The Western Carpathian Foredeep - Development of the foreland basin in front of the accretionary wedge and its burial history (Poland)

The Early to Middle Miocene Carpathian Foredeep in Poland (PCF) developed a s a peripheral foreland basin related to the moving Carpathian front. The s ubsidence of the basin was controlled both by the sediment and thrust-induc ed load. The main episodes of intensive subsidence in the PCF correspond to the period of progressive emplacement of the Western Carpathians onto the foreland plate, with exception of the "dormant" Carpathian frontal thrust d uring the "Middle Badenian" salinary event when a low subsidence or uplift took place. The important driving force of tectonic subsidence was the empl acement of the nappe load related to the subduction roll-back. During that time the loading effect of the thickening of the Carpathian accretionary we dge on the foreland plate increased and was followed by progressive acceler ation of total subsidence. The mean rate of the Carpathian overthrusting, a nd north to north-east migration of the axis of depocentres reached 12 mm/a at that time. During the Late Badenian-Sarmatian time the rate of advance of the Carpathian accretionary wedge was lower than that of pinch-out migra tion and, as a result, the basin widened. The Miocene convergence of the Ca rpathian wedge resulted in the migration of depocenters and onlap of the su ccessively younger deposits onto the foreland plate.