
A JOURNEY THROUGH ANCIENT
OCEAN IN THE BALKANS
OCEAN IN THE BALKANS

A JOURNEY THROUGH ANCIENT
OCEAN IN THE BALKANS
OCEAN IN THE BALKANS

Study of Cretaceous magmatic, sedimentary and basement formations along the central Balkans, to constrain the timing, origin, geodynamic environment and life span of the alleged Sava Ocean
KNOW
OUR PROJECT

Sedimentary
Sequences
Sequences


Basement
Formations
Formations


Geodynamic
Modeling
Modeling





Sedimentary
Sequences
Sequences
Basement
Formations
Formations
Geodynamic
Modeling
Modeling
Recon Tethys project studies magmatic, sedimentary and basement formations within the Sava – Vardar zone,
to constrain the timing, origin, geodynamic environment and life span of the alleged Cretaceous Sava Ocean.
The project tries to answer the question whether the Sava Zone represents a relic of the Neo-Tethyan Ocean that closed during the Late Cretaceous or delimits a diffuse tectonic boundary between earlier collided Gondwana – related block(s) and Europe along with a system of pull-apart basins in transtensional tectonic environment.
The project tries to answer the question whether the Sava Zone represents a relic of the Neo-Tethyan Ocean that closed during the Late Cretaceous or delimits a diffuse tectonic boundary between earlier collided Gondwana – related block(s) and Europe along with a system of pull-apart basins in transtensional tectonic environment.
KNOW
OUR GOALS

The origin of the Sava-Vardar Zone
Constrain the origin, geodynamic environment and the lifespan of the alleged Cretaceous Sava Ocean

Where is the suture zone?
Define the border between Gondwana- and Eurasia-derived blocks, that is thought to be the position of the oceanic suture zone

Study Upper Cretaceous basalts
Test whether the Upper Cretaceous basaltic occurrences in the Balkans represent parts of dismembered ophiolitic formations



Genetic model of the Cretaceous volcanism
Develop a genetic model for the origin of the Cretaceous volcanism occurring within the Sava – Vardar zone

Timing of the tectonic events
Study tectonic structures and timing of their activity and reconstruct tectonic environments under which rocks are deformed within the research area

Develop numerical models
Develop numerical models to test whether our conclusions that emerged based on field data can work for the wider area
FOLLOW
OUR PROGRESS
Published: 2025-05-06
Recon Tethys final symposium
Recon Tethys final symposium has taken place on Monday, 28. April. 2025. It was a very successful meeting of the experts from different scientific area. =>



Published: 2025-04-23
Ana Mladenović govori o projektu u emisiji "Geografija zavičaja"
Ana Mladenović govori o projektu RECON TETHYS u emisiji "Geografija zavičaja" RTV Pirot. Emisija je snimana na planini Midžor i njenim fantastičnim krajolicima: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQuTHMqTc6U =>


Published: 2025-04-23
Završni skup kojim zatvaramo projekat RECON TETHYS
Поштоване колеге,
задовољство нам је да вас позовемо на завршни симпозијум пројекта RECON TETHYS – Реконструкција затварања Тетиса на Балкану у понедељак, 28. априла 2025. године, у свечаној сали Рударско-геолошког факултета Универзитета у Београд =>

CHECK
OUR PUBLICATIONS
Published: 2025-04-27
Transtensional Reactivation of Suture Zones: Insights from 3D Numerical Modelling of Pull-Apart Basins
Authors: Nikola Stanković, Attila Balázs, Vladica Cvetković, Ana Mladenović, Vesna Cvetkov, Dejan Prelević, Taras Gerya
Suture zones mark the final closure of oceanic domains through subduction and subsequent continental collision [1]. These zones are typically characterized by inherited crustal shear zones and the fossil subduction interface in the mantle lithosphe . . .
Published: 2024-08-15
Regional Strike-Slip Structures in the Internal Dinarides: Insights from the Zvornik Fault
Authors: Mladenović, A., Gajić, V., Sokol, K. and Prelević, D.
The Dinarides represent a part of a double-vergent Dinaric – Carpatho – Balkan orogenic chain that formed as a response to the closure of a branch of the Tethys ocean in the latest Jurassic and subsequent convergence between the Adriatic microplate . . .
Published: 2024-08-15
Reconstruction of the Tethys’ Waning in the Balkans
Authors: Prelević, D., Sokol, K., Mladenović, A., Gajić, V., and Cvetković, V.
The complex geodynamic evolution of the northernmost Neotethys is the subject of ongoing controversy. Key issues revolve around the waning stages of the Tethyan ocean(s) in the Balkans and the timing of the Europe-Adria collision. Some researchers . . .

7456
Work Hours

450
Events

5426
Ideas

54+
Colaborators
MEET
OUR TEAM

Prof. Dr. Dejan Prelević
Principal investigator

Dr. Ana Mladenović
WP – Tectonics and
Structural Geology
Structural Geology

Prof. Dr. Vladica Cvetković
WP – Geodynamics

Prof. Dr. Violeta Gajić
WP – Sedimentology