TECTONICS, VOL. 12, NO.
4, PAGES 855-873, AUGUST 1993
CRETACEOUS TO MIOCENE THRUSTING
AND WRENCHING ALONG THE CENTRAL
SOUTH CARPATHIANS DUE TO A CORNER
EFFECT DURING COLLISION AND
OROCLINE FORMATION
Lothar Ratschbacher,Hans-Gert Linzer, and Franz Moser
Institutf'tir Geologieund Pal•iontologie,
Universitfit,
Ttibingen,Germany
Robert-Octavian Strusievicz, Horia Bedelean, Nicolae Hat,
and Petru-AdrianMogos
Catedrade Geologie- Paleontologie,
Universitatea
Babes-
Bolyai, Cluj, Romania
Abstract.Field studiesin the RomanianSouthCarpathians
(longitude 22.5ø to 24.2øE and latitude 45.2ø to 45.6øN)
demonstrate (1) Cretaceous top-to-NEshearingparallelto the
present strike of the thrust system connectedwith coaxial
flatteningwithin the generallynorthwestdippingfoliation,(2)
Paleogeneductile-brittledextml wrenching,E-W compression
(o•: 87_15ø), and basinformation(Petrosanibasin)alongthe
Cema-Jiufault system,(3) large-scale Miocenedextralwrench-
ing alongthe northernmarginof Moesia(oh:143-16ø),and(4)
probably Pliocene-earlyPleistoceneN-S compression(o•:
205__.25ø).We discussthe tectonicsof the SouthCarpathians
stressingthe comereffectof the Moesianforelandpromontory
duringconvergence and formationof the Carpathianorocline.
Up to thelate Early Cretaceous subduction of oceaniccrustwas
activebetweenEurope-Moesiaon one sideandEastCarpathia-
Rhodopiaon the otherside.Collisionandintmcontinental defor-
mationoccurredduringthe lateEarly andLate Cretaceous. The
pinningof the thrustfront at the westerntip of Moesiaandthe
forelandrecessnorthof it causedsuperposition of thrustingand
wrenchingduring collisionand lateral translation,tangential
stretchingduring orocline formation,and spreadinginto the
recess.Further convergenceduringthe early Tertiary resulted
in dislocation of the previously welded East Carpathian-
Rhodopianand Moesian fragmentsalong the Cema-Jiufault
system and the further northeasttranslationof the western
segment.The intramontanePetrosanibasinopenedas a north-
easterly propagating,transientpull-apart structurealong the
Cema-Jiufault system,which acquireda curved,northwesterly
convex, transtensionaltrace due to the shapeof the Moesian
promontory. Tightening of the Carpathian orocline and/or
rearrangementof the microplategeometryduringthe formation
of the Pannonian basin system led to large-scaledextml
wrenchingalongthe northernmarginof Moesia.PlioceneN-S
compression reflectsfinal shorteningin the Carpathiansystem
before ongoingconvergencebetweenEuropeand Africa was
transferred to the Mediterranean. Rotation of material
aroundthe Moesian comer is corroborated
by paleomagnetic
studies.
Copyright1993 by the AmericanGeophysical
Union.
Paper number 93TC00232.
0278-7407/93/93TC-00232510.00
INTRODUCTION
The arc of the Carpathianfold and thrustbelt resultedfrom
Cretaceous to Miocene convergenceand collision of the
Europeanplate with severalsmall continentalblocks,filling a
recessin the combinedEuropean-Moesian foreland(Figure 1).
The wealth of geologicand geophysicdata in this area led to
case studiesin the evolutionof a basin systemformed in the
rear of an orogenic arc (the Pannonianbasin, Figure 1) and
motivated reconstructionsof paleotectonicsin a region of
complex plate geometry [e.g., Royden and Horvfith, 1988].
Thesereconstructions, aiming to or startingfrom a still mainly
hypotheticalJurassic-Cretaceous postriftconfiguration(Figure
2a) [e.g.,S•dulescu, 1988], encompass two-dimensional, suc-
cessiveapproximationstudies(Figure 2b; block models)[e.g.,
Balla, 1985; Csontoset al., 1992] and three-dimensionalmodels
(collision-backarcmodel) [e.g., Roydenand Burchfiel, 1989],
(indentation-escape-collapse
model)[Ratschbacheret al., 1991a,
b]. Currently,a phaseof modelrefinementaimsto improvethe
data base on crustal fault zone kinematics, basin subsidence,
deep structure,and stratigraphy[e.g., Mesk6 et al., 1990].
Paleotectonic reconstructionsmay be constrained and
deformationundercomplexplate geometrymay by understood
by quantitativekinematicanalysisof the major fault zones.In
thispaperwe presentfield dataon deformationand kinematics
of the centralSouthCarpathiansin Romania,whichoccupythe
southerncomer of the Carpathianforelandrecess(Figure 1).
Prompted by model predictions (see above), we aim, in
particular,to elucidatethe role of transcurrent
motionalongthe
northwesternmargin of Moesia. Finally, we proposethat the
tectonicevolutionof the centralSouthCarpathians reflectsthe
comereffectof theMoesianpromontoryduringAlpinecollision
and orocline formation.
THE CENTRAL SOUTH CARPATHIANS
The SouthCarpathiansstretchbetweenthe forelandof the
Alpine belt, representedby the Moesianplatformin the south,
and the Transylvanianbasin and the Mures ophiolitic zone,
representinga remnantof the Vardaroceanin thenorth(Figure
1). They comprisea thrustsystem,first recognizedby Murgoci
[1905]. His model of a single,the Getic nappe,incorporatedin
an independentEast Carpathian-Rhodopian fragment [e.g.,
Burchfiel, 1980] thrust over Danubian autochthon(Europe-
Moesia), was completedby identifyingthe Suprageticnappes,
the Severin nappe, which probably includesoceanic crust
locatedbetweenEast Carpathia-Rhodopiaand Moesia (Figure
2a), and the nappestructureinsidethe Danubianunit [Gherasi
et al., 1968; Sfftnoiu, 1973; Berza et al., 1983, and references
therein](Figure 3a). Major crustalshorteningis attributedto
Late Cretaceousand early Tertiary [e.g., S•tndulescu, 1975],
overprintinga pre-Alpine tectonicedifice [Balintoniet al.,
lines
1989]. Both the Getic-Suprageticand the Danubianrealms
comprisebasementwith Proterozoic,early Caledonian,and
Variscanmetamorphites and granitoids,Variscanmolasse,and
a Mesozoicsequence[e.g., S•dulescu, 1975].
We studiedan area in the central South Carpathians,
betweenthe Timis fiver in the westand the Olt fiver in the east
(Figure 3a), covetingbasementand Mesozoiccover rocksof
the Getic, Severin, and Danubian thrust systems,and the
intramontanebasinsof Haleg and Petrosani(Figure 3). To
reveal the Alpine kinematicsof the Alpine-Carpathian-
Pannonianorogenicsystem,we focuson Alpine deformation
856 Ratschbacher
etal.:South
Carpathian
Orocline
Formation

with the formationof the thrust system.The Alpine age is

inferredfromtheretrograde typeof metamorphism overprinting
medium to high-gradeProterozoicand Paleozoicbasement
rocks, isotopic dating of synkinematicminerals, and the
Mesozoic age of intercalatedsedimentaryrocks.Finite strain
was calculatedfrom shapesof deformedpebblesand coarse
ii!i
L '..,x
?. ..... quartzand feldspargrainsin metasandstones andgneisses.
Information on the noncoaxialcomponentof strain was
?,V "---.. ' obtainedfrom shearcriteria in the XZ plane of finite strain
I ...........
"• '"*:..(!kl
I('"'•"'•'"'"'"'•""":••:•'•••iiii•i
•," i' • (X>Y>_Z, principalstrainaxes): S-C and shearband fabrics,
asymmetricboudinageandstrainshadows,rotatedremnants of
fracturedminerals,and shearedminerals [see Simpsonand
Schmid, 1983]. Deformationpath interpretations of quartz
Fig. 1. Tectonicsketchmap showinglocationof the central
texturesare based on comparisonswith texturesfrom other
South Carpathiansin the Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaric
orogenic
belt.
deformation zones where the path was establishedby
independent criteria[e.g., Schmidand Casey,1986].Natural
calcite textures were compared with those derived from
zones (preferablyincludingMesozoic rocks),Tertiary basins, polycrystal-plasficitymodelsandexperimental data[e.g.,Wenk
and brittle fault tectonics. We draw the reader's attention to the et al., 1987]. Displacement dataare basedon two assumptions:
work of S,•tndulescu
[1975, 1988], Burchfiel [1976, 1980], and (1) strainsare largein thedeformationzonesaccompanying the
Balintoniet al. [1989], who reviewedthe geologichistoryof Alpine thrustsof thepile; (2) simpleshearwasa component of
the Romanian South Carpathians.Most of our data are deformationat leastduringthe main periodof rock flow.
summarizedin Figures3 to 11 andTables1 to 3. Observations
are basedon evaluationof structureson the geologicmapsof Structures,Strain,Kinematics,and Timing
Romania (1:50000-1:200000) and mapping of meso- and
microstructuresalong crosssections. A simplifiedtectonicsubdivisionis shownin Figure 3a
emphasizingAlpine nappes.The schematicblock diagramof
CRETACEOUS-EARLY TERTIARY TECTONICS Figure 4 definesthe major structures.A penetrativefoliation
(S1) runssubparallelto bedding(in Mesozoicrocks)andthrusts
Methodsof KinematicAnalysis and,in general,dipsnorthwest(Figures4 and5). It is defined
by phyllosilicates,
films of opaqueminerals,elongatedquartz
Penetrative,crystal-plasticstructuresand their continuous and calcitegrains,and flattenedpebbles.Anastomosing S -
tracingenableus to analyzethe orientationof strainassociated patternsare common,and a distinctionbetweenS - andC -

b
earliest Cretaceous early . plate motions

ß
"
'••'"ß• East.Ca•athia/
Rhodopta
.
..'.......' 20
."N35
'".•_
0 :::
.............. \ ': ." :....v,0
'-,'.80. :
:.. .' ,,0,/':'.:• '...'..'].
•'.•s '"" ..... •0 . •"
"•'&.-•.
Apuli
"••...•::'" '"....'...
'•i:"•j'••;7•
:-".... Moesia Ma • 0: ""4130
Aust•'oalpine
•:!!iiiii:?>t.,•7• '•. • Africa
10,c

Apuli
'•'"'"'""'•"'•'"'"'
'"
-'"•2'-"•'-.
"::"
:•-'-.-'.'••
'""
.':'
'""'
ßVarda'"
r
Apu,,a"!•:•:i:i:i:i:i:i:i:•:?:•::i::i::iii?:i::•ii::•::•iii•i•?'
Fig. 2. (a) Palinspasticsketchof the Carpathians duringthe earliestCretaceousbefore onsetof
convergence (modifiedafter Siindulescu [1988]), and Late Cretaceous paleodeclinationsat two points
northand west of the Moesianplatform[from Piltra,scu et al., 1990]. Note increaseof rotationangle
aroundthe Moesianpromontoryacquiredduringthe formationof the Carpathianorocline.(b) Two-
dimensional, successiveapproximation reconstructionof earlyMiocenepaleotectonics of theCarpathian
belt simplifiedafterBalla [1985].(c) Platemotionvectorsfor threepointslocatedon Africa (Tunisia),
Apulia(EasternAlps),andEastCarpathia-Rhodopia (SouthCarpathians) compiledafterDercourtet al.
[1986].
 ß
ß
o

o,
c..)

(D ß
• .
,

e-

X X

x x

X • X X

JeA.l.l•.1•1.11
 858 Ratschbacher
et al.:SouthCarpathian
Orecline
Formation

S1+S2
orientation of structures

Cretaceous-early Tertiary
displacement

0 n=178

Miocene
dextral shearing

-1• 0.0 +1•

displacement partitioninginto
thrustshear,pure shear flattening,
and wrench shear

Fig.4. Schematic
blockdiagram
(center)
defining
themajor
structures,
orientation
diagrams
(topright;
lower
hemisphere,
equalarea)
ofmajor crystal-plastic
structures,
andstrain
(bottom
row).S1+S2,firstand
second
Alpinefoliation;
LI+L2,firstandsecondAlpinestretching
lineafion
(second
deformationasfull
symbols);
F1,firstAlpine
folding.
Definition
ofes,v ofstrain
diagram
(bottom
righ0seeTable1;circles
andarrowshow strain
gradient
approaching
thethrust
contact
betweenupper
DanubianandSeverin-Getic
nappes.
Modelforstrain
accumulation
during
crystal-plastic
deformation
(bottom
left):
displacement(open
arrows)
is partitioned
intothrust
shear,
pureshearflattening
dueto transpression,
tangential
stretch,
gravitational
spreading,
andwrenchshear,
concentrated
alongtheCema4iufaultsystem.
Finitestrain
is
strongly oblate.

surfaces
ispossible
in moderately deformed
rocks.
Highstrain somewhat steeper thanfirstdeformation
structuresandformed,
shearzonesshowmultiplesetsof shear
planes
withextensional together withmesoscale dextralstrike-slip
faults,attheductile-
character;they correspond
to shearbands.A subhorizontal brittletransition.The overallgeometriceffectof the second
stretching
lineation(L1)liesinS1andtrendsnortheast
(Figures deformation is a stretch
alongL1-L2.
4 and5). It is defined
byorientedminerals,elongated
and/or Localhigh-strain
zones
inthebasement
arecharacterized
by
pulledapartpebblesand minerals, and the longaxesof intense
retrometamorphism
(chloritization,
albitization).
Struc-
asymmetric
strainshadows.
Opencrackswerefilledwithdebris tureswereformedat andunderfallingAlpinemetamorphic
andchlorite,
calcite,
andquartz
fibers.
Folds(F1)arefightto temperatures,finally crossingthe ductile-brittletransition.
isoclinal,recumbent,and their axes (B1) have variable Throughout
crystal-plastic
deformation
(firstands,econdAlpine
orientations.
In highstrainzonesB1 parallels
L1. deformation)
strain
orientation
wasmaintained(e.g.,Figure
5a,
Second
deformation
isportrayed
byoutcrop-
andmap-scale stationRO5in thebasement
of thelowerDanubian
unit,station
folding(F2), a crenulationcleavageandassociated intersection RO19in Liassicblackphyllites
of theupperDanubian
thrust
lineation,anda stretchinglineation.
Bothlineationsandthefold system);we interpretthe distinctstructures
as a resultof a
axes are subparallel to L1. In incompetent rocks(e.g., single progressivedeformation.
carbonafic phyllites
of theSeverin nappe,phyllites
of thelower Strainmeasurements
showthatL1 parallels
X of finite
Danubianunit,station
RO33,Figure5b),F2isfighttoisoclinal strainandthatS1is subparallel
to theXY plane(flattening
andvergestoward SE.Preferably
in Mesozoicsequencessouth plane).Strainis oblate
(Table1, Figures
4 and5), intensity
of thePetro•anibasin,we observed
a second generationof increases,
andstrainratiobecomes progressively
moreoblate
shearbands(SB2instationsRO19,RO27; Figure5).Theydip towardthrustboundaries(e.g.,station
RO20,we sampled
a
 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
OreclineFormation 859

• R09

••7:•777:i:!:•'•7:.';
....................... -'•"'•"-"'=•.'.'.••i•i•i•i•"•'•:..'.:•:•:•=_..
•"••.......:•i•i•i•ii•i•i•i•i•i•i•i•i•i•ii``
/•:•//!?:11111iiiii!"'""••-"
sta-••••.'.•••
'",•"
•• '""',-'•'".':':..::•
"'""':••
i i .....'....... --,.. ......
::•::•i•::•!•?:•;?:•::•?:•i!i•i?':/..:.:•....::•:..%...
_,'-•"'7" - .....),," qgs.b. ".........
'.....................................................

'?i•;•'5:•i•i•:;i•i•::i::.
'........ •:i:i:!:::i'i'i!
...........
•i:i:i tz
•x strain(XYprojection) O stallohs " -'
Jt2•ty and unit spl'•ro
"'l" foliation
trajectory • stretchin0
trajectory .-., displacement
vector

Fig. 5. Orientation,
structural,
strain,andkinematic
dataof deformation
in the(a) Ha•eg- Petroõani
and
(b) Petro•ani- ¾idrabasinareas.Stereonets
(lowerhemisphere,
equalarea):0, pre-Alpine
deformation;
1, 2, Alpinestructures;
L, stretching
lineafion;S, foliation;SB, shearbands;F: fold axes;TG, tension
gashes; beamed,meanorientations.Shearbanddataareplottedas greatcircleswith lineafionas arrows
heading intodirectionof displacement of thehanging wall.Abbreviation forshearsense criteriaonmaps:
ab,asymmetric boudinage; cc,calcitetexture;qtz,quartztexture;cLsigmaclast;sb,shearband;sf, shear
fold; sz, shearzone.Calciteandquartzc- axistextures: all oriented parallelto XZ-principalplane
(containing stretching
lineationandfoliafionnormal,seeFigure$a bottomleft); line andarrowwithin
diagramgiveinterpretation of planeandsense of shearof noncoaxialflowcomponent. Notethat(local)
top-to-SW shearis particularly
pronounced southof thePetro•ani basin(stations
RO20,RO25);analysis
of texturesacrossa well-exposed
100 m profileindicates
homogeneous
flow.

straingradientapproaching
thethrustcontact betweentheupper
Danubian and Severin-Geticnappes in pebble bearing
metaarcose rocks,Figure4 - strainplot - cirlcesand arrow).
The straingeometryimpliesthatthethrustsystemwasstretched
nearlyradially (Figure4, lower left).
Figure5 showsfoliationandstretching trajectories
anddis-
placementvectorsconstructedbasedon evaluationof field and
sampledata. Strike of S1 and thrusts,and trendof L1 are, in
general,subparallel.Displacementduringboth the first and
second Alpinedeformation wasgenerally top-to-NE,butcoaxial
flow contributedsignificantlyto the overalldeformation.Non-
coaxialstrainis demonstrated by shearbandsoccurringin
singlesets.Coaxialstrainis indicatedby conjugateshearbands,
but particularlyby orthorhombic quartztextures,and textures
indicatinglocaltop-to-SWshear(Figure5). The latterseemsto
be pronounced alongthe southern rim of the Petro•anibasin
(stationsRO20, RO25), wherewe sampleda profileacross
Mesozoicrocksto studystrainpathvariations (seequartztex-
 860 Ratschbacher
et al.:SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation

ß ' R • 1

•,.'-•ii!i
mIoa.t•::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
s/r• ½?:i½i!ii•:. ,z-'--./ Petro$ani-Vidra R030

..::........'•'"'•:i:!:!½•:[:!::':'::!:i:!:i:!:!:•:[:•..,, (RO31Q'I'D

2 I ' ..............
• t½$ • '" '"?..i!:..!i½"•'.':"':"½::'•
.....
-....
•:i•?:ii!i!:ii}:ii:iiiili!i?:•:•:::•½•:'•'"i'!
.....

R020
(RO14QTZ) R020 R020 R025 R027 R030

o •

o o o

Fig. 5. (continued)

tures in Figure 5). During the seconddeformation,S1 lithons Alpinemetamorphic conditionsin theSouthCarpathian nappe
were boudinagedand rotated antitheticallyto the top-to-NE pile, we interprettheseagesasformationages.A thermalpeak
shear. at about100 Ma is alsoindicatedby the youngest amphibole
Very low to low-gradeAlpinemetamorphism is syntectonic agesfrom the basement,and wholerock agesfrom Mesozoic
with the describedstructures.
The youngest rocksinvolvedin metasediments.Consequently,deformationduring the first
thrustingand crystal-plasticdeformationare AptJan(Getic, AlpineeventmusthavestartedduringEarly Cretaceous times;
Danubianand Severinnappes)[Berzaet al., 1988;Iancuet al., thethmstsystemrelaxedthermallyduringongoingdeformation
1990].Rupelianto Pannonian rocksof theHalegandPetro•ani (secondAlpinedeformation; likely Late Cretaceous).
basins[BerzaandDrilgAnescu, 1988] lie unconformablyupon Metamorphictemperatures may be evaluatedby examining
deformedand metamorphosed rocks.Figure6 summarizes the resettingof theK/Ar isotopicsystemin differentminerals.Pre-
available isotopic ages concerningthe Alpine tectono- Alpine muscovitewas not rejuvenatedin the Getic nappe,
metamorphicevent. K/Ar biotite agesfrom rocksof all units whereasbiotite was partially to completelyreset,at least in
clusterbetween90 and 120 Ma. Due to the relativelylow deformedrocks(seerock descriptionof Soroiuet al. [1970],

TABLE 1. Crystal-Plastic
Strainin theCentralSouth-Carpathians

Station Specimen X' Y'Z t. v k

RO20 RO14s 1.39: 1.28:0.59 0.673 0.806 0.074

RO20 RO15s 1:51: 1.24:0.53 0.791 0.623 0.163
RO20 RO18s 1.70: 1.29:0.48 0.947 0.569 0.184
RO27 RO25s 2.14: 1.58: 0.30 1.489 0.689 0.084
RO30 RO31s 1.53: 1.46:0.45 0.972 0.942 0.021
RO32 RO32s 1.66: 1.36:0.44 1.011 0.695 0.108

X>Y>7.,principal •, • 43/3[(s7-s•
strainaxialratio;Strainintensity, 2+(•-e;5
2+(•7•;5]
112
, where
ln(l+h) is a prin_cil:•l_
._.ha_rural_
sU'aincorresponding
to 4, its conventional
counterpart;
Strainratio,(Lode's
parameter) v = (•2-•-•)(•,-•)'• andk = (X/Y)(Y/Z)'•.
 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
OreclineFormation 861

! ! ! - . _ ......

wholerock
3 r'•amphibolo
2 3

4 upperDanubian 4 lower Danubian

Rb/Sr ages

Fig. 6. Histograms(age againstnumberof samples)of isotopicdata (<200 Ma) from the centralSouth
Carpathians. Compiledfrom (S) Soroiuet al. [1970],(M) M•zatu et al. [1975], and(R) own data(Table
3). Ages from Soroiuet al. [1970] and Mfinzatuet al. [1975] were recalculatedwith the International
Union of GeologicalSciencesconstants accordingto Dalrymple[1979].

Manzatuet al. [1975]). Temperatures between300øand400øC
are inferred.Both muscoviteandbiotitewererejuvenatedin the
upper Danubianunit, and amphiboleat leastpartially in the
lower Danubiannappes.Temperatures exceeded400øC.
We dated synkinematicmuscovitefrom an Alpine shear
zonein the basementof the lower Danubianthrustsystemsouth
of the Haleg basin, and from a mylonitic metaarcose,a
successivedeformation events at nearly all stations.We
differentiatedthree subsetson a regionalscale.Basedon local
superpositioncriteria and regional consistentorientationof
calculatedtensors,we interpretthe setsto representdifferent
stressstatesacquiredthroughtime. We were,however,unsuc-
cessful to demonstratethis superpositionsequenceat all
stations.

phyllonite,and a limestonetectoniteof the upperDanubian Set 1 fault striaedata,interpretedasrepresenting the oldest

thrust systemsouthof the Petro•anibasinby the K/fix and state,compriseonly a smallportionof the totaldata,andrecord
Rb/Sr methods (Table 3). The low-grade metamorphic E-W compression (o•: 087ñ15ø, arithmeticmeanandstandard
assemblage (quartz,albite,muscovite,
ñchlorite,ñcalcite)of the deviation,o•>o2>o3,principal stressaxes) and N-S extension
clasticrock demonstrates syntectonicmica formationbetween (03: 176ñ16ø;Figure7). Relatedlarge-scale structureshavenot
99 and 72 Ma in accordancewith the publisheddata. The been identified so far, but mesoscalestructuresare mostly
youngerageswereobtainedfor fine-grainedmicasandindicate boundto a zone alongthe Petro•anibasinand the fault system
recrystallizationduring progressivedeformationin the Late borderingit to the east(imbricationzoneof the Getic, Severin,
Cretaceous.The Triassicage recordedfor Alpine undeformed and upper Danubiannappes).Berza and Dfftgilnescu[1988]
amphibolesof thelowerDanubianbasement rockscorroborates describedan anastomosing fault zonesouthwest of, and uncon-
low-gradeAlpine metamorphism andrejuvenationof Variscan formablycoveredby thesediments of thePetro•anibasinasthe
amphiboles. Cerna-Jiufault system.They proposed3040 km of dextral
displacementfrom Late Cretaceousto Chattiantimesbasedon
TERTIARY TECTONICS lithologicand faciescorrelations.
In addition to stressorientation,the computationof the
Methodsof KinematicAnalysis reducedstresstensordeterminesthe ratio R, whichexpresses
the relationship between the magnitudesof the principal
Fault slip data, collectedat 30 localities(referredto as stresses.Extreme valuesof R correspondto stressellipsoids
stationsbelow;Figures7, 8, 9, and 11), wereusedto studythe with 02=03 (R=0) or o2=o• (R=I). As Table 2 and Figure 7
state(s)of paleostressassociatedwith brittledeformation(Table (stressratio diagram)show,threestationsare closeto a normal
2 for locationof stationsandparameters of the deviatoricstress fault solution,three are hybrid solutionsbetweennormaland
tensor).For assumptions involvedin and a criticalanalysisof strike-slipfaulting (o• and o2 permutate),andthreestationsare
methodsof kinematicanddynamicanalysisof faults,thereader closeto a strike-slipsolution.The only stationin the sediments
is referredto reviewpapers[e.g.,Angelier,1984;Allmendinger of the Petro•anibasinwhere we encounteredset 1 fault striae
et al., 1989].In theappendixwe describe themeasurements and data is a hybrid strike-slipnormal fault solutionand lies in
determinations madein thefield andoutlinethetechniques used Chattianconglomerates and sandstones at the northernrim of
for stress tensor calculation. the basin (station RO23).
Set 2 comprisesmostof the data.Relatedstructures, inter-
Structures,Kinematics,Stress,and Timing preted from maps (Figures3b and 8) and parfly verified by
field observation(Figures8 and 9), outline a major Tertiary
Overprintingcriteria in the field, data clustering,and dextral strike-slipfault zone.The orientationsof structures and
incompatibleslipsensein theraw data(Figures7, 8, 9, and11) stressesalong the zone are summarizedin Figure 10a, and
suggestsuperposition
of homogeneous datasetsformedduring closely resemblethose of large-scaledextral wrench zones
862 Ratschbacher
et al.:SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation

TABLE 2. CentralSouthCarpathians:
Locationof Stations
andParameters
of theDeviatoricStressTensor

Sites Method E longitude N latitude Number o• o2 •3 R F

Tertiary Basins
RO1-DEX inversion 22048'42" 45029'34" 21/21 072 73 167 02 258 17 0.22 14ø
RO10-DEX iteration 22050'55" 45030'26" 27/25 135 30 007 47 243 28 0.2 14ø
ROll-DEX iteration 22059'40" 45035'32" 15/15 330 10 076 58 234 30 0.7 10ø
RO13-DEX iteration 23059'40" 45035'32" 17/13 138 70 337 19 245 06 0.7 14ø
RO17-DEX P/T 23023'24" 45027'32" 25/25 310 01 217 66 040 24
RO17-SIN iteration 23023'24" 45027'32" 13/10 000 20 180 70 270 00 0.3 17ø
RO21-DEX P/T 23005'06" 45019'34" 08/08 132 06 020 75 223 14
RO23-DEX iteration 23005'34" 45019'54" 23/19 320 10 140 80 050 00 0.7 12ø
RO23-EW iteration 23005'34" 45019'54" 11/08 280 60 085 29 179 06 0.6 10ø
RO26-DEX iteration 23ø08'12" 45020'39" 09/08 150 10 273 72 057 15 0.3 12ø
CrystallineBasementRocks
RO3-DEX iteration 22054'35" 45028'22" 16/15 180 30 000 60 090 00 0.6 14ø
RO4-DEX P/T 22054' 17" 45025'33" 06/06 356 01 259 83 086 07
RO6-DEX iteration 22044' 14" 45020'52" 29/26 307 20 089 65 212 14 0.8 25ø
RO6-SIN iteration 22044' 14" 45020'52" 17/13 244 20 030 66 149 12 0.3 07ø
RO7-DEX iteration 22045' 37" 45023' 16" 27/19 120 00 030 72 210 18 0.7 15ø
RO7-SIN iteration 22045'37" 45023' 16" 17/16 060 00 150 60 330 30 0.2 10ø
RO9-DEX iteration 22ø49'01" 45026'57" 14/13 120 50 323 38 224 11 0.1 09ø
RO12-DEX iteration 22058'36" 45ø39'15" 13/10 332 70 139 19 230 04 0.6 13ø
RO12-SIN iteration 22058'36" 45039' 15" 13/11 225 30 355 48 119 26 0.9 10ø
RO12-EW iteration 22058'36" 45039' 15" 12/12 305 70 111 19 203 04 0.7 15ø
RO16-OLD-DEX iteration 23ø21'11" 45026'53" 21/17 318 20 212 37 070 47 0.2 15ø
RO16-YOU-DEX iteration 23021' 11" 45026'53" 21/19 120 10 226 58 024 30 0.5 11ø
RO25-DEX iteration 23008'05" 45ø21'17" 30/24 320 10 140 80 050 00 0.1 19ø
RO25-SIN P/T 23008'05" 45ø21'17" 06/06 197 18 326 63 100 20
RO25-EW iteration 23008'05" 45021' 17" 09/08 286 20 073 66 191 12 0.2 09ø
RO29-DEX iteration 23023'02" 45018'04" 56/50 206 80 340 07 071 07 0.6 13ø
RO29-EW iteration 23ø23'02" 45018'04" 09/07 240 10 122 70 333 17 0.1 14ø
RO34-DEX iteration 23050'34" 45025'55" 36/33 000 50 143 34 246 19 0.2 12ø
RO34-EW iteration 23050'34" 45025'55" 11/08 270 10 165 56 006 32 0.9 14ø
RO37-DEX iteration 24006'02" 45020'58" 60/50 130 10 236 58 034 30 0.9 21ø
RO38-DEX P/T 24006' 11" 45004' 12" 49/47 320 16 177 70 054 11
RO38-EW P/T 24006' 11" 45004' 12" 09/09 081 13 307 72 174 13
Permomesozoic Units
ROI5-DEX iteration 23ø13'18" 45ø26'51" 60/46 315 30 135 60 225 00 0.4 22ø
RO15-SIN P/T 23ø13'18" 45ø26'51" 15/15 177 20 005 70 268 02
RO18-DEX iteration 23ø01'51" 45019'28" 39/32 330 10 098 74 238 12 0.3 16ø
RO18-SIN iteration 23ø01'51" 45019'28" 34/26 169 30 349 60 079 00 0.6 13ø
RO18-EW iteration 23ø01'51" 45019'28" 12/09 080 00 350 55 170 35 0.8 20ø
RO22-DEX iteration 23004'57" 45020' 19" 32/23 138 20 279 65 042 14 0.3 20ø
RO22-SIN inversion 23004'57" 45020' 19" 10/10 210 26 336 50 105 28 0.92 05ø
RO22-EW iteration 23004'57" 45020' 19" 26/24 095 20 318 64 192 17 0.3 25ø
RO27-DEX P/T 23ø08'21" 45018'49" 20/20 307 02 151 88 037 01
RO30-DEX iteration 23022'58" 45ø21'56" 11/09 222 70 12602 035 20 0.6 05ø
RO31-DEX iteration 23024'35" 45028'23" 37/31 120 00 030 72 210 18 0.5 17ø
RO31-SIN iteration 23024'35" 45028'23" 28/27 200 10 082 70 293 17 0.6 11ø
RO32-DEX P/T 23ø27'41" 45024'50" 20/18 346 08 191 81 076 04
RO32-EW P/T 23ø27'41" 45024'50" 05/05 077 18 221 69 343 12
RO33-DEX iteration 23049' 11" 45025'35" 35/33 150 10 256 58 054 30 0.5 16ø
RO33-EW P/T 23049' 11" 45025'35" 24/23 097 18 305 70 190 09
RO35-DEX P/T 23053'30" 45026'02" 43/42 342 06 210 81 073 06
RO35-EW iteration 23ø53'30" 45026'02" 29/26 222 70 060 19 328 06 0.5 17ø
RO36-DEX iteration 23054'45" 45025'35" 19/14 332 70 152 10 062 00 0.9 14ø
RO36-EW inversion 23054'45" 45025'35" 05/05 098 24 206 35 341 45 0.68 07ø

Sitenumberslocate stations
in Figures 5 to 11.Letters
afterthesitenumber givesubsets
(set1 to 3, seetext)separated
froma single
faultpopulation:
EW:set1,
DEX: set2, SIN: set3. Number: first,number of measurements,second,number of measurementsusedfor calculation.
•-•3: azimuth(firstnumber)
andplunge
(secondnumber) of theprincipal
stress axes.StressratioR = (•2-03)(•-•3)
4 (1:uniaxial
extension,0: uniaxialshortening).
Fluctuation
F givestheaverage
angle
between the measured striae and the orientation of the calculated theoretical shear stress.

(Figure10b).The dextralmasterfaultsstrike95-110ø (Figure
8, fault strike diagram,and Figure 10a), the averagecom-
pressiondirectiontrends143øñ16 ø (Figure8, stressorientation
diagram).Dextralwrenchingis distributed throughout a broad
deformationzone,typicalof deformationin continentalcrust.
Wider distributionof set 2 faultingas indicatedby the current
stateof mapping(Figures3b and 8) is evidentfrom stations
sampledoutsidethe main fault zone(e.g., RO6, RO7, RO9,
RO29).
Basedon our mesoscale
data,we attemptedto determinethe
relativeimportanceof reverse,strike-slip,and normalfaulting
on a regionalscale.03 axesplungecloseto horizontalin all
sites, showing that the strike-slipand normal-sliptectonic
regime dominated.The relative importanceof strike-slip,
 Ratschbacher
et al.:SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation 863

TABLE 3. AdditionalK/Ar and Rb/Sr Data From the SouthCarpathians

Station Sample Mineral Size, %K 4øArrad, ø•40Arrad Isotopic Age,

gm scc/gm-10'• Ma

RO8 RO8s amphibolea >125 0.57 0.553 86.15 234_+12.0

RO20 RO14s muscovite• > 125 6.15 2.43 87.10 99_+5.0
RO27 RO23s muscovitec <063 4.95 1.69 90.15 85.7_+4.3

Station Sample Mineral Size, Sr, Rb, 87Rbf16Sr 87Srf16Sr IsotopicAge

gm ppm ppm

RO8 RO10s muscovited <63 168 269 4.63 0.72268_+0.00013 76_+01

whole rock 253 155 1.77 0.71957_+0.00022
RO27 RO25s muscovitee 5.6-10 267 102 1.10 0.70954_+0.00010 72_+38
muscovite 10-20 390 58.9 0.435 0.70917_+0.00023
whole rock 340 48.9 0.416 0.70874_+0.00020

aLowerDanubiannappes,Rof unit, basementamphibolite.

bUpperDanubiannappes,Permomesozoic myloniticmetaarcose.
cUpperDanubiannappes,Permomesozoic limestonetectonite.
•ower Danubiannappes,Rof unit, Alpine shearzonein basementgneiss.
eUpperDanubiannappes,Permomesozoic phyllonite.LocationsseeFigure5.

Tertiarytectonics:E-W compression
Petrosani basin

.... '.......... .

i:"22
•J•r-'--'-'•'•-".'..•.:••••
• ••

jl•r compression
direction
(0.1) Z• extension
direction
(0'
3)
Vidra basin

...• .• • •x •' ,•'•'

'•i:'::'
3 ..•'•. ..,.. ..,..
g"'3".'.':':
? "Z-

Fig. 7. E-W compression(convergentarrows)and N-S extension(divergentarrows) corresponding to

strike-slipand normal faultingin the Petro•ani- Vidra basinsarea (set 1; Table 2 for parametersof
deviatoricstresstensorsandlocations).Lowerhemisphere, equalareadiagramsgive fault striaedataused
to computeo• to o3 (1 to 3). Faultsare drawnas greatcircles,striaeas arrowswith headpointingin
directionof displacemere of the hangingwall. Becausemistakesin slip-sense determination have severe
effectson calculations,we assigned degreesof certaintyto eachobservation; it is expressed in the head
styleof the striaearrows(seeFigures7 to 11): full, certain;open,reliable;half, unreliable;withouthead,
very poor slip-senseestimation.'Fault strike' diagramgives strike of all set 1 faults; stressorientation
diagramgives orientationsof • to •3 (•>•2->•3, principalstresses) calculatedfrom all stations;stress
ratiodiagram
plotscalculated
stress
ratiosR=(G2-G3)(GFG3)
4 (R=I, uniaxialextension;
R=0, uniaxial
compression; modifiedfrom Oncken[1988])versusplungeof (• for thereverse,normal,and strike-slip
faulting tectonicregimes.
864 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation

Tertiary basin sediments

stress
ratio
RO23-EW fault
strike-•._,
stress
orientation.•
i 0ø ßß • '" 3•!
ø
3

.................................................................................................................. eTertiary basin sediments

ß Permomesozoic rocks
Permomesozoic rocks e Crystalline
basementrocks

RO18-EW - - 3 -

...................................................................................................................................................................

Crystalline basement rocks

RO35-EW RO36-EW RO12-EW RO25-EW

RO ; ..................................

Fig. 7. (continued)

normal, and minor reversefaulting,however,changesspatially, Fault striae data also provide evidence for local block
outliningtranstensional andtranspressional
segments.
Strike-slip rotation.StationsRO15 andRO16 (Figure8) showtwo groups
plays a dominantrole close to the ESE trendingmap-scale of predominantlydextralstrike-slipfaults,separatedin strikeby
fatfits(e.g., stationsRO10, RO32, RO33, RO35, RO37; Figure 300-40ø. The two groupsmay representthe samestressstate,
8). Dextral-obliquereversefaultingandfoldingdominatesalong but may have rotateddifferentiallyduringprogressivedextral
E to NE trending segments.Accordingly,we interpretthe wrenching (raw data were not separatedinto subsetsfor
northwesternmarginof the Petro•anibasinas a major dextral- calculationin RO15, but wereseparated in RO16: RO16-OLD,
oblique reverse fault zone (e.g., station RO25, Figure 8; RO16-YOU). StationRO34 (Figure8) may representa small-
compareto Berza and Draganescu,[1988]). Its northeastern scale block, rotated and tilted along the major dextral strand
part is probably part of a major triangularpop-up structure (represented by stationsRO33 and RO35).
(e.g., stationsRO15, RO16, RO31), markingan interruptionof The stressratio R (Table 2; Figure8, stressratio diagram)
the master fault zone (Figures 3b and 8). Transtensional varies and indicatesthat pure strike-slipand pure normal-slip
segmentstrend NW and, for example,delineatethe southern rarely occurred.The calculatedratios imply that both vertical
part of the Hateg basin(e.g., stationsRO10, Figure9, which and horizontal compressivestress interacted (local {J•-lJ2
providesa recordof fatfiringand f-acturingin poorly sorted, permutation).A comparisonof resultsof the quantitativefault
Paleogeneconglomerateswith red argillaceousmatrix, and striaeanalysisand of qualitativestraingauges(tensiongashes,
RO3, ROll, RO12, RO13, Figure8). boudinage and fold axes) points to a simple stress-strain
 Ratschbacher
etal.' South
Carpathian
Orocline
Formation 865

Tertiarytectonics:dextralstrike-slipfaulting

Ha•eg
basin.,. ....
..:..,..::•
..--
"!:iiiiii.,.,....:..•iiiiiiii!!iiiililil
!
:"•:i;:i:•
"'"' •::r n=31
•o. 3

:::..
.......... :::::::::::::::::::::
ß13'" ' ß

o
1
5 km

Petro,•ani basin

3 km

Vidra basin

Brezoi

..... - 5 km

compression
direction
(0'
1) • extension
direction
(0.3)
• extension
direction
(e
3)
Fig. 8. Large-scaleMiocenedextralstrike-slipfaultingalongthenorthernmarginof theMoesianforeland.
SeeFigure7 for explanation of symbolsanddiagrams.

analogy.Bothe3 (minimumcontraction) and03, ande] (maxi-
mum contraction)and o] axescorrespond (Figures8 and 9).
No quantificationof the amountof displacement is possible
at this stage of structuralanalysis(further tracinginto the
easternand westernSouthCarpathians is required).Due to the
distributednatureof faulting,we speculatethat the totaloffset
is not very large, but probably>t0 km.
Set 3 fault striaedatacompriseonly a smallportionof the
total data and recordmainly sinistralstrike-slipfaultingwith
NNE trending01 (01: 205_+25ø; Figurett). Relatedlarge-scale
 866 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation

Tertiary basin sediments

RO 17-DEX R - 2'

............................................................................................................................................................................................

Permomesozoic rocks
RO15-DEX 1 - 2 -

3- 3- 3-

RO35-DEX • certain ss..pole

O36-DE•••-• tobedding
• reliableTG..pole
totension 'FG
gashes
1unreliable BA..boudinage
F..fold
axes axes
Jvery
poor (•) ol r•J02
slipsense •:>o3

Fig. 8. (continued)

structures have not been identified so far. Mesoscale structures deformationhistoryof the Cema-Jiufault system[Berzaand
indicatesinistralreactivationof dextral-oblique
reversefaults Drilganescu,1988]. Deformationof Paleogene-early Miocene
along the northernmarginof the Petroõanibasin.Spectacular stratain the Petro•aniandHaleg basinsby set2 fracturingand
overprinting structuresoccur at station RO31, where dextral faulting(Petro•anibasin:overthrustingalongthenorthwestern
faults,showingmajordisplacements (e.g.thickfaultgauge),are margin,rightsteppingoffsetof thebasement-basin contact,and
reactivatedor overprintedduringsinistral,generallysmall-scale sigmoidalbendingof beddingstrike, stationsRO17, RO21,
displacement(fibrous calcite behind fault steps). At other RO23, RO26; Haleg basin:stationROll, Figure8) dates
stationsno convincingoverprintingrelationshiphasbeenfound. dextralmotionasMioceneor younger.A seriesof poorlydated,
Set 1 faultingaffectedthe (Chattian)basalsediments of the Miocene basinsare lined up along the major dextralfault zone
Petro•anibasin;it probablyrepresents a stagein theprolonged (Figure 3b; Haleg, Dealu Babii, Vidra, Titeõti-Brezoibasins)
 Ratschbacher
etal.:South
Carpathian
Orocline
Formation 867

Crystalline basement rocks

R - 16

R01- •RO34-DE./•••

3 -

'%0o ..'2'0

stress orientation

lo•iorg Bosin so•imonIs

Permom•ozoic rocks
90 ø
Crystalline basement rocks

fault strike stressorientation

Fig. 8. (continued)

[Pop, 1963; Marinescuand Popescu,1978; Moisescu,1980;
Nichiforescuet al., 1984]. Two-stagesubsidence characterizes
both the Petro•aniand the Haleg basins:late Oligocene-early
Miocene and late Miocene. Unfortunately,litfie is published
about the history of these basins. Age constraintsare not
availablefor set 3 faulting.
DISCUSSION
Deformation in the central South Carpathiansshowsthe
following characteristics:
(1) Late Early and Late Cretaceous
tOlYto-NE shearingparallel to the presentstrike of the belt
(average054ø) as indicatedby highvaluesof principalstretch,
the average059ø trendof the regionalstretching lineation,and
noncoaxialflow criteria(firstAlpinedeformation;Figures4 and
5); (2) coaxialflatteningwithin thenorthwest(unlessrefolded)
dipping foliation implied by consistentlyoblate finite strain
(Figure4); (3) progressivedeformationand exhumationof the
thrust system during the Late Cretaceousand Paleogene.
Ductile-brittleobliquethrustingand wrenching(secondAlpine
deformation)is followedby brittledextralwrenchingwith E-W
compression and N-S extension,mostlyconfinedto the Cema-
868 Ratschbacher
etal.:South
Carpathian
Orocline
Formation

R010

cleavage
s:168/81
• .._,. m.
ain
fault

tg:246/76• • tg:251/71
tension gashes
P-shear 10cm R010

f: 238/60 f:208/85
normal faults

Fig. 9. Fieldsketches
andorientation
of deformation
structures
in Paleogene
conglomerates
of the
southwestern
Halegbasin(northof therailwaytracksnearBucova).
SeeFigure7 for explanation
of
diagrams.

a
natural pattern
a progressive deformation model(stages1-5 below)at thescale
o'1 _3 R'
of the southernpart of the orogenicbend (Figure 12).
1. Up to the late Early Cretaceous,intraoceanic
subduction
14••}-/'
4
ø'3
2
with probablysouthwestward directedunderthrusting
wasactive
between Europe-Moesiaon one side and East Carpathia-
Rhodopia(Gefic fragment)on the other side (stage1, Figure
Y 12) [cf. S/lndulescu,1988; Dercourt et al., 1986; Burchfiel,
1980].
2. After obducfionof oceanic crust (ophiolific rocks of
1: poleto beddinginTertiarysediments Severinnappe)ontoMoesia(Danubiannappes),thedeformation
2: strikeof majorthrusts became intracontinental,and intensedeformationtook place
3: contraction from folds
4: strikeof majornormalfaults along the collisionzone. The existenceof a recessin the
forelandimpliesthedevelopment of a comerat thewestern tip
b theoretical
pattern of Moesia(stage2, Figure12).Progressivedeformation caused
a superpositionof deformation
components duringformation of
/ •3 • the SouthCarpathian orocline[Marshak,1988].For example,
site1 (stage2, Figure12)mayhaveexperienced thefollowing
deformation sequence:(1) Thrusting
duringfrontalcollision;
(2)
transpression, with dextral wrench shearing,horizontal
'¾'•d•-/ In•rmal •R shortening,
andverticallengtheningactingtogethercontinuously
• faults
duringcollision
withandlateraltranslation
alongMoesia;(3)
c i: incremental stress axes tangential
stretching
(orocline
formation)
andspreading
intothe
recessnortheastof Moesia. Even in a simple homogeneous
Fig. 10. (a) Illustrationof the relationship
betweenstructural deformation model, the deformation matrix involves thrust
elementsand strainm•d stressorientationmeasuredalong the simpleshear,wrenchsimpleshear,andpureshearcomponents,
Miocenedextralstrike-slipzone(set2 fault striaedata)along havingoperatedduringtranspression, tangentialstretching,
the northernmarginof Moesia.(b) Theoretical orientation
of spreading,and,possibly,
volumeloss.Ourobservational data
principaland secondaryshearfractures,fold axestrend,and baseprecludesanyattemptof factorization
of finitedeformation
strike of normal and thrust faults in a dextral wrench zone with into thesecomponents(i.e., a quantitativediscussionof the
100 ø strike.
observed finite strain in terms of superposedincremental
deformation).
A significantpureshearcomponent,
however, had
to be presentto explaintheoblatestrainandthecoaxialflow
Jiu faultsystem(Figure5 andset1 faultstriaedata,Figure7) component (Figures4 and5).
[cf. Berza and Dr/iganescu,1988]; (4) large-scale Miocene Our deformation model stressesthe comer function of the
dextralwrenching alongthenorthern marginof Moesia(Figures Moesianplatform.Due to thepinningof the collisionfrontat
3b, 8, and9); (5) late-stage
N-S compression (Figure11). the westerntip of Moesia,the thrustsystemshows(1) an
The studyareaconstitutes a partof thesouthernbranchof increase
in thedipapproachingthecomer(i.e.,thrusts
dipmore
the Alpine-Carpathian orogenicbend.In the following,the shallow where the collisionis frontal than where it is highly
presented data(structures, strain,kinematics,stress)
areinte- oblique;stage2, Figure12),and(2) a progressive
curvatureof
gratedandobservations andinterpretationsareusedtoconstrain the cartographictraceof the thrusts.The changein dip and
 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathianOroclineFormation 869

Late Tertiarytectonics

Petrosani basin

$.- --m- m

I ,
'•.....,.•'.... ...
::"' -
3 km

Fig. 11.Late-stage(probablyPliocene-earlyPleistocene)
NNE-SSWcompression connectedwith sinistral
strike-slipfaultingwhichreactivatesformerthrustsin the Hal;egandPetro•anibasinsarea(set 3 fault-
striaedata). SeeFigure 7 for explanationof symbolsand diagrams.

strike of the thrustzone reflectsthe changefrom the thrust-
dominated to the wrench-dominatedregime. Stacking and
wrenchingis late Early to Late Cretaceousas indicatedby
synchronismof deformationwith Alpine metamorphismand
coolingof the thrustsystem.
3. Subructionof continentalcrust terminatedalong the
(south)westernmargin of Moesia due to buoyancyreasons.
Furtherconvergence duringtheearlyTertiarycauseddislocation
of the previously welded East Carpathian-Rhodopian and
Moesianfragments
alongtheCerna-Jiufaultsystem(seeabove)
and the further northeasttranslationof the westernsegment.
Due to the shapeof the Moesian promontory,the Cerna-Jiu
fault systemacquireda northwesterly convextraceat thepoint
where the foreland recess allowed advance of material toward
east (Figure 13a). One may comparethe basin location to
regionsof meanstressreductionalongcurvingstrike-slipfaults.
Schultzand Aydin [1990] demonstrated that mean stressis
reducedalong the convex side of a fault bend and increased
along the concaveside,leadingto subsidencealongthe convex
and uplift alongthe concaveside.Figure 13b showsthe mean
stress distribution derived from a model calculation with a low
frictioncoefficientto induceslip alongthe entirestretchof the
fault [afterSchultzand Aydin, 1990].
Another possibilityis that the Petro•anibasin developed
during orogenicbending.This hypothesispredictsdeep, V-
shaped,outwardswideningbasinsat the insideof fault apices
(Figure 13c). Such a basin is inconsistent with the shallow
depthand the shape(longfault paralleloutcroppattern)of the
Petro•anibasin.Additionally,theoroclinalbendingwouldhave
producedoppositeslip alongthe strandslocatedon bothsides
of the apex of the bend, which is not observed.
We interpret the Petro•ani basin as a northeasterly
progradingpull-apartstructureformingsuccessively alongthe
curvingtraceof the Cerna-Jiufault system(Figure13d). Set 1
fault striae data portray the state of stressduring the dextral
strike-slipand N-S openingof half grabens,reportedfrom the
 870 Ratschbacher
et al.:SouthCarpathian
Orocline
Formation

Tertiary basin sediments

7....• fault
strike•-•--•
..... stress
ratio
R01,,,•..• •
-o.,• ! • 0ø øø"• or,entat,
•lr.•.ss. on
•-'""..x. •,10•1 o

Permomesozoic rocks
RO 15-SI 1 - _ -

Crystalline basement rocks

RO6-SIN - - -

Fig.11 (continued)

Petroõanibasin[BerzaandDr•tg/tnescu, 1988].Note thatthere principally driven by extensionin the central and eastern
is a spatialrelation of set 1 structuresto the Cema-Jiufault Pannonian basinsandtheblockconsisting of theTransylvanian
system(Figure7), andit is, at leastin a few stations,indicated basinandtheApusenimountains wastranslated relativelyrigid
that set 1 reprsentsthe pre- to syn-Petro•ani basinformation southeastward. Dextral-obliqueconvergence acrossthe South
stress.Both the Jiul de Est - Sadulineament(Figure3b) [cf. Carpathians seemedtherebyto be decoupled intoa component
Berzaand Dr,'tg/tnescu,1988] andthe imbricationzoneeastof of convergencenormal and a shearcomponentalong to the
thePetro•anibasinmaycomprise continuations
of theCema-Jiu plateboundaryas commonlyobservedin accretionary wedges
fault system. Sedimentationin the Petro•anibasin dates whereplateconvergence is oblique[e.g.,McCaffrey,1992]. In
wrenching alongtheCema-Jiufaultsystem asPaleogene-early the case of the South Carpathiansthe normal componentis
Neogene. takenup by the slightlytmnspressional thrustbelt of the Getic
4. A reorientation of the stress field from a W-E to a NW- depressionand the strike-slip componentby the studied
SE compression occurredduringtheMiocenealongtheSouth transcurrentfault zone (Figure 12, stage3 lower right) and a
Carpathians (stage3, Figure 12) due to a tighteningof the similarzone, which we suspectto the northof the studyarea.
oroclineand/ora rearrangement of microplategeometry(e.g., Cretaceous thrustingandwrenching, Paleogene wrenching,
subduction roll-backin theEastCarpathians)[Doglioni,1992]. and Miocene transcurrent motion are all associated with
It led to the development of the large-scaledextralwrench clockwiserotationof materialaroundverticalaxesaspredicted
zone. We tentativelysuggestthat the fault zone was active for true oroclines[e.g., Eldredgeet al., 1985;Marshak,1988].
coevallywith the formationof the Pannonianbasinsystem. The rotationsdemonstrated by paleomagnetic results(Figure2a)
Note, however,thatthefault zonedoesnot compensate for the [P,'ttra•cuet al., 1990] are larger (circa 80ø) north of the
differential displacement between the South and East Moesian platform than at its western tip (circa 45ø) in
Carpathians imposedby extensionin the Transylvanian basin. accordance with the orocline model.
The latteris, unliketherestof thePannonianbasins,principally Our recognition
of two stagesof first-order
motion(late
a thermal sag basin and showslittle lithosphereextension EarlytoLateCretaceous
ductile-brittle
thrustingandwrenching
[RoydenandD6v6nyi,1988].We propose thatthrustingin the andMiocene wrenching)is corroborated
byindependent
plate
southernEastCarpathians (Figure12, stage3 upperfight) was motionstudies.
Figure2c,derived
fromDercourt
et al. [1986],
 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
OreclineFormation 871

stage 1 stage 2
Early Cretaceous late Earlyto Late Cretaceous

a) '::ß • :::::::::::::::::::::::
ß "i _•i:i: .•!:!:!:i:i:!:i:i:

• _ry• -•' ::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

• '•[ • ,..........................
•,...:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. •:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
.•.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
1:: .•• .•• ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
, ßßß, ß.*....:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

ø'i";'i':'i':'•:'•"g"i"i":•':i':•':':':':':':':':':':':':': ...........

"%; 'Ooa.. '• o

-•'• South
• •--• orecline formation
Carpathians
oceanicsubduction • intra-continentalthrusting-wrenching

Apuseni
mountains

stage 3 ,.:::::::::::::::::
Transylvanian
basin
Miocene "•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•
-.::::::::::::::::: Vienna
•:::::::::::::::::

...........................................

ß=====================================================================
o-1
basinisopaches

Hateg 50 km

•• GeticdepressionPloiesti
Fig.12.Progressive
deformation
model at thescale
of thesouthern
partof theCarpathian
orecline.
Palcomagnetic
datafromFgttra,scu
et al. [1990]anddisplacement
pathtrajectory
modelfororoclines
modified
fromMarshak
[1988].Stage1:subduction.
Stage2: collision-transpression-dextral
wrenching.
Numbersindicate
depth
(inkilometers)
of a mainthrust
plane. Tectonic
history
of site1 isdiscussed
in
text.Stage3:subduction
roll-back
intheEastCarpathians
andsoutheastward
translation
oftheApuseni
mountains - Transylvanian
basinblockdriven
byextensioninthecentral
andeastern
Pannonianbasins.
Oblique convergence
across
theSouth Carpathians
isdecoupledintotranspressional
thrusting
andfolding
along theGeticdepression
andwrench shear
alongthenorthern
margin ofMoesia.
Notethattheorogenic
arcdeveloped during
stage
1 to3 isasymmetric
duetodischronous
endingofconvergence
around it.See
text for discussion.

showsmotion vectorsfor localitieson the African, Apulian lithospheric

plates(Africa- Europe),butmicroplate
disinte-
("Eastern
Alps"),and East Carpathian-Rhodopian
("South grationduringcollision.
Carpathian")
plates:
convergence
islargest
during
Middleand 5. Near the end of the Miocene, all oceanic crust was
LateCretaceous
andMiocenein theSouthCarpathians.
Clearly, subducted,
andcollisionwascompleted
alongthe Carpathian
of the Alpine-Carpathian--loop.Continuing
motionalongdifferentsegments convergencebetween AfricaandEurope
Dinaricplateboundary of large-scale (Figure2c) was transferred
doesnotreflectmotion to the Mediterranean
[e.g.,
872 Ratschbacher
et al.: SouthCarpathian
Orecline
Formation

SouthandEastCarpathians to quantifytheamountandtiming
"::::: ßß of theinvolveddisplacements,
andnumericalandexperimental
curved fault trace investigationsto understandthe mechanicsof the Moesian
due to corner ...... t•/_t basin formation comerin the Alpine-Carpathianevolution.
'.5:::

•' ,..':i•:?•"[T• oroclinal

bending APPENDIX: FAULT ANALYSIS AND CALCULATION OF
• • . ============================== REDUCED STRESS TENSOR

Petro•ani
basin •_..*•.-.
- '"
model •ii!:i•etro•ani basin Faultsizeandattitude,striaeorientation,senseof slip,and
ß':':':':':':':':-:':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':':
v3 polyphase slip and its chronologywere measuredand

.....•:::..
.. . .:4 determinedin the field. Fault size is classifiedqualitatively
based on an estimationof the displacementand the lateral
extent of the fault. The aim was to discriminate first-order

':,' ..• faults and to enable a comparisonof faults measuredin

outcropswith those inferred from maps. Fault offset and
superpositionof fibersgrownbehindfault steps,aschronology
indicators,enable us to discriminatebetweensuperposed
mean stress distribution paleostress
states.Riedel shears,stepson the fault surface,and
around fibers grown behind steps were used for sense of slip
curved fault determination.

Fig. 13. (a) Model for the Cema-Jiufault systemas a curved We usedthreemethodsto deriveprincipalstress
orientations
strike-slipfault dueto theMoesiancomer.The bendbeginsat and ratios from fault-striae data. (1) The "direct inversion
the point where the forelandrecessallowedadvanceof material method"[Angelier,1979]. (2) The "gridsearchmethod"[Hard-
toward east. (b) Mean stressdistributionaround a curved fault castle and Hills, 1990]. Parameters chosen for the Mohr-
trace[fromSchultzandAydin,1990].Contours of 10%change Coulombyield criterion(x > C + [tOn)testare C = 0, because
in mean stresslabeledD (down,potentialsubsidence) and U we assumepreexistingweaknesses (faults,fractures,bedding
(uplift). Model calculationwith g = 0.4 (frictioncoefficien0 planes),and g = 0.2 to 0.4 (dependingon the rock type
alongthefault.(c) Sketchshowing basins produced by oroclinal analyzedand the presenceof fault gouge),which is closeto
bending.Note that this mechanismrequiresoppositedirected naturalobservation [Zobacket al., 1987]. (3) The "pressure-
slip locatedon both sidesof the apexof thebend,whichis not tension(P-T) axesmethod"[e.g., Allmendingeret al., 1989].
observedin the SouthCarpathians. (d) Developmentof the Conditionedleast squaresfitting is used to derive ortho-
Petro•anibasin as a northeastward
propagating
pull-apart gonalizedloci of o• to 03 [Caputoand Caputo,1988].
structurealongthe curvingtraceof theCema-Jiufault system. The quality and the quantityof field data determined the
selection of the method used for calculation. The P-T axes
method was used with scarce data and where insufficient time
Burchfiel,1980].We relatelate-stage N-S compression (set3 wasavailablein the field for carefulanalysisof faultandstriae
fault-striae
data,Figure11)toPliocene-early
Pleistocenefolding characteristics.A comparisonof methods is given by
alongthe northernmarginof Moesia. Ratschbacheret al. [1993]. The data base for our calulationsis
We concludethatthecomereffectof theMoesianplatform available from the first author.
duringAlpine convergence explainsthe main geometricand
kinematicfeaturesof the centralSouthCarpathians.
It induced
an associationof deformationcomponents, e.g., plate motion Acknowledgments. Field work was funded by the
driven thrust and wrench shear, pure shear stretchdue to Universities of Tdbingen (through the German Foreign
oroclinebending,andpureshearflatteningduringtranspression ExchangeService)andCluj. IstvanGy6rfi sharedhisfield data.
and gravity drivenradial flow of materialinto the recessnorth Frank Horv,'ith drew the attention of the German authors to the
of Moesia. The study also demonstrates a successive stress Alpine-Carpathian
connection
and helpedlogistically.L•s16
reorientationduringprogressive deformationaroundthe comer. Csontosand Carlo Doglioni providedexcellentreviews,and
Our preliminaryresultsshouldprovokemorefield work in the WolfgangFrischfundedthe radiometricwork.

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