In the Early to Middle Miocene, the post‐orogenic intramontane lacustrine Sinj Basin that belonged to the Dinarides Lake System evolved in the area of the External Dinarides. A composite 770 m thick stratigraphic column was measured spanning the basin's stratigraphy. Eight facies were differentiated. Four facies are almost entirely composed of freshwater carbonate deposits. Carbonate facies are divided into calcareous mudstone, charophytic micritic limestone, calcisiltite and coquina facies. They are interpreted to belong to a prograding carbonate bench on a gently inclined lake margin. In addition, tuff/clays, carbonate conglomerate, carbonate breccia and coal were differentiated. The tuff/clays are the result of remote volcanic eruptions, while the coarse‐grained sediments belong to subaqueous shallow stream channels or were deposited by gravity flows. The coal at the top of the measured succession, mostly of allochthonous origin, was deposited as a fen forest peat, representing the final stage of the lake. The formation of the Sinj Basin might have been triggered by dissolution of Permo‐Triassic evaporites, within the mostly carbonate basement but also by breakdown and collapse of Mesozoic and Palaeogene carbonate rocks and coalescence of contiguous sinkholes. The non‐tectonic interpretation of the basin genesis is a novel hypothesis explaining the origin of one of the Dinarides intramontane basins and is in contrast to previous considerations that evolution of the Sinj Basin was controlled by strike‐slip or extensional tectonics.

The Pannonian Basin is an intraorogenic extensional region floored by a complex system of Alpine orogenic terranes and oceanic suture zones. Its formation dates back to the beginning of the Miocene, and initial fluvial-lacustrine deposits pass into shallow to open marine strata, including a large amount of calc-alkaline volcanic materials erupted during the culmination of the synrift phase. The onset of the postrift phase occurred during the Late Miocene, when the basin became isolated and a large Pannonian lake developed. Early lacustrine marls are overlain by turbiditic sandstones and silts related to a progradational shelf slope and a delta plain sequence passing upward into alluvial plain deposits and eolian sands. A remarkable nonconformity at the top of lacustrine strata associated with a significant (4–7 my) time gap at large parts of the basin documents a neotectonic phase of activity, manifested by regional strike-slip faulting and kilometer-scale differential vertical movements, with erosion and redeposition. Subsidence and burial history modeling indicate that Middle and Late Miocene, fairly organic-rich marine and lacustrine (respectively) shales entered into the oil-generation window at about the beginning of the Pliocene in depocenters deeper than 2.5–3 km, and even reached the wet to dry gas-generation zone at depths exceeding 4–4.5 km. Migration out of these kitchens has been going on since the latest Miocene toward basement highs, where anticlines and flower structures offered adequate trapping conditions for hydrocarbons. We argue that compaction of thick sedimentary piles, in addition to neotectonic structures, has also been important in trap formation within the Pannonian Basin.

Summary Eastern Hercegovina exploration block (BiH) as a part of Dinaride fold and thrust belt (Periadriatic region) was analyzed for new play analysis using integrated seismo-geological interpretation and 2D petroleum system modeling.

Summary Regional 3D petroleum system model of Pannonian basin has been developed with incorporation of seismic, geochemical and lithofacies data to reconstruct subsidence, thermal and maturity evolution of investigation area. Based on the results of 3D modeling and distribution of the discovered fields, 14 petroleum systems were defined. Generative potential was defined and that includes generated mass of hydrocarbons (separately for oil and gas), distribution and timing of generated masses. As a results of 3D modeling, amount of remaining (still undiscovered) potential accumulations was obtained, for all 14 petroleum systems, and for more than 300 structures in exploration area.

Micropalaeontological and biostratigraphical studies included Campanian-Maastrichtian complexes from five oil exploration wells drilled in northern Serbia (Vojvodina): the first is a carbonate-clastic complex and second is a complex containing ophiolites intercalated with hemipelagic and pelagic sediments. Within the studied complexes, rich associations of planktonic and benthic foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, palynomorphs, as well as shallow and deep-water fossil detritus were determined. The presence of relatively rich associations of planktonic foraminifera allowed recognition of two biozones: the Globotruncana ventricosa Zone, observed in the sediments of the carbonate-clastic complex and the Gansserina gansseri Zone, observed in both complexes. Except biozones, based on documented index species, for some units in both complexes, larger benthic foraminifera species had special biostratigraphical value, and in some of them, the calcareous nannoplankton zones were recognized. The studied complexes represent deep-water formations, generated in oceanic island arc and trough zones. The presence of limestones, which originate from destroyed rudist reefs, is explained by transfer by means of gravitational transport mechanisms of shallow-water sediments to deep-water depositional environments. In this paper, the results of more detailed biostratigraphical and palaeo-ecological studies of foraminifera associations in Campanian-Maastrichtian complexes in Vojvodina are presented. Combined with lithological studies, seven units were determined within the complexes. The obtained results are important as a part of multidisciplinary, regional exploration of both complexes, generated in specific geological conditions, that today constitute a part of the pre-Neogene basement complex in the southeastern part of the Pannonian Basin. The Campanian- Maastrichtian carbonate-clastic complex represents sedimentary cover of the Eastern Vardar Ophiolitic Unit, while the ophiolites intercalated with hemipelagic and pelagic limestones belongs to the Sava Zone.

Summary Seismic-sedimentological characterization of Pannonian Basin, Late Miocene prograding, clastic, delta system, represents new integrated approach in research of new gas fields.

Magnetostratigraphy studies for a number of Miocene intramontane basins of the Dinarides documented that the lake sediments were good targets for paleomagnetism. Subsequent to the publication of magnetostratigraphy results from a series of sections (Mandic et al., 2008, Jimenez-Moreno et al., 2009, de Leeuw et al., 2010), we collected samples in 2011 from two of the basins, Pag and Drnis-Sinj for tectonic interpretation. In these basins lacustrine sedimentation took place, characterized by low sedimentation rate of predominantly carbonate material with tephra (Sinj basin) coal and bentonite intercalations (Pag Island). Post-depositional deformation affected the basin sediments in a non-uniform manner and intensity. In Pag Island, the Miocene basin sediments crop out in the 1200m long Crnika section. As several segments of it were obviously detached, we sampled the oldest and youngest segments, which seemed to be in situ, the former from the reversed, the latter from the normal polarity zone. The paleomagnetic directions obtained for the two parts were statistically different before tilt corrections, and remained so after restoring the strata to horizontal. A repeated visit to the section revealed that modern gravity–driven creeping can account for this, i.e. the results from the Pag basin should be rejected from regional tectonic interpretation. From the Drnis-Sinj basin eight geographically distributed Miocene localities and one Santonian yielded good paleomagnetic mean directions. Positive tilt test proved the pre-tilting age of the remanence for seven sedimentary localities. The overall-mean paleomagnetic direction implies CCW rotation of 13-20° with respect to Africa and 21-27° with respect to stable Europe, during the last 15 million years. A tephra intercalation with secondary remanence suggests similar rotation. The angle of the CCW rotation for the Santonian locality is somewhat larger than the one for the Miocene. The above conclusions are different from those by De Leeuw et al. (2012) for the Pag and Sinj basins, although the published paleomagnetic directions for the respective parts of the Crnika and the Lucane sections (in the latter case using simple tilt correction) are very similar. However, we had to come to the conclusion that the Crnika section must be excluded from regional tectonic interpretation, as it was discussed above. Concerning the Drnis-Sinj basin Lucane section belongs to a plunging structure and full tectonic correction has an effect on the declination. Even more important is that a paleomagnetic direction based on geographically distributed localities with different local tectonic positions, enhances the tectonic significance of a paleomagnetic result. As the External Dinarides are the loci of a complicated network of Miocene and even younger tectonic zones, we can not export the observed rotation for the whole unit, but consider our results as one more step for the kinematic constraints of the post-Oligocene tectonic history of the External Dinarides.

This paper presents palaeomagnetic results from the Miocene offshore Pag and the twin onshore (Drnis-Sinj) basins. Earlier magnetostratigraphic results were published from both basins, which documented that the lake sediments were good targets for palaeomagnetism. From the Pag basin, we sampled the oldest and youngest segments of the 1200 m long Crnika section and obtained statistically different palaeomagnetic directions from the two parts. During a repeated visit to the section it was revealed that modern gravity-driven creeping can account for this, i.e. the results from the Pag basin should be rejected from regional tectonic interpretation.The overall-mean palaeomagnetic direction for the Drnig-Sinj basin has excellent statistical parameters, its high quality is further supported by positive regional fold/tilt and reversal tests, based on seven geographically distributed localities. The results suggests 13-20 degrees CCW rotation with respect to Africa and 21-27 degrees with respect to stable Europe, during the last 15 million years. As the External Dinarides are the loci of a complicated network of Miocene and even younger tectonic zones, we cannot export the observed rotation for the whole unit, but consider our results as one step in obtaining robust kinematic constraints for the post-Oligocene tectonic history of the External Dinarides. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The intercalation of silty units and coarse-grained units represented by conglomerates and breccia characterizes a Lower Miocene terrestrial sedimentary sequence in the North Croatian Basin, a part of the southwestern Pannonian Basin system. These sediments were previously interpreted as alluvial sediments, where the silty units would reflect deposition on a floodplain. However, in this study, we show new results that support a different interpretation of the genesis of the silty units. The units, which vary in thickness between 6 and 180 cm, are mostly composed of structureless loose silt. They are brownish yellow to yellowish brown in color and do not contain fossils. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that quartz grains show fracture faces, conchoidal fractures, V-shaped percussion marks, linear steps, and conchoidal crushing features. Such microtextures together with the macroscopic characteristics of the silt units indicate that they were deposited by wind. Therefore, this study reports the first occurrence of Miocene loess outside of China. Silt-sized particles were probably produced by salt-weathering processes on salina-type lake flats during long arid periods. Alluvial deposition was controlled by a more humid climate, so the intercalation of eolian silty units with alluvial conglomerates and breccias reflects alternation of arid and more humid periods in the early Miocene. This agrees with regional paleoclimate studies that show cyclicity in the climate, with a dry cycle and orbital-scale climate variability controlling paleoenvironmental and sedimentary changes in the area during the early Miocene.

This study presents new insights on the provenance, genesis, and post-depositional history of the Miocene pyroclastic tuffaceous layers (similar to 18 and similar to 15 Ma) preserved in argillaceous sediments and interbedded within the lacustrine sedimentary succession of the Sinj Basin in central Dalmatia (Dinaride Lake System, Croatia). Analysed tuffs are classified as smectitic tuffs composed of three main lithotypes: (a) vitriclastic tuffs, (b) altered vitriclastic tuff, and (c) tuffaceous clays. The high field strength element (HFSE) contents of the tuffs, as well as the major-element chemistry of the vitric glass, suggests that parental magmas were high-K calc-alkaline trachyandesites. This is consistent with the distinctive heavy-mineral assemblages including clinopyroxene, zircon and apatite, identified in less evolved parental magmas, and biotite in more evolved ones. The regional geological data imply the placement of the parent volcano(es) outside the Dinaric Alps region, most probably in an area corresponding to the present-day southern margin of the Pannonian Basin where volcanic rock suites of analogous age and geochemistry are reported. Minor compaction and high permeability of coarse ash-sized pyroclastic material allowed for extensive in situ diagenetic clay mineral formation dominated by smectite. Following discrete smectite formation, the illite-smectite mixed-layering took place as a result of mica/illite alteration or surface illitization processes. On the basis of the very-low grade alteration of volcanic materials, it is suggested that diagenesis operated in an open hydrologic system of a lacustrine environment.

Within the ophiolitic melange of the Central Dinaridic Ophiolitic Belt (CDOB) that stretches throughout the Balkans region in SE Europe, a latest Bajocian-early Bathonian radiolarian assemblage was obtained from chert-rich shaly to silty matrix. The sampling locality in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by a highly-diversified ophiolitic suite, consisting of basic and ultrabasic rocks of different geotectonic provenances. This makes the radiolarian dating a convenient complementary tool for studying the geodynainic history of CDOB within a broader regional context. The host sediments and the nature of their associated crystalline rocks suggest that radiolarian deposition occurred relatively close to the Adria shelf margins, predating or being contemporaneous to the rapid transitions in the Dinaridic Neotethys geotectonic setting, changing from active ridge magmatism to an intraoceanic subduction environment and island-arc volcanism. The minimum age of ophiolite melange formation is defined by the mineral equilibration ages in metamorphic sole (161 +/- 4 Ma), with the obduction tectonics that must have lasted at least until the Oxfordian time (i.e. termination of MOR activity in the Dinarides). This age correlates well with the ages of sediments reported elsewhere in the melange of the Dinaride-Hellenide orogenic system.

The Dinarides form a mountain chain extending in NW–SE direction along the northeastern Adriatic coast, connecting the Southern Calcareous Alps to the north with the Albanides and Hellenides-Taurides to the south. The mountain chain consists of a strongly tectonized, thick rock succession spanning a stratigraphic range from Carboniferous to Quaternary. The zone close to the Adriatic coast - where the field-trip area is located - is known as the Outer or Karst Dinarides, composed mainly of carbonate rocks. The more inland zone, between the Karst Dinarides and the Pannonian Basin, is known as the Inner Dinarides, composed mainly of deeper-marine sedimentary rocks and ophiolites. Although the carbonate deposition commenced in Carboniferous and significantly increased in the Late Permian and Triassic, the major part of the carbonate deposits, which belong to the Adriatic Carbonate Platform (AdCP), formed during Jurassic and Cretaceous. The AdCP formed on the Adria Microplate, recording disintegration of a vast para-Tethian carbonate platform into several smaller ones during the late Early Jurassic (Toarcian). The AdCP was a relatively stable shallow-marine area until the Late Cretaceous, when it started to be gradually deformed, tectonically disintegrated and mostly emerged by SW–NE oriented compression. More or less continuous shallow marine sedimentation across the K/T boundary is recorded only at the northwestern and southeastern margins of the AdCP. Deposition during Eocene, Oligocene and Miocene was significantly influenced by tectonic deformation of the former Adriatic Carbonate Platform. Therefore, although Outer Dinarides are famous for their thick succession of shallow-marine carbonate rocks, which were already main topic of numerous field trips, including several excursions at two IAS meetings (Split 1983, Opatija 2003), we believe that post-platform development is also very interesting. This field trip encompasses three different Cenozoic successions deposited above the Mesozoic platform carbonates: (1) Massive Cenozoic carbonate breccia of the Karst Dinarides: the Velebit breccia, (2) The Eocene-Oligocene Promina Beds of the Dinaric foreland basin in northern Dalmatia, and (3) Miocene intra-montane lacustrine basins of Outer Dinarides (Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina).