Field excursion guide to the Geology of Fruška Gora (Southern Pannonian Basin,Serbia)

Abstract

Fruška Gora, a prominent inselberg within the southern margin of the Pannonian Basin, preserves a complex geological record of both orogenic and post‐orogenic processes in the central Balkans. This one‐day field excursion highlights key outcrops of the Vardar Zone ophiolitic belt, including Serbia’s only documented blueschist‐facies rocks, as well as serpentinites, diabases, and pillow lavas, which collectively record subduction‐related metamorphism and the emplacement of oceanic lithosphere during the closure of the Neotethys ocean. Additional stops include Upper Cretaceous flysch successions intruded by Oligocene latites (≈35 Ma), whose tectonic evolution has been constrained by paleomagnetic studies documenting postcollisional rotations and extensional tectonics. Together, these localities provide valuable insights into the interplay of subduction, magmatism, and basin evolution, establishing Fruška Gora as a key site for understanding the geodynamic history of the southern Pannonian Basin.