The geology of the Zlatibor-Maljen area (Western Serbia): A geotraverse across the Dinaric-Hellenic collisional belt

In this paper, the stratigraphic and structural features of tectonic units cropping out along the Zlatibor-Maljen geotraverse, located in nort-western Serbia at the boundary with the Bosnia-Herzegovina, are described, also by a 1:100.00 scale geological map. The study area corresponds to a SSW-NNE geotraverse, where the main oceanic and continental tectonic units of the Dinaric-Hellenic belt are well exposed. Along this geotraverse, the tectonic pile includes at the top the Europe-derived units, here represented only by the Ljig Unit, that is thrust over the oceanic units, outcropping along the studied geotraverse in two distinct massif, the Zlatibor and Maljen ones. As recognized in the whole Dinaric-Hellenic belt, in both the massifs the oceanic units consist of a sub-ophiolite mélange thrust by an ophiolite unit represented exclusively by mantle peridotites with the metamorphic sole at their base. In turn the oceanic units are thrust over the Adria-derived units, here represented by East Bosnian-Durmitor and Drina-Ivanjica Units, respectively located westward and eastward of the Zlatibor massif. The geological data and the tectonic reconstruction seems to indicate that the ophiolites of the two massifs can be regarded as originated in the same, composite oceanic basin that experienced oceanic opening, intra-oceanic subduction, development of supra-subduction oceanic basins and finally closure in a time span ranging from Middle Triassic to Late Jurassic. The stratigraphic and structural dataset presented in this paper allows some insights about the geodynamic history of the northern areas of the Dinaric-Hellenic belt as well as a comparison with the reconstructions proposed for the southernmost areas.