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: 2026-01-30
Submitted manuscript to GONDWANA RESEARCH
We just submitted a manuscript entitled: "Acidic magmatism at the Adria–Europe junction during the waning of Neotethys: Geochemical and geochronological insights from the Sava Zone, Pannonian Basin (Croatia)". The abstract is as follows: The timing =>
Published: 2025-12-11
Nikola Stanković govori za Radio Galaksiju
Član našeg tima Nikola Stanković govorio je na Radio Galaksiji o geodinamičkom modelovanju i najnovijim rezultatima vezanim za projekat.
CHECK
OUR PUBLICATIONS
Published: 2026-02-12
Late Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary complex along the Adria–Tisza boundary: New insights from the westernmost Sava Suture Zone
Authors: Iva Olić Peco, Bojan Matoš, Dejan Prelević, Zorica Petrinec, Kristijan Sokol, Anja Kocjančič, Alan Moro, Borna Lužar-Oberiter
The Late Cretaceous collision of Adria-European plates marks an important tectonic stage in the Alpine-Mediterranean-Himalayan orogenic system formation in the southeastern Europe evidenced by Sava Suture Zone (SSZ). To better understand stratigrap . . .
Published: 2025-12-03
Current understanding of the Sava Zone of the Balkans: a magmatic perspective
Authors: KRISTIJAN SOKOL, DEJAN PRELEVIĆ, IVA OLIĆ PECO & VLADICA CVETKOVIĆ
The Sava Zone (SZ) forms a key tectonic boundary between Europe‐derived and Adria‐derived continental units in the central Balkans and hosts a discontinuous belt of Late Cretaceous volcanic and plutonic rocks whose geo‐dynamic significance remains . . .
Published: 2025-11-12
Post-Obduction Slab Dynamics in the Balkans and its role in Late Cretaceous Magmatism: A numerical modelling approach
Authors: Nikola Stanković, Vladica Cvetković, Ana Mladenović, Vesna Cvetkov, Dejan Prelević, Taras Gerya
The geodynamic evolution of the Balkan Peninsula during the Late Cretaceous remains a subject of debate, particularly regarding the role of subduction versus post collisional processes for magmatism. This study employs magmatic thermomechanical nu . . .
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