Thermal history of the Podhale Basin in the internal Western Carpathians from the perspective of apatite fission track analyses

Abstract

Abstract:The thermal history of the Paleogene Podhale Basin was studied by the apatite fission track (AFT) method. Twenty four Eocene-Oligocene sandstone samples yielded apparent ages from 13.8 ± 1.6 to 6.1 ±1.4 Ma that are significantly younger than their stratigraphic age and thus point to a post-depositional resetting. The thermal event responsible for the age resetting is interpreted as a combination of heating associated with mid-Miocene volcanism and variable thickness of Oligocene and potentially also Miocene sediments. Extending the mid-Miocene thermal event found in the Inner Carpathians into the Podhale Basin as a likely heat source suggests that the amount of denudation in the Podhale Basin determined only on the basis of heat related to the thickness of sedimentary sequence might have be significantly overestimated. Two samples from the western part of the basin that yielded 31.0 ± 4.3 and 26.9 ± 4.7 Ma are interpreted as having mixed ages resulting from partial resetting in temperature conditions within the AFT partial annealing zone. This observation agrees very well with reported vitrinite reflectance and illite-smectite thermometry, which indicate a systematic drop of the maximum paleotemperatures towards the western side of the basin.

Cretaceous—Quaternary tectonic evolution of the Tatra Mts (Western Carpathians): constraints from structural, sedimentary, geomorphological, and fission track data

“…For many reasons, it is disputable to consider the interpretation of 'the mid-Miocene thermal event as the extra heat source that prograded to the northern edge of the Pannonian block' proposed by Anczkiewicz et al (2013). One of the arguments is the lack of evidence that this thermal event affected the Tatra Mts crystalline basement.…”

“…Burchart 1972;Andrusov et al 1973;Krá 1977;Mahe 1986;Kováč et al 1994;Plašienka et al 1997;Janák et al 2001;Baumgart-Kotarba & Krá 2002;Struzik et al 2002;Anczkiewicz 2005;Anczkiewicz et al 2005Anczkiewicz et al , 2013Śmigielski et al 2012). The exhumation continued during the neotectonic period (Pliocene-Quaternary) as is indicated by the large amount, several hundred meters in thickness, of the Quaternary glaciofluvial sediments distributed predominantly at the southern foot of the Tatra Mts (e.g.…”

“…Besides, Środoń et al (2006) published additional evidence of burial as the only heat source that was revealed by measurements of different grain densities and porosities in the Bukovina and Chocholow wells in the Podhale Basin. According to the authors, these differences respond primarily to the lithostatic load and not to the temperature; (ii) according to AFT dating study from the Podhale-Spišská Magura Basin, Anczkiewicz et al (2013) assume both heating associated with mid-Miocene volcanism and variable thickness of Oligocene-and potentially also Miocene sediments as the responsible heat source. Their interpretation shifts the extent of the mid-Miocene thermal episode to the northern edge of the Pannonian block and thus provides an extra heat source.…”

Palaeomagnetic results from the fold and thrust belt of the Western Carpathians: an overview

“…Its age might be related with so-called "Mid-Miocene thermal event" which caused resetting of the fission track ages some of the Oligocene rocks in the Podhale Basin (Danišik et al 2012;Anczkiewicz et al 2013).…”

New data on the age of the sedimentary infill of the Orava-Nowy Targ Basin – a case study of the Bystry Stream succession (Middle/Upper Miocene, Western Carpathians)

“…Ex isting stud ies show that an im por tant part of the CCPB suc ces sion might have been eroded; there fore this es ti ma tion may not be very ac cu rate (Anczkiewicz et al, 2005(Anczkiewicz et al, , 2013Środoń et al, 2006). The last de for ma tion stages of the south ern most parts of the Magura Nappe are dated by the oc cur rence of Lower Miocene sed i ments that are in volved in the nappe for ma tion (up tõ 23-18?…”