A new synthesis of the geological structure of Slovakia - the general geological map at 1:200 000 scale

Systematic geological mapping of the Slovak Republic territory over the last forty years, when many regional geological maps at 1:50 000 scale were issued, culminated in 2008 and 2009 in a new synthesis of the geological structure of the Western Carpathians on the Slovak territory in the form of a general geological map at 1:200 000 scale. An integral part of this activity was the solving of interregional correlation problems, a settled of tectonic classification of the Western Carpathians as well as a specification of the lithostratigraphical content of the tectonic units. The results of this synthesis are described in this contribution - a brief review of the principal geological units of the Western Carpathians that are depicted in the tectonic interpretation and in the geological sections. The Western Carpathians are geologically divided into the Outer (Flysch Belt) and Inner (Inner Carpathian Block). These two zones are products of the youngest, mainly Neogene Neo-Alpine tectonic activity. Separating the two zones is a tectonic structure - the Klippen Belt -which contains elements from both. The Inner Carpathian Block possesses a Palaeoalpine tectonic pattern composed of crustal tectonic units and superficial nappes. The crustal units are composed of the crystalline basement and its Upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic cover. The basement consists of fragments of Hercynian tectonic units from the Paleozoic phase of crustal evolution. The superficial nappes comprise mostly upper Paleozoic and Mesozoic sequences. Cenozoic deposits and volcanic rocks are deposited on the Palaeoalpine nappe structure.