Morphostratigraphical correlation of the Sava River sediments near Belgrade and the Južna Morava terraces

Abstract

In the riparian area of the Sava River near Belgrade in the southern part of the Pannonian basin, Pleistocene fluvial deposits have a significant distribution and thickness which varies from 10 to 40 meters. These sediments are almost universally overlain by younger Pleistocene loess sediments or Holocene alluvial deposits, while they are underlain by sediments of Pliocene-Pleistocene age. Pleistocene deposits of similar characteristics form high and middle erosional-accumulative terraces of the South Morava valley system. Beneath the Pleistocene fluvial deposits are pre-Quaternary deposits of different compositions and ages. Although there are significant height differences between the alluvial Pleistocene deposits in the area of the Sava River near Belgrade compared to the high terraces of the Morava River, created as a result of opposite tectonic movements in the northern and southern parts of Serbia. Moreover, the terraces of the Južna Morava were formed in the mountainous areas, while the Sava river sediments near Belgrade are in the lowland area. They cannot be successfully correlated on the basis of their lithofacies and paleontological characteristics. The morphostratigraphical correlation would be useful to be applied first on the relation terraces of the Zapadna and Južna Morava, the results would be correlated with the terraces of Velika Morava, while the Velika Morava terraces can be correlated with the Sava sediments near Belgrade.