Outline of the geological structure of the western part of the Pieniny Klippen Belt in Poland

The Pieniny Klippen Belt forms a narrow suture zone between the Central and Outer (Flysch) Carpathians and is composed of deposits, laid down in the Alpine Tethys. The lithostratigraphy and tectonic structure of the central part of Pieniny Klippen Belt west of the Białka River, in the area between Krempachy and Stare Bystre, were analysed. The Pieniny Klippen Belt is made up of a mixture of components of different ages and lithologies, referred to as a mélange, which was formed as a result of complex tectonic and sedimentary processes. In the lithological inventory, it contains rocks from the Jurassic up to the Miocene age, which originated in the syn-rift and synorogenic stages of Alpine Tethys evolution. Sedimentation in the Alpine Tethys took place in conditions from shallow- to deep-water, related to the development of the uplifted structure of the Czorsztyn Ridge in its central part. The carbonates and carbonate-siliceous rocks of the syn-rift stage are fragmented and occur in the form of blocks of different sizes within the flysch deposits of the synorogenic stage of development. The flysch deposits of the synorogenic stage are bounded by the results of activity of the accretionary prism, which started in the Albian in the Złatne Basin on the southern side of the ridge and successively prograded to the north. They began with marly and shale-dominated variegated facies, passing into facies with a significant proportion of sandstones. West of Białka River, the Pieniny Klippen Belt has a nappe structure. The sequence of nappes corresponds to that in the sedimentary area of the Alpine Tethys. The uppermost Złatne Nappe contains deposits that originated in the southern part of the basin, while the other nappes contain rocks, laid down in the more northern areas.