Small tectonic unit in the Pannonian Basin in Europe
Pelso Plate or Pelsonia Terrane is a small tectonic unit. It is situated in the
Pannonian Basin in Europe. The
Carpathian Mountains and the basin surrounded by them were formed from the Cretaceous until the Miocene in the collision of continental Europe with smaller continental fragments of
ALCAPA,
Tisza, Pelso and
Dacia microplates.[1][2][3][4] The
Zagreb-
Hernád line is the former plate margin between the Pelso of African origin and the Tisza Plate of Eurasian origin.
The Pelso block is sometimes considered as southern portion of the ALCAPA and compared with internal zone of Western Carpathian Mts. which is called
Internal Western Capathians.[5] The typical feature of this zone is
Dinaric - Apulian facies of
Triassic rocks, while the whole Alcapa is in some papers considered as part of the
Apulian plate.[6] The Pelso sensu stricto is therefore composed of
Tornaic,
Bukkic and
Silicic superunits, that evolved south of the
Meliata-Halstatt Ocean and the superimposed Cenozoic sedimentary cover.
References
^BADA, G. & HORVÁTH, F. 2001b: On the structure and tectonic evolution of the Pannonian basin and surrounding orogens. – Acta Geologica Hungarica 44, pp. 301–327
^Kováč, M., Plašianka, D., 2002, Geological structure of the Alpine-Carpathian-Pannonian junction and neighbouring slopes of the Bohemian Massif. Comenius University, Bratislava, 88 pp.