Geodetic Signs of the Recent Kinematical and Geodynamical Deformation of the Carpathian Arc

Abstract

Up to now, 4 to 5 models have been presented describing the development of the Carpathian-Pannonian region in terms of subduction processes that took place during the tertiary. All these models are limited to the period between the Paleocene and the Pliocene. None of these, however, explains the Quaternary and Recent phenomena in relation to the postsubduction stage. Several neotectonic models refer to the development of basaltoid volcanism in the south-eastern part of the Pannonian basin. However, the latest geodetic measurements based on GNSS monitoring show a significant kinematics of the internal Carpathian blocks and considerable vertical movement tendencies in the Transylvania, Moldavian and Romanian parts of the platform. The question is the cause of these phenomena and how they are related to earlier processes of subduction. The answer can be found in a comprehensive analysis of geodetic and geophysical data. The main reason for such effort is aspiration to isolate the residual segment of the subduction plate located under the Transylvanian region. The article presents derived geodynamic model based on the combination geodetic with geophysical data, which explain the kinematical tendencies in the eastern and southern Carpathians.