Geološki anali Balkanskoga poluostrva

A Century since the birth of Milorad Dimitrijević and Stevan Karamata: A tribute to their scientific legacy

Nevenka Đerić — 2026-07-23

The Geološki anali Balkanskoga poluostrva has long been committed not only to publishing scientific research but also to preserving the memory of the scientists whose work laid the foundations of geological research in the former Yugoslavia. In this spirit, the present issue is dedicated to two scientists whose influence extends far beyond the pages of any single journal. Regardless of whether, and to what extent, their research was published in this journal, their contributions to the geological sciences in Serbia and the broader Balkan region remains immeasurable. At a time when scientific achievements are often viewed only through current metrics and publication records, it is important to remember the scientists whose work established the foundations upon which present‐day research continues to build. This Special Issue is dedicated to the memory of Milorad Dimitrijević and Stevan Karamata and to their enduring scientific legacy. This year also provides a fitting opportunity to celebrate these two giants of Serbian geology through the organization of the international Alpine Workshop (17th EGU Émile Argand Conference on Alpine Geological Studies) in Serbia. Therefore, the contributions collected in this volume reflect not only the breadth of geological disciplines they helped shape and their lasting impact on the understanding of Balkan geology, but also their dedication to field‐based geological research, exemplified by the publication of the Alpine Workshop field guides included in this issue. Remembering Milorad Dimitrijević and Stevan Karamata is therefore more than an act of commemoration. It is an opportunity to bring their work closer to younger colleagues and students who know their names from textbooks, geological maps, and scientific citations, but may not have had the opportunity to experience their personalities and influence firsthand. Many members of today’s Serbian geological community had the privilege of being influenced by their work and ideas. Some of us were fortunate enough to know and collaborate with both of them. Although they differed greatly in personality, scientific approach, and professional style, each left a profound mark on our development as geologists and researchers. Beneath these differences, however, they shared the same vision: to advance geological knowledge, to educate future generations, and to ensure that the achievements of Serbian geology would be recognized within the broader European scientific community. One hundred years after their birth, their scientific contributions remain an integral part of Serbian geology. Equally enduring are the values they embodied: a deep respect for fieldwork; the understanding that a geological observation remains a fact regardless of how differently it may be interpreted; and the conviction that scientific data become truly valuable only when shared with the broader community through publication and constructive scientific debate.

In memoriam - DIMITRIJEVIĆ, Milorad D.

Milan Sudar — 2026-07-23

DIMITRIJEVIĆ, Milorad D.
PhD in Geology and Geological Engineering,
University Professor
(Ruma, 28. April 1926 – Belgrade, 27. September 2009)

In memoriam - KARAMATA, Stevan O.

Vladica Cvetković — 2026-07-23

KARAMATA, Stevan O.
PhD in Geology and Geological Engineering,
University Professor
(Zemun, 26 September 1926 – Belgrade, 25 July 2015)

The Zvornik “Suture” in the Internal Dinarides: A Key to Understanding Regional Strike‑Slip Structures in the Balkans

Ana Mladenović — 2026-07-23

Sedimentary basins that develop in convergent tectonic settings are excellent archives for evidence of the tectonic processes active during orogen formation. A representative example of this basin type occurs in the Internal Dinarides, at the boundary between the two most distal tectonic units of Adria – the Jadar–Kopaonik and Drina–Ivanjica units. This sedimentary basin possesses unique characteristics not described elsewhere in the Dinarides: it contains an “olistostrome mélange” formation, which Milorad Dimitrijević (1973) interpreted as a mélange produced by subduction and/or underthrusting of the Drina–Ivanjica element beneath the Jadar block. The type locality where this unit was first described is in the vicinity of town Zvornik, while the tectonic structure along which subduction was postulated was subsequently named the “Zvornik suture”. In this study we focus on another locality where the Upper Cretaceous “olistostrome mélange” has been mapped – the Jelica Mts. near the town of Čačak. By applying structural‐geological mapping and detailed study of magmatic rocks and sedimentary successions across the broader Jelica Mts. area, we aimed to determine the principal properties of the tectonic structures related to activity along the Zvornik Fault, and to assess the potential geodynamic significance of this Upper Cretaceous “mélange”. Our results suggest that the volcano–sedimentary series of the Jelica Mts. represents deposition within a wedge‐top basin that developed due to the oblique thrust of the Jadar–Kopaonik Unit. The pronounced dextral horizontal component along this thrust could have created transtensional domains in which partial melting of the upper mantle produced basalts which in this study are determined at 87.4 ± 0.96 Ma. Based on our findings, we conclude that the Zvornik Fault represents the front of the Jadar–Kopaonik thrust, which in recent stress field accommodate a significant dextral strike‐slip component.

The The extinct diatom species Thalassiosira rugulosa (HAJÓS) OGNJANOVA‑RUMENOVA – typification and biostratigraphic significance

Nadja Ognjanova-Rumenova — 2026-07-23

Thalassiosira rugulosa (HAJÓS) OGNJANOVA‐RUMENOVA is described and typified as a new fossil diatom combination belonging to the plicated group of the genus Thalassiosira Cl. Until now, these specimens had been identified in a series of biostratigraphic studies conducted in Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Romania under the name Coscinodiscus rugulosus Hajós. The presence of loculate areolae ‐ open to the outside by foramina and internally occluded byslightly raised cribrum, as well as two types of processes, both rimoportula and fultoportulae, confirms its assignment to the genus Thalassiosira Cl.

Latest Ladinian–Early Carnian radiolarian assemblages from the Zlošnica section (Zlatar Mt., SW Serbia): biostratigraphic implications

Nikita Bragin — 2026-07-23

The upper part of the Nova Varoš Formation (Late Longobardian) and the Zlošnica Formation (Late Longobardian to Early Carnian) are exposed in the valley of the Zlošnica River (Zlatar Mt. area) as a radiolarite‐carbonate succession more than 50 m thick. The lower part of the section (uppermost part of the Nova Varoš Formation) is characterized by a radiolarian assemblage containing Muelleritortis cochleata (NAKASEKO & NISHIMURA) and Tritortis kretaensis (KOZUR & KRAHL). Their co‐occurence indicates the upper part of the Muelleritortis cochleata Zone (Latest Ladinian). The upper part of section (Zlošnica Formation) is characterized by an assemblage belonging to the Early Carnian Tritortis kretaensis Zone. The Early Carnian succession of the Zlošnica section was deposited in a basin situated between the Wetterstein Carbonate Platform of the Drina–Ivanjica Unit to the east and the Wetterstein Carbonate Platform of the East–Bosnian Durmitor Megaunit to the west. This succession records a short‐lived, newly formed intraplatform basin that developed between rapidly prograding carbonate platforms during the Early Carnian.

Transition from Paleotethys to Neotethys as a forgotten input for Vardar paleo‑oceanic studies: Differences between the early Alpine, Early Cimmerian (Middle–Late Triassic) and ”Neocimmerian” (latest Jurassic) deformation stages („weak accretion”)

Darko Spahić — 2026-07-23

An analysis of the extensive geoscientific legacy of the late Professors Milorad Dimitrijević (“Kvaks”) and Stevan Karamata, a century after their birth, shows that both authors published numerous studies on the Neo‐Tethys, primarily focused on the Mesozoic Vardar Ocean. The term “Vardar Ocean”, in its modern sense, was introduced by Prof. Dimitrijević, whose work also addressed the geology of western Serbia and the Inner Dinaride Ophiolite Belt. Similarly, Prof. Stevan Karamata concentrated on the westernmost and central parts of the Vardar Zone (East Vardar Zone). Despite their detailed investigations of the exposed ophiolite belts across the western Balkan Peninsula, both authors made only a few, though highly significant, observations regarding the largely overlooked western Paleotethys Ocean, interpreted as a precursor oceanic domain. Despite these contributions, the role of the Paleotethys Ocean in the evolution of the Neotethys Vardar Ocean remains poorly understood. Terms such as “Early Cimmerian” (a post‐Variscan suturing event related to Paleotethys closure) and “Neocimmerian” (a suturing event related to the Neotethys and Innerdinaric oceans) have been omitted from many published studies. Importantly, both the Early Cimmerian and Neocimmerian events are characterized by weak accretion or “docking”. By examining the role of the Paleotethys Ocean, and whether its subduction and closure influenced the opening and development of the Neotethys Vardar Ocean, this study provides an initial insight into the overlapping early Alpine and Eocimmerian tectonic stages.

Cenozoic magmatism and metallogeny in Serbia: insights from the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex

Stefan Petrovic — 2026-07-23

This field guide accompanies the pre‐conference field trip of the 17^th EGU Émile Argand Conference on Alpine Geological Studies and presents key exposures of the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex and the associated Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag skarn deposit in central Serbia. The excursion focuses on the relationships between Oligocene–Miocene post‐collisional magmatism, hydrothermal activity, contact metamorphism, and polymetallic ore formation within the Serbo–Macedonian Cenozoic magmatic–metallogenic province. The principal field stops are located within the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex and encompass quartz–latite volcanic and subvolcanic facies, diatreme breccias, contact‐metamorphic rocks, and underground exposures of skarnhosted sulfide mineralization. To place the Rudnik system within a broader volcanological context, the field trip also includes the nearby Borač volcanic complex, which preserves a more complete record of volcanic and pyroclastic facies associated with Oligocene–Miocene post‐collisional magmatism in central Serbia. The selected localities provide complementary insights into the volcanic, subvolcanic, and hydrothermal processes that governed the evolution of magmatic–hydrothermal systems and associated Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag mineralization within the Serbo–Macedonian Cenozoic magmatic–metallogenic province.

Triassic–Jurassic intraplatform basins in the Dinarides: Myth or reality? The Neo‑Tethys geodynamic history along a cross‑section through the Inner to Outer Dinarides (Serbia–Montenegro)

Hans-Jürgen Gawlick — 2026-07-23

The topic of the field trip will be the Triassic–Jurassic depositional history of the Dinarides with special focus on the relations between areas with shallow‐water carbonate production (ramps, plaforms) and related deep-water sedimentary successions. To understand the Mesozoic (mainly Triassic–Jurassic) geodynamic evolution of the Western Tethys Realm this is essential, with the Dinarides as a very important and crucial orogen in that region. In fact, the Dinarides are the only mountain range in the Western Tethys Realm which allows insights in the Mesozoic evolution along a relative complete east‐west cross‐section below the Middle to early Late Jurassic obducted ophiolites, which derive from the Neo‐Tethys (or Vardar Ocean in different nomenclature) to the east. Meanwhile it is in general accepted that all ophiolites have their provenance east of today’s Dinarides and are not part of small independent and long persistent (~70‐80 Ma) oceanic basins between microcontinents (terranes). The Triassic(–Jurassic) central shelf arrangement, that is the area between the tectonic units of the Drina–Ivanjica unit in the east and the Pre Karst/High Karst units to the west is supposed to consist of a series of shallow‐water carbonate production areas (“platforms”) with intermediate long‐lasting deep‐water basins between these platforms. This scenario of long persisting deep‐water basins between “platforms” has also to be restricted to the time span Middle to Late Triassic (Late Pelsonian to Rhaetian; ~40 million years). Only in some areas shallow‐water carbonate production prevailed until the Early Jurassic, but carbonate platforms could not be formed in the Early Jurassic after the mass extinction at the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. This area comprises today the East Bosnian–Durmitor megaunit, a unit which experienced during the history of geological studies various interpretations and modifications.
We will discuss the Middle Triassic to Jurassic various deep‐water successions in the light of supposed deep‐water (intraplatform) basins between time equivalent carbonate platforms in relation to facts regarding:
A) Carbonate production under tropical shallow‐water conditions forming carbonate platforms,
B) Carbonate platform models with respect to sea‐level fluctuations,
C) Carbonate production during times of environmental crises and perturbations,
D) Facies models of carbonate platforms, and
E) The principles of carbonate sequence stratigraphy and highstand shedding.

The field trip will focus on the various deep‐water sedimentary rocks during the Triassic–Jurassic geodynamic history deposited in different basins: rift‐basins, shelf areas, oceanic domains, trench‐like basins, foreland basins. To understand the complex Triassic to Jurassic sedimentological and geodynamic evolution we will visit and study:
•The Middle Triassic to Middle Jurassic passive margin evolution: all depositional realms from the continental slope to the central shelf.
•The Middle Triassic continental break‐up: Anisian demise of shallow‐water carbonate production (ramp geometry), horst‐and‐graben formation (breakup unconformity), and deposition of deep‐marine sediments elsewhere
(drowning succession).
•Restart of shallow‐water carbonate production in the Middle and Late Triassic: the sedimentary sequences in the deep‐water depositional realm as mirror of platform progradation (sequence stratigraphy, highstand shedding, and
carbonate production potential).
•Reasons for the demise of the Triassic shallow‐water platforms and the expression of these events in deep‐water settings.
•Condensed Early–Middle Jurassic deep‐water sedimentary rocks.
•Active continental margin evolution: Middle to Late Jurassic trench‐like basin formation and nappe stacking in front of obducting ophiolites, large‐scale mass movements (radiolaritic/argillaceous matrix), mélange formation.

The field trip area, that are the main parts of the East Bosnian–Durmitor megaunit, provides well preserved insights in the whole Mesozoic geological/sedimentological/geodynamic evolution of the Dinarides as part of the mountain ranges in the Western Tethys Realm with an identical history and tectonostratigraphy. The sedimentary sequences of the East Bosnian–Durmitor megaunit, that is the lowermost tectonic unit in that part of the cross‐section allows a detailed reconstruction of the latest Permian to Middle/early Late Jurassic history of the central shelf area. In Middle Jurassic times in the area of the East Bosnian–Durmitor megaunit new trench‐like deep‐water basins were formed in the frame of ophiolite obduction, and in front of the west‐ward propagating nappe stack. These newly formed deep‐water basins in front of advancing nappes received material from the nappe stack bulldozed by the west‐direct obducting ophiolites onto the foreland of the wider Adriatic plate, with the Dinarides as part of it. These trench‐like
foreland basins were later incorporated into the nappe stack of the Dinarides forming today various mélanges, originally mainly sedimentary mélanges, that are chaotic basin‐fills with a general coarsening‐upward trend. These mélanges in the various basins formed in sequence from east to west contain as reworked material (from cm‐sized components to km‐sized blocks in a deep‐water radio laritic/argillaceous matrix) all facies zones from the Triassic to Middle Jurassic outer to central passive margin configuration to the oceanic realm, but predominantly from the continental slope and outer (deep‐water) shelf environment. We will visit sequences originally deposited on the continental slope, the outer shelf region (Hallstatt facies), and the basinal sequences near to the reef rim, the reef‐basin transition, and the open lagoonal area. Furthermore, in cases complete sequences are also preserved in far‐travelled nappes bulldozed in front of the obducting ophiolites onto the foreland. These nappes rest above the various sedimentary mélanges and below the obducted ophiolites with their ophioliticmélanges at the base.

The whole story is very well visible and preserved in our field trip area, with some special highlights of rather practically nowhere in the Western Tethys Realm preserved sequences, but well exposed in northern Montenegro. The question “Are there Triassic–Jurassic intraplatform basins in the Dinarides?” will be answered during the field trip by the various sedimentary rocks and the depositional history through time and space. The history from deposition in a rift setting to a passive continental margin evolution and finally to an active margin setting, in combination with the rules of facies and sedimentology, the principles of carbonate production, basin formation and evolution, beside other conformities with natural laws, is preserved in the different sedimentary succession like in a book. We will try to read that book, and try to understand why scientists in different times had read this book in a different way and gave us a different translation, i.e. interpretation.

The Mihajlovići section from East Bosnian–Durmitor megaunit at northern Montenegro is the type‐locality of the newly defined Early Jurassic (?Middle/Late Hettangian to Late Pliensbachian) Mihajlovići Formation.

Orogenic structure of the Serbian Carpathians: a synthesis from the Danube River Gorge transect

Uroš Stojadinović — 2026-07-23

The Serbian Carpathians, a segment of the Carpatho–Balkanides orogen, preserve a tectonic record of Jurassic to Miocene evolution related to the opening and closure of the Ceahlău–Severin ocean. The Danube River
Gorge provides an exceptional field transect through this orogenic system, exposing the main tectonic units, their lithostratigraphic architecture, and the superposed deformation phases that define the present‐day structure of the
orogen. This contribution synthesizes field observations from ten key localities distributed along the Danube River Gorge between Golubac and Donji Milanovac. The transect directly documents the relationships among the Supragetic–Getic unit, the Ceahlău–Severin unit, and the Danubian unit, as well as their associated sedimentary successions, contractional structures, and post‐orogenic fault systems. The field profile includes deep‐water Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous sedimentary successions deposited along the passive continental margin of the Ceahlău–Severin ocean, tectonic contacts within the Dacia megaunit, east‐vergent folds and thrusts related to the emplacement of the Danubian nappes, and younger strike‐slip and extensional structures linked to Cenozoic strain partitioning. The transect demonstrates that the first‐order architecture of the Serbian Carpathians is primarily controlled by latest Cretaceous east‐vergent nappe emplacement, during which Dacia‐derived units were thrust over the Danubian domain. Earlier Jurassic–Early Cretaceous extension established the paleogeographic and structural template of the system, whereas late Early Cretaceous deformation records internal nappe stacking within the Dacia mega‐unit. Oligocene–Miocene strike‐slip and extensional deformation subsequently segmented the nappe stack without fundamentally modifying its overall geometry. The Danube River Gorge, therefore, provides a unique field‐based framework for understanding the tectonic evolution and orogenic architecture of the Serbian Carpathians.

Transect through the Vardar Mega Suture Zone

Ana Mladenović — 2026-07-23

In this contribution, we present the field guide that accompanies the post‐meeting excursion FT4 of the 17^th EGU Émile Argand Conference on Alpine Geological Studies. Tectonic maps of Serbia are dominated by broad, chiefly NNW–SSE belts of ophiolitic and ophiolite‐related units ‐ East Vardar, West Vardar, and Dinaric ophiolites ‐ representing dismembered fragments of Mesozoic oceanic lithosphere. These assemblages include serpentinized peridotites, gabbros, and basalts, associated with a deep‐marine sediments and exotic blocks (olistoliths and olistoplaques) set within a silty‐sandy matrix. Although strongly deformed following obduction, the ophiolite complexes constitute the key archive for reconstructing Phanerozoic interactions between the southern Eurasian margin and terranes derived from northern Gondwana across the Mesozoic Tethys. The excursion stops span this spectrum – from kilometer‐scale obducted peridotite massifs and their metamorphic soles, through gabbro–diabase complexes and granitoid intrusions, to small basaltic and radiolarian chert olistoliths in mélange, offering direct field evidence of the Tethyan lithosphere and its tectonic evolution.

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

Bojan Kostić — 2026-07-23

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.