Dinarides-Hellenides
The Dinarides-Hellenides are a complex orogen of Cretaceous to Recent age. Oil and gas are produced both in Albania, including the largest onshore oil field in Europe, and in the Croatian offshore, but the region is underexplored. The Dinarides-Hellenides have often been regarded as the mirror image of the Apennines where significant hydrocarbon production is present. The complexity of the fold-and-thrust belt is the key exploration issue in many areas. Source rocks, often associated with evaporitic strata, are abundant in the Ionian unit of Albania and Greece, but their presence is poorly constrained elsewhere.
Map of Region
Regional Expertise
CASP initiated research on the Dinarides-Hellenides in 2014. Since then, the tectonics and the stratigraphy of the region have been reviewed. Ongoing research is targeting the tectonic evolution of the external Dinarides and Hellenides, as well as the age and provenance of syn-orogenic deposits throughout the orogen via extensive fieldwork and analyses.
Active Research Projects
Most Recent Reports
- The external Dinarides of Montenegro: insights from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He analyses CASP.DHP2018-20.19
- The nature of the carbonate-flysch transition in the external Dinarides and Hellenides (Croatia, Albania, Greece): timing and paleoenvironmental changes CASP.DHP2018-20.18
- Onset and duration of syn-orogenic sedimentation in the external Dinarides and Hellenides based on calcareous nannoplankton analysis CASP.DHP2018-20.17
- A field-constrained balanced cross-section across the external Dinarides in Montenegro CASP.DHP2018-20.16
- A geological reconnaissance of the islands of Paxos and Antipaxos CASP.DHP2018-20.15