Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) induces lithospheric bending that can strongly influence depositional systems located within ice-sheet forebulges. While previous studies have documented the role of GIA in river-network reorganization during the last glacial cycle, its impact on sedimentary systems earlier in the Quaternary remains poorly constrained.Here, we investigate the pre-glacial Daumantai Formation, exposed in several outcrops beneath the oldest tills in the Baltija Highlands of eastern Lithuania. This fluvial succession was dated using combined 10Be–26Al exposure–burial dating to ~0.95 ± 0.1 Ma, while the same approach indicates that the overlying tills were deposited only ~30–50 kyr later. Importantly, the succession records a distinct change in palaeocurrent directions, initially toward the southeast and subsequently toward the northwest, occurring prior to the first documented advance of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) into the region. This shift is interpreted as a reorganization of the river network rather than merely a modification of river planform geometry, as the palaeocurrent reorientation is consistently documented at several sites across distances exceeding 10 km.GIA was simulated using the ICEAGE normal-mode modelling framework to assess the potential role of lithospheric bending and associated slope changes in river-network reorganization. Four ice-sheet configurations were tested: (1) a late Gauss and (2) an early Matuyama extent after Batchelor et al. (2019, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11601-2), (3) an additional, larger ice sheet extending ~150 km northwest of the study area, and (4) a MIS 20–24 ice-sheet extent from Batchelor et al., which directly overlies the analysed succession. A 380 kyr modelling scenario included five glacial cycles comprising ice growth, deglaciation, and ice-free periods, with 40 kyr and 100 kyr periodicities and increasing amplitudes. The modelling results indicate that the study area was affected by forebulge development associated with all tested ice-sheet extents. The two smaller ice sheets induced southeastward surface tilting, whereas the larger configuration produced northwestward tilting, with maximum slope changes reaching ~0.002°.The resulting time-dependent uplift and subsidence fields were subsequently used as inputs for landscape evolution modelling to investigate the impact of episodic glacial loading and unloading on surface processes. Erosion and sedimentation were simulated using a stream-power–law, finite-difference approach under imposed time-varying three-dimensional deformation. Preliminary results suggest that repeated north–south tilting associated with glacial cycles exerts a strong control on fluvial dynamics and can locally lead to drainage reversals.The postdoctoral project CosmoLith was caried out under the “New Generation Lithuania” plan (Nr. 10-036-T-0008) financed under the European Union economic recovery and resilience facility instrument NextGenerationEU. The research was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-21-0281.

The extensional Neogene Pannonian Superbasin was superimposed on an Alpine, Cretaceous-Paleogene compressional realm which left a significant structural footprint in the pre-rift basement. Even though the surrounding Eastern Alps, Carpathians, and Dinarides project below the Pannonian Basin, even the existence of Alpine thrust-fold belts, including large nappes in the pre-rift basement of the Pannonian Basin has been debated until just a few decades ago. Based on the interpretation of primarily subsurface data sets, such as academic and industry reflection seismic and borehole data, the Cretaceous structural units of the Eastern Alps are correlated beneath the northwest Pannonian Basin with corresponding tectonic units of the Western Carpathians. Similarly, the Alpine folded belt beneath the southeast Pannonian Basin has a structural style very similar to the internal part of the Eastern and Southern Carpathians, specifically that of the Apuseni Mts. However, the level of understanding of the Eo- and Meso-Alpine thrust-fold belts beneath the Pannonian Basin system remains rudimentary compared to those known in the surrounding classical regions of the Eastern Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides. This mismatch is primarily caused by the subsurface nature of the problem and the pronounced overprint by Neogene transtensional tectonics.

This volume, dealing with the geoenergy aspects of the Pannonian Basin, builds on the previous one which described the regional geology of this basin. For the petroleum industry the Pannonian Basin is a actually a “Superbasin” as it reached approximately 13 billion barrels of oil (equivalent) cumulative production to date. As to the yet-to-find hydrocarbon resources in this very mature basin complex, another >5 billion barrels may be found based on various estimates. The Pannonian Basin, like most Superbasins, has several source rocks, stacked reservoirs, a greater than 6-km-thick basin fill, large amounts of subsurface data, multiple operators, mature infrastructure and direct access to markets. The ongoing energy transition requires a new look at this large European basin complex. In this volume not only hydrocarbon-related but many other geoenergy aspects are addressed. Various chapters are dedicated to geothermal energy, carbon storage and sequestration, hydrogen and natural gas storage, and critical mineral exploration (including lithium, helium and natural hydrogen). In particular, the Pannonian Basin is the hottest sedimentary basin in mainland Europe, with a long history of geothermal energy usage and research. Therefore, it also provides a useful template for geothermal exploration and utilization projects in other extensional basins worldwide.

Authigenic 10Be/9Be dating is increasingly used to constrain the depositional ages of marine and continental sedimentary successions that lack suitable material for conventional geochronology. Cosmogenic 10Be is produced in the atmosphere through cosmic-ray interactions with nitrogen and oxygen and is subsequently delivered to the Earth’s surface by wet and dry deposition, whereas stable 9Be is released primarily by continental weathering and transported to depositional basins by rivers. Following their delivery to the basin, both isotopes are scavenged from the water column and incorporated into authigenic Fe–Mn oxyhydroxides and other reactive sedimentary phases. The depositional age is calculated from the radioactive decay of authigenic 10Be relative to 9Be, requiring an independently constrained initial authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio representative of the sediment at the time of deposition. However, variations in sediment provenance, depositional processes, beryllium sources, reworking of older successions, and post-depositional redistribution may modify either the initial ratio or its subsequent preservation, complicating the application of the method in epicontinental basins. The determination of initial ratio is therefore a crucial aspect of the method application. The Pannonian Basin has been extensively studied using authigenic 10Be/9Be dating over the past 13 years, with hundreds of samples processed. This research has also focused on determining the initial ratio, with analyses of Holocene river-floodplain sediments providing reasonable estimates. A dataset of 55 samples revealed minor but clear variation in initial ratios between ∼3-6 x 10-9. In this approach, the palaeoriver responsible for deposition of the dated succession is identified, and the initial ratio of the corresponding present-day stream is applied in the age calculation. Although empirical and unable to account for temporal changes in provenance and denudation rates, this approach yields ages consistent with independent geochronological constraints where available.This contribution presents newly acquired results from the southern Pannonian Basin and the Fruska Gora Mts. The region experienced a complex evolution during the Late Miocene-Pliocene, as the normal regression of Lake Pannon, recorded by prograding shelf-slope systems from several directions, was complicated by the onset of basin inversion. This caused uplift of the basin margins synchronously with subsidence in the central depocentres. Moreover, another lacustrine water body, termed Lake Slavonia or Lake Paludina, developed after the regression of Lake Pannon and was associated with deposition of the Viviparus Beds. The relationship between Lake Pannon and Lake Slavonia or Paludina remains unresolved.The first set of dating results comes from borehole cores penetrating the regressive succession above shelf-slope clinoforms in the Szeged Basin, yielding an age of ∼5 Ma. A fluvial succession exposed on the flanks of the Fruska Gora Mts. at Čerević yielded ages of ∼4.5 Ma and probably represents channels that fed Lake Pannon. The succession representing Lake Paludina in the Sremski Karlovci clay pit yielded an age of ∼3.8 Ma. Interestingly, a comparable age was obtained from a fluvial succession exposed farther west at Ilok, which probably represents channels that drained towards Lake Slavonia.The study was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contracts APVV-20-120 and APVV-23-0227.

Establishing a chronostratigraphic framework for lacustrine sediments is a classic problem throughout Earth history, and pyroclastic deposits are essential for their correlation as they can provide numerical ages. Sediments of the Late Miocene–Pliocene brackish Lake Pannon in Central Europe accumulated over 8 Ma, and a well-established biochronostratigraphic scheme using endemic biota has been developed and widely applied for their subdivision. Here, we describe a recently discovered unique tephra layer in the lacustrine succession from the Pécs–Danitzpuszta outcrop in SW Hungary, which, if found in other outcrops, can be an essential marker horizon in the region. Mineralogical and geochemical data suggest the Pásztori volcano, located 200 km to the north, as the most probable source of the tephra. Dating of the layer with several radiometric methods constrains the eruption to 11.3 ± 0.4 Ma, shortly after the beginning of the Pannonian age at 11.6 Ma. This is slightly older than predicted by biostratigraphic considerations and challenges the accepted biochronostratigraphic system of Lake Pannon deposits. Here, we present an alternative calibration for the system, which should be tested by future investigations.

Understanding the evolution of past ice sheets is essential for comprehending Earth's climate and improving its prediction. However, information about the oldest Quaternary continental glaciations is scarce due to preservation limitations and methodological challenges in dating. This study focuses on the Lower Pleistocene succession underlying the oldest preserved tills in the Baltic region, NE Europe, providing a unique opportunity to reconstruct environmental conditions prior to the first advance of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) into the area. As the succession occurs mostly in subsurface, we analyzed borehole cores using polished specimens and thin sections to identify depositional processes, and applied a combination of 26Al/10Be burial and authigenic 10Be/9Be dating to establish a chronostratigraphic framework. Our results reveal a complex depositional history preceding the first FIS advance. The lowermost Daumantai Formation represents alluvial sedimentation, later disrupted by a mass-wasting event that produced the Kalviai diamicton. Previously misinterpreted as glacial till, the Kalviai diamicton is redefined here as a cohesive debris-flow deposit, likely reflecting increased hydrological instability associated with climatic perturbations during the Middle Pleistocene Transition. Overlying the preElsterian interdiamicton beds indicate renewed alluvial sedimentation within the same basin. 26Al/10Be burial dating evaluated using an inverse modeling approach yields a weighted mean age of 973 +/- 62 ka for the preElsterian interdiamicton alluvial succession, indicating deposition during the Early Pleistocene and predating the Elsterian glaciation in the Baltic region. In contrast, the authigenic 10Be/9Be ratios point to a discernible variability across the Pleistocene. Assuming the inverse model burial age, the temporal change of ratios could be estimated by back-calculation from 10.19 to 11.69 & times; 10-9 (Daumantai Formation), decreasing to 5.56-8.35 & times; 10- 9 (pre-Elsterian interdiamicton beds), and further declining to the present-day range of 4.47-6.45 & times; 10-9. The contrasting performance of burial 26Al/10Be and authigenic 10Be/9Be dating highlights the sensitivity of meteoric 10Be systems to sediment recycling and variable initial ratios in low-accommodation alluvial settings. The documented paleoenvironmental changes provide a significant refinement of the regional Quaternary stratigraphy.

The authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method is a relatively new geochronological technique that shows great potential for use in epicontinental sedimentary successions, largely due to its ability to date ubiquitous mud. However, the factors influencing the applicability of this method are not yet fully understood, which limits its robust application. This study presents the first direct evidence that deep-water mud redeposition can lead to significantly older authigenic 10Be/9Be ages, with an offset of ca. 2 Myr in the studied example. The redeposition generated hybrid event beds (products of mixed gravity flows) on the Late Miocene basin floor of Lake Pannon. The source material for redeposition was the Middle Miocene successions exposed on the lake bottom, as indicated by reworked foraminiferal and calcareous nannoplankton fossils, as well as inorganic and organic geochemical proxies. This case study suggests that a thorough understanding of depositional processes and paleogeographic settings is essential when proposing future authigenic 10Be/9Be dating sampling strategies, to avoid the influence of deep-water mud redeposition by hybrid event beds. Additionally, a notable shift in geochemical signature was observed between syn- and post-rift phases. During the ca. 6 Myr-long rifting, sediment recycling and local provenance were dominant from the rifted basin margins, while the post-rift stage marked the onset of a regional-scale sediment routing system. Notably, organic matter preserved its compositional signature of the redeposited successions.

Advances in sedimentology and basin analysis provide the foundation for a comprehensive basin-fill model and lithostratigraphic framework of Lake Pannon, Central Europe, highlighting the dynamical changes of the depositional environments. The lake's ca. 8 Myr long evolution began with transgression and deepening, followed by normal regression, forming up to 7 km thick sediment fill. Initial coarse-grained coastal deposits are overlain by offshore to deep-water marls, with varying carbonate- and organic-matter content and include both anoxic laminites and sediment gravity-flow deposits. Later confined and unconfined turbidite systems developed due to interactions between basin-floor relief and shelf-slope progradation. Stacked deltaic cycles followed by clayey alluvial plain deposits with anastomosing and meandering sandy channel fills comprise the upper part of the succession. Repeated aggradational to progradational clinothem architectures, thickness and distribution of muddy to sandy delta lobes on the shelf, and distribution of turbidite lobes in the deep basins reflect lake-level fluctuations. While climate primarily controlled lake level, coastal sedimentation is identified as a new factor driving long-term lake-level rise. Therefore, Lake Pannon's stratigraphy demonstrates that, in contrast to marine systems, in supply-dominated endorheic lakes accommodation space is created by sedimentation.

The authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method has emerged as a novel chronometer in the last few decades. Initially introduced by Bourles et al. (1989: Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta) for dating of oceanic sediments the method has been successfully applied to date continental sediments in some recent studies. The method utilizes decay of cosmogenic radionuclide 10Be to date the deposition of sediment in the range of 0.2 to ~14 Ma. Different source of the two isotopes 9Be and 10Be results in changes in the authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio (R) as the sediment gets transported from deltaic to offshore settings through shelfal environment. Accurate determination of initial 10Be/9Be ratio (R0) is of paramount importance in this dating method to calculate the correct age of the deposited sediment. It is therefore necessary to quantify the variability of authigenic initial ratio for the effective application of the method. This study aims to describe the variability of authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio in temporal as well as spatial scale. We analyzed the samples for authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio from two different study sites, the Late Miocene to Quaternary Slanicul de Buzau section in Romania and the Holocene Po River delta plain in Italy. 109 samples were sampled from Slanicul de Buzau section with a sampling step resolution of ~20–30 ka aiming to interpret ratio variability in temporal scale. Po coastal plain yielded 50 samples from 4 different parasequnces (5,6,7 and 8) (Amorosi et al., 2017: Mar. Pet. Geol.) to cover the variability in spatial scale. The analysis of samples from these study sites allowed us to understand the variability of the ratio in terms of sediment source proximity and change in sediment provenance. Back calculation of initial ratio R0 in 109 samples from Slanicul de Buzau section with the help of measured authigenic R and interpolated magnetostratigraphic age of samples reveals low variability in R0 in deltaic and shallow water sediments, while the offshore facies exhibit significantly higher variability. Results from measured ratio R in 50 samples of Po Plain does not show a drastic variability, slightly higher R in the samples from parasequence 6 can be attributed to the different provenance of this parasequence in contrast to the sediment source of the latter parasequences (Amorosi et al., 2020: Basin res.). This observed low variability of authigenic 10Be/9Be reveals the good suitability of the dating method for river dominated deltas. We have also attempted to propose a minimum number of sample count necessary to be analyzed when using this dating method. The approach aims to estimate the sample size dependency of the ratio by running 1000 simulations and bootstrapping to estimate the 95% CI for variability of ratio, taking into consideration the three statistics namely, range, IQR, and SD. Bootstrapping performed in our data, in a particular group of n samples (e.g., samples from a specific facies type), suggests that at least nearly half the sample size of n is necessary to represent the initial ratio variability and to avoid the potential bias caused by the initial ratio variability.

The youngest regional chronostratigraphic unit of the Central Paratethys, the Pannonian Stage, is benchmarked by the deposits of Lake Pannon, containing a highly endemic, Caspian-type biota, and the sediments of adjacent deltas and fluvial plains. The Pannonian Stage also includes various freshwater lake deposits and vast volcanic formations, especially in the northern and eastern margins of the Pannonian Basin system. The Pannonian correlates with the Tortonian, Messinian, Zanclean and Piacenzian Stages, thus representing 9 Myr between 11.6 and 2.6 Ma. The Pannonian is divided into biochronostratigraphic units by the application of mollusc and dinoflagellate biochronozones in the Lake Pannon deposits and mammal biozones in the freshwater sediments. The Pannonian Stage is a leading geoenergy provider in terms of hydrocarbons and lignite. Prolific oil and gas reservoirs occur in both the deep-water and deltaic sand bodies in the central part of the Pannonian Basin, which is a highly mature exploration area. The practically inexhaustible lignite resource of the Pannonian Stage has been mined or is still being mined in the basin margins in all ten countries of the Pannonian Basin system.

The large and long-lived endorheic Lake Pannon, which covered the Pannonian Basin System (PBS) in Central Europe following its final isolation from the world ocean, was infilled by several river systems during the Late Miocene to Pliocene. Previous studies have analyzed the regression of Lake Pannon in detail, as manifested by the shelf edge migration patterns across the PBS during a period of similar to 7 Myr. However, geochronological constraints for shelf edge progradation remain scarce due to methodological challenges. This study presents the first chronostratigraphic insights into the Late Miocene to Pliocene basin infill of the Eastern Drava Basin (southwestern PBS). Using integrated subsurface well and reflection seismic data, cosmogenic nuclide-based authigenic Be-10/Be-9 dating, and biostratigraphy, we constructed a Bayesian age-depth chronostratigraphic model of the analyzed sequence. Our results indicate that the turbiditic infilling in the EDB began around similar to 9.9 Ma and was probably sourced by the paleo-Drava and paleo-Mura rivers from the Eastern and Southern Alps, while the paleo-Danube was simultaneously filling the Danube Basin farther to the north. Shelf slope progradation across the study area, sourced jointly by the paleo-Drava and later-arriving paleo-Danube, occurred between similar to 6.5 and similar to 6.2 Ma and led to the disappearance of deep-water lacustrine environments similar to 1 Myr earlier than previously estimated for the Eastern Drava Basin. The regional unconformity, previously attributed to the Miocene-Pliocene boundary and interpreted as a result of either basin inversion or lake level fall, formed between similar to 6.4 and similar to 6.2 Ma, based on seismic correlation of the correlative conformity within the age-depth model. This time frame provides the first radiometric dating constraint for the onset of basin inversion in the southwestern Pannonian Basin System.

The second Pannonian Super-Basin volume focuses on the geo-energy aspects in separate sections dedicated to geothermal energy, CCUS, hydrogen and natural gas storage and critical mineral exploration. The Pannonian Basin is the hottest sedimentary basin in mainland Europe, providing a useful template for geothermal exploration and utilization projects worldwide.

The data included in this article specify the characteristics of the Upper Miocene fill of the Turiec Basin and served for reconstruction of temporal evolution of depositional systems in this intermontane basin located within the Western Carpathians (Central Europe). The borehole lithological log data were used to describe the stratigraphy of the Turiec Basin in geological sections and were gained in the Geofond archive of the State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr. The sedimentological data were acquired by field research applying facies analysis to nine outcrop sites. The outcrops served for grain size analyzes performed by sieving and laser diffraction, for geochemical analyzes using ICP-ES, ICP-MS and XRF, and for mineralogical analyzes of whole rock and clay fraction by XRD. Moreover, the muddy layers on outcrops served for collection of 31 samples for the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating. The geochronological data are presented by using five different initial ratios for calculation, determined within the Turiec Basin at the Late Pleistocene alluvial fan and river terrace sites as well as at two Holocene muddy floodplain sites. Another initial ratio data are gained from an Upper Miocene lacustrine succession dated independently by magnetostratigraphy in previous research. Finally, a summary of previously published strontium isotope data from the Turiec Basin is included. The interpretations of the data are provided in Šujan et al., (2023) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 628, 111746.

Epicontinental basins are extremely prone to major paleogeographic changes, and this will directly affect any organic matter (OM) preserved in the depositional record. In this study the Middle-Late Miocene successions in the northern Pannonian Basin System were investigated via sedimentological, petrographic, and geochemical analyses of cores from the Danube Basin to reveal the interplay of factors driving the character of the OM. In the late Middle Miocene (-12.3 Ma), the Central Paratethys Sea maintained normal marine salinity, with dysoxic bottom waters in a distal basin floor environment rich in aquatic OM. The last rifting phase followed during the Late Miocene and led to formation of the deep Lake Pannon. Like seawater, the brackish lake water still also contained sulfate. These open lacustrine deposits (-11.6-10.0 Ma) reveal OM sourced from submerged/floating macrophytes and algae, and humid conditions are indicated by the preponderance of deciduous trees and shrubs on shores. The study identifies hybrid event beds (HEBs) on Lake Pannon's floor (-10.0-9.3 Ma), with currents redepositing mud and OM, resulting in similarities between the Middle Miocene and Late Miocene successions. Turbidite deposition (-9.3-9.0 Ma) from the paleo-Danube induced a shift in OM, replacing algae with terrestrial input. Complete isolation from the main water masses of Lake Pannon (-9.0-8.9 Ma) altered its sources of OM, transitioning from algae to macrophytes, and caused a drop in salinity, likely associated with a humidity peak. The subsequent deltaic dominance (-8.9-8.6 Ma) features well-developed topset lakes, swamps, and floodplain forests, reflecting warm temperate to subtropical climates. The Middle-Upper Miocene deposits studied here are source rocks with fair to very good richness and poor to fair generative potential, and contain kerogen types III and IV, while type II is rare. The rapid paleoenvironmental changes observed over the order of -100 kyr caused the complete switching of OM type and delivery, giving an indication of the complexity of epicontinental basins. (c) 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

This review aims to present an updated lithostratigraphic framework of the northern Danube Basin in Slovakia, consistent with recent shifts in geochronology and depositional system redefinitions based on sedimentology and seismic stratigraphy. Several transgressive–regressive sequences are distinguished: The Lower Badenian (Middle Miocene), represented by the Špačince Fm, mainly occurred in peripheral Blatné and Želiezovce sub-basins. The central part of the Danube Basin formed an elevation during this period, coinciding with the onset of intermediate volcanic activity. The Upper Badenian (Middle Miocene), encompassed within the Pozba Fm, saw the flooding of the central Danube Basin, signifying a change in transport direction. The inception of this cycle is well constrained by recently published multiple 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating to c. 13.8 Ma. The Sarmatian deposition (Middle Miocene), characterized by the Vráble Fm, also occurred in newly significantly deepened Komjatice and Rišňovce sub-basins, coinciding with a gradual cessation of calc-alkaline volcanism, observed only at the basin's eastern edge. The Pannonian (Upper Miocene) deposition includes lacustrine Ivanka, deltaic Beladice and alluvial Volkovce formations, representing interconnected depositional systems prograding towards Lake Pannon. The subsequent evolution entails a post-rift stage (9.5–6 Ma), primarily marked by the alluvial Volkovce Fm deposition, and basin inversion, with alluvial deposition mostly confined to the basin centre and differentially eroded basin margins (from 6 Ma to the present).

The first Pannonian Superbasin volume is dedicated to the regional geology of various Neogene extensional basins surrounded by the Alps, Carpathians and Dinarides. All these subbasins developed on highly extended continental crust, providing the locus typicus for the general evolution of extensional basins developed in a back-arc basin setting.

The authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method presents a valuable tool for reconstructing depositional chronologies in sedimentary environments, requiring only ubiquitous mud for sampling. Nevertheless, studies elucidating the variability of the 10Be/9Be record preserved in epicontinental successions are lacking, despite the essential nature of such knowledge for the application of authigenic 10Be/9Be in geochronology. In this study, we investigate the variability of measured natural 10Be/9Be ratios in sediment cores recovered from the Holocene Po River delta plain in Northern Italy, aiming to unveil the influence of changing sedimentary environments and provenance on the beryllium isotopic signature. We identified significant variations in the authigenic 10Be/9Be ratios across parasequences, which correlates with a provenance change from the Eastern Alps to the Po River. The observed variation would cause an age offset of ∼1 Myr if unrecognized in a dated succession. Our analysis revealed consistent ratios between the delta plain (primarily represented by swamp) and delta front consisting of proximal prodelta facies, suggesting a prevalent riverine signature in the proximal prodelta, likely maintained by hyperpycnal flow deposition. Statistical assessments based on random sampling and bootstrapping highlighted the importance of a sample size of n>10. Furthermore, a standard deviation of the observed variability indicates a necessity of an additional 9% uncertainty in authigenic 10Be/9Be dating studies if the sample size is smaller. Overall, our findings emphasize that the normal regressive highstand settings of a deltaic system maintain relatively stable beryllium isotopic fluxes, which are favourable for the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating application, if provenance changes are known.

Long-term research of the Vienna Basin (Central Europe) has resulted in multiple stratigraphic concepts, although these are at least in part mutually exclusive. This contribution aims to reconsider the available information on the northeastern Vienna Basin, located in Slovakia, to create a consistent stratigraphic model. Lithostratigraphic correlations based on benthic taxa – widely used elsewhere – are omitted, since these include inherently diachronous palaeoecological zones. This presumption of diachroneity is further supported by the evidence of shelf-slope scale clinoforms. The following sequences were identified: (1) the Early Miocene wedge-top basin, genetically unrelated to the subsequently formed Vienna Basin – Eggenburgian–Ottnangian cycles are still obscured, and the Karpatian includes two transgressive–regressive cycles; (2) Middle Miocene early Badenian rifting including the Kúty Fm lowstand and Lanžhot Fm, together with the Devínska Nová Ves Fm, comprising transgression and a highstand; (3) Middle Miocene late Badenian rifting including lowstand offshore Jakubov Mbr and transgressive littoral Stupava Fm, followed by the highstand offshore Studienka Mbr passing to normal regressive Matzen delta; (4) Middle Miocene Sarmatian rifting including the basal Kopčany and Radimov Mbrs, the offshore transgressive to regressive Holíč Fm and the highstand normal regressive deltaic Skalica Fm; and (5) supposed Late Miocene rifting with Lake Pannon transgression resulting in the lacustrine Bzenec Fm, followed by the highstand normal regressive deltaic Čáry and alluvial Gbely Fms.

The depositional record of intermontane basins provides a valuable archive of the temporal evolution of orogenic belts; their common isolated nature may, however, hinder the efficient usage of standard approaches to constrain the age of a basin fill. In this paper the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating method is employed and tested to construct an age model of the existence and regression of Lake Turiec, which appeared during the Late Miocene in the intermontane Turiec Basin, Central Western Carpathians (Central Europe). The initial authigenic 10Be/9Be ratio, essential for the dating method, was analyzed on five sites of the Pleistocene-Holocene age, and back-calculation of the paleo-initial ratio was performed using lacustrine succession dated by magnetostratigraphy. Noteworthy, the initial ratio appears to be affected mainly by (post)depositional settings, and not by different provenance of the analyzed sediment. The sedimentological analysis of the Upper Miocene outcrops allowed the definition of the facies associations of an alluvial fan, a braided river, a fan delta and an open lake. The distribution of facies associations in the basin fill implies an increase in sediment supply to accommodation rate ratio due to the replacement of the open lake environment by the interconnected alluvial fan-braided river-fan delta system. Authigenic 10Be/9Be dating yielded ages of the lacustrine succession reaching ~10.7–7.8 Ma, while the age of the fan delta succession, considered as the timing of the regression, was established to ~6.7 Ma. The deposition of alluvial fans dominated the basin after the regression of the lake, possibly up to ~4.0 Ma. The abrupt increase in sediment supply to the accommodation ratio at ~6.7 Ma was caused by the uplift of the Malá Fatra Mts. at the western margin of the Turiec Basin, which had previously formed a moderate topography. The timing of this process generally coincides with the overall decrease in accommodation rates in the region due to the inversion of the Pannonian Basin System. The endorheic character of the basin before ~6.7 Ma prevented the transport of the sediment denudated from the recently most uplifted parts of the Western Carpathians and carried towards the Pannonian Basin System, while the present-day source-to-sink system could only be formed later. This implies a low sediment supply and restricted denudation rate not only from the morphostructures surrounding the basin, but also from the Tatra Mts. and Nízke Tatry Mts. during the period ~10.0–6.7 Ma. The research supports the suitability of intermontane basins for authigenic 10Be/9Be dating in a setting of high accommodation rates and limited redeposition of older muddy sediment. However, a special attention has to be paid to the depositional settings during determination of initial 10Be/9Be ratios.

Successions deposited under rifting and post-rift settings of an isolated epicontinental basin often exhibit contrasting characteristics. Facies linked to transgression during basin rifting are typically locally sourced fan deltas transporting coarse-grained sediment, whereas the post-rift setup generally involves a normal regression marked by more extensive catchments, sediment sourced from greater distances, and an overall decrease in average grain size compared to the transgressive facies. In this study, we present a specific scenario based on a sedimentological, stratigraphic, and authigenic 10Be/9Be analysis of the Nemčiňany Formation, an Upper Miocene fan deltaic succession in the eastern Danube Basin, Slovakia. Deposition of the Nemčiňany Fm. was initiated shortly after ~11.6 Ma by the fourth rifting phase of the Pannonian Basin System, triggering the transgression of Lake Pannon. The depositional system persisted until ~9.6 Ma, likely balancing the increased accommodation rate with sediment supply in the shallow lake area situated on a basement high. Subsequently, a relative decrease in the accommodation rate prompted the progradation of shelf-slope scale clinoforms, originating from the Nemčiňany depositional system, toward the center of the Komjatice depression at ~9.4 Ma, resulting in a normal regression of Lake Pannon. The persistence of the Nemčiňany fan delta system, unlike common stratigraphic patterns, was associated to the high sediment supply yielded by the paleo-Hron river, which entered the basin in the study area. These observations underscore the need for caution in predicting provenance shifts during changes in geodynamic stages of a basin.