part. The following Late Qua-
ternary  subsidence  of  the  Gabčíkovo  Depression  along
NW—SE  trending  normal  faults  (Herrmann  et  al.  1998)  was
possibly  connected  with  the  change  of  transpressive  tectonic
regimes  to  transtensional  by  the  NW—SE  orientation  of  the
principal  maximum  paleostress  axis  by  the  final  stage  of  the
basin’s evolution (Vojtko et al. 2008; Králiková et al. 2010).

The Pliocene to Quaternary basin inversion of the Pannon-

ian-Carpathian  system  is  related  to  changes  in  the  regional
stress field leading to differential vertical movements associ-
ated  with  a  laterally  variable  folding  mechanism  which  was
active in the entire system (sensu Cloetingh et al. 2005). The
lateral variability was a result of marked contrast in rheology
between various areas, directly related to the crustal configu-
ration,  thermal  properties  and  late-stage  collision  kinematics
of  the  Carpathians.  The  finite-element  numerical-modelling
study  by  Jarosinski  et  al.  (2011)  also  predicted  a  successive
development in surface undulations caused by crustal and/or
lithosphere folding and a change in the stress state along the
flanks  of  the  basin,  due  to  the  development  of  a  weak  basin
lithosphere in their vicinity.

Discussion

The Late Miocene and Pliocene paleogeography of the

Western  Carpathians  and  the  northern  Danube  Basin  (nDB),
located in the hinterland of the mountain chain (Kováč et al.
1993; Magyar et al. 1999) can also be judged from a qualita-
tive mass balance relationship viewpoint. An example of this
is the relationship between the uplifting source and the sinking
areas.  The  tectonically  active  periods  of  the  mountain  chain
uplift  are  recorded  in  the  basin  fill,  with  the  deposition  of
coarse-grained  sedimentary  bodies  and  the  tectonically  quiet
periods are characterized by predominantly fine-grained sedi-
ments deposition.

The nDB sedimentary history documents a Late Miocene

lacustrine cycle (Early and Middle Pannonian) followed after
8.9 Ma by a second cycle (Late Pannonian to Early Pliocene)
with an environment of alluvial plains. The absence of greater
amounts of coarse-grained sediments such as gravels and

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conglomerates in the majority of the sedimentary fill during
both  cycles  indicates  the  development  of  a  moderate  land-
scape in the hinterland of the basin. This agrees with the doc-
umented  development  of  the  Mid-mountain  level  –  main
planation surfaces of the Western Carpathians (Mazúr 1963;
Minár  2003),  dated  between  10—6 Ma  (Minár  et  al.  2011;
Kováč et al. 2011).

The commencement of a rapid uplift in the Western Car-

pathian mountain chain documented between 6—4 Ma (Kováč
et al. 2011) is not visible in the sedimentary record of the ba-
sin  center,  and  no  abrupt  change  or  erosion  surface  is  to  be
found  on  the  seismic  lines  crossing  the  basin.  This  tectonic
event  can  be  supported  only  by  the  onset  of  coarser  deltaic
sedimentation  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Volkovce  Formation
(Late Turolian MN13(14?) mammalian Biozone), when a fan
delta of the paleo-Hron river entered the basin in the Kom-
jatice Depression (Baráth & Kováč 1995; Fig. 5G).

The Late Pliocene (4.1—2.6 Ma) and Quaternary accelera-

tion  of  the  Western  Carpathian  chain  uplift  (Minár  et  al.
2011),  which  was  associated  with  tectonic  inversion  of  the
nDB margins, was tectonically controlled and it led to the cur-
rent landscape and development of the river network. Eroded
material from the mountains was transported by the rivers to-
wards the lowlands (Fig. 5H); the paleo-Váh river entered the
basin and the Kolárovo Formation was deposited (Kováč et al.
2006).  The  Quaternary  nDB  was  divided  into  uplifting  hilly
lands and subsiding plains.

Conclusions

The significant results of the nDB study and its correlation

with the southern Hungarian portion can be summarized as
follows:

A new biostratigraphical and lithostratigraphical concept

of the Upper Miocene and Pliocene nDB fill:

(a) The time range of the Volkovce Formation (Priechod-

ská & Harčár 1988; Vass 2002) previously dated as the Early
Pliocene (Dacian), was shifted from 5.3—3.6 Ma to the time
span of 8.9—4.1 Ma due to new paleomagnetic and biostrati-
graphical data, and also new analysis of borehole logs and
seismic profiles;

(b) The time range of the Beladice Formation (Priechodská

& Harčár 1988; Vass 2002) previously correlated with the
Pontian regional stage, was shifted from 7.1—5.3 Ma to 9.7—
8.9 Ma due to new paleomagnetic, biostratigraphical data,
and also new analysis of borehole logs and seismic profiles;

(Priechodská & Harčár 1988; Vass 2002), previously dated
11.6—7.1 Ma, was shifted to 11.6—9.7 Ma due to new paleo-
magnetic, biostratigraphical data, and also new analysis of
borehole logs and seismic profiles.

Three tectono-sedimentary cycles were documented in

the Upper Miocene and Pliocene fill of the nDB (Slovakia):

(a) The first Late Miocene (Pannonian) tectono-sedimen-

tary cycle (11.6—8.9 Ma), representing a lacustrine to alluvial
depositional system, comprising the Ivánka and Beladice
Formations, was deposited on the prograding margin of the
Lake Pannon in various environments. We can define this

succession  as  deposits  of  alluvial,  lagoonal,  and  deltaic  to
basin slope and basin floor facies shifting over time and to-
wards the basin center. Just as in the southern part of the ba-
sin in Hungary, the individual depositional systems based on
sedimentary  facies  changes  can  be  defined  and  named  as
lithostratigraphic  entities  uniformly  in  the  southern,  as  well
as in the northern DB. (1) The shallow-water setting deposits
of  alluvial  and  delta  plain  (marshes,  lagoons,  coastal,  and
delta plain) are represented by the Újfalu Formation. (2) De-
posits  of  the  paleo-slope  or  delta-slope  of  the  Lake  Pannon
comprise the Algyő Formation. (3) Sandy turbidites form the
Szolnok Formation and (4) the deep-water setting marls and
clays make up the Endrőd Formation;

(b) The second Late Miocene to Early Pliocene tectono-

sedimentary  cycle  (8.9—4.1 Ma),  representing  a  predomi-
nantly  alluvial  depositional  system,  began  to  develop  after
loss of accommodation space. The alluvial package of sedi-
ments is represented by the Volkovce Formation in Slovakia,
and by the Zagyva Formation in Hungary. The depositional
environments can be characterized as alluvial – with a wide
range  of  facies  –  from  fluvial,  deltaic,  ephemeral  lake  to
marshes, and dry land deposits;

2.6 Ma), predominantly represented by the proluvial to allu-
vial depositional system, comprises deposition at the nDB
margins and in the basin “remnant depocenters” which are
mainly situated in its central part. The third cycle comprises
the Kolárovo Formation in Slovakia.

The Late Miocene to Pliocene geodynamic development

of the nDB, with two important changes of structural pattern
(paleostress field orientation), was documented:

(a) The Late Miocene to Early Pliocene synrift stage with

paleostress field with maximal compression axis of NE—SW
orientation;

(b) The Late Pliocene and Quaternary stage of inversion

with a Quaternary paleostress field change. Here, the maxi-
mal compression axis changed orientation from NE—SW to
NW—SE.

Qualitative mass balance relations, such as relations be-

tween the uplifting source and sinking areas can be charac-
terized as follows:

(a) The Late Miocene tectonically quiet period with the

absence of a greater amount of coarse-grained sediments in
the majority of the nDB sedimentary fill (10—6 Ma) indicates
the development of a moderate topography in the hinterland
of the basin. These facts agree well with the documented de-
velopment of the main planation surfaces of the Western
Carpathians, at the Mid-mountain level;

(b) The uplift of the Western Carpathians mountain chain

documented between 6—4 Ma is not visible in the basin sedi-
mentary record, and no abrupt change or erosion surface can
be found on seismic lines crossing the basin center. This tec-
tonic event is supported only by the onset of coarser deltaic
sedimentation in the Volkovce Formation upper part, when a
fan delta of the paleo-Hron river entered the basin;

and Quaternary acceleration of the mountain chain uplift led
to the current landscape and development of the river net-
work.

531

LATE MIOCENE—PLIOCENE DEPOSITIONAL SYSTEMS AND SEDIMENTARY CHANGES OF THE DANUBE BASIN

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA

GEOLOGICA CARPATHICA, 2011, 62, 6, 519—534

Acknowledgments: The authors wish to express gratitude to
the  Geological  Company  EUROGEOLOGIC  for  providing
geophysical and geological data, and to the following review-
ers of article; M. Harzhauser, I. Magyar and P. Bosák for their
very useful suggestions which improved the scientific quality
of this paper. The work was financially supported by the Slo-
vak  Research  and  Development  Agency  under  the  contracts
No. APVV-LPP-0120-60, APVV 0280-07, APVV 0158-06 &
ESF-EC-0006-07  and  by  the  VEGA  agency,  under  contracts
VEGA1/0483/10 & VEGA 1/0712/11.

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