Dinarides-Hellenides Project 2018-2020

The external Dinarides and Hellenides are an underexplored fold-and-thrust belt in southeastern Europe, with an emerging petroleum potential. Focused studies in the region aim to reduce uncertainty in seismic interpretation and petroleum system analysis by giving field constraints on along-strike variability in structural architecture, deformation timing and the composition and provenance of syn-orogenic deposits.

An approximately 40 m high cliff face showing a thick slump bed composed of interbedded carbonates and calcarenites, with coherent folding in its lower part and more chaotic deformation above (Antipaxos island, NW Greece, Pre-Apulian unit).

Main Objectives

  • Document and discuss the field geology of Epirus, including prominent structural geological features, and the thickness and sedimentology of Late Eocene to Pliocene syn-orogenic strata.
  • Construct regional structural transects in the southern external Dinarides (Montenegro) and the northern external Hellenides (Greece) to better understand the style and amount of shortening, changes across transverse zones and their relationship to inherited Mesozoic structures.
  • Constrain the burial and unroofing history of the external Dinarides and Hellenides using vitrinite reflectance, and detrital apatite (U-Th)/He and fission track analyses.
  • Study the onset and duration of syn-orogenic deposition between Slovenia and northwestern Greece based on newly acquired biostratigraphic data.
  • Analyse the carbonate-flysch transition at selected locations to give constraints on changes of depositional setting, trends in the palaeowater depth and the seal potential of basal flysch sediments.
  • Conduct multi-proxy provenance analysis on selected samples from Slovenia to Albania to define potential source regions and highlight areas of orogenic activity.

Project length: 24 months from September 2018.

Contact(s): Balazs Toro

Reports Issued in This Project

Products