THE EAST SLOVAKIAN BASIN - A COMPLEX BACK-ARC BASIN

The East Slovakian Basin is situated on the junction of the Western an d Eastern Carpathians. It is superimposed on the frontal part of the C arpathian internides, behind the Tertiary accretionary wedge of the Ca rpathian externides represented by the Flysch Belt. The development of the basin was controlled by the collision of the Carpathian orogen wi th the European platform and later by crustal extension and thermal su bsidence in the Pannonian domain. The Early Miocene basin evolution wa s dominantly influenced by the collisional process. During the Eggenbu rgian, a narrow relic fore-are basin was formed along the suture betwe en the Carpathian internides and externides, nowadays represented by t he Pieniny Klippen Belt. The compressive regime resulted in the disint egration of the basin, followed by the Ottnangian uplift and the devel opment of a deep-seated dextral strike-slip fault zone. During the Kar patian, the central part of the basin was opened by a pull-apart mecha nism, which stepwise changed to extensional basin evolution during the Lower and Middle Badenian. From the Upper Badenian on, the basin deve lopment was influenced by crustal extension associated with updoming o f the mantle masses. A back-are basin developed. During the Late Mioce ne, the East Slovakian Basin became a peripheral part of the Pannonian Basin System, where the sedimentation was controlled by the thermal s ubsidence at that time. During the Pontian and Pliocene a NE-SW-orient ed compression was indicated.