The Babín Klippen – a peculiar branch of the Orava sector of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (Slovakia)

Abstract: The Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB) is a narrow, approx. 5 – 8 km wide zone at the boundary of the External and Internal Western Carpathians. The zone of the Babín Klippen, which is the main subject of this study, represents northerly situated branch of the PKB located at the NW slopes of the Oravská Magura Mts. SE of Babín and Lokca villages (Námestovo district) in the northern Slovakia. The paper presents the results of geological mapping and lithostratigraphic investigation of the area. The PKB rocks are surrounded by sandstones of the Zábava Fm. and claystone-rich Malcov and Racibor fms. belonging to the Krynica Unit of the Flysch Belt. The soft matrix between the rigid klippen is represented mainly by the quartz-carbonate sandstones of the Snežnica and Sromowce fms. and red marls or shales of the Púchov Fm. Locally also red Malinowa-type shales of the Pavláškova skala Fm. were identified. The klippen rocks represented mainly by the limestones of the Pieniny Fm., locally also radiolarites of the Czajakowa Fm. and spotted limestones of the Allgäu Fm. are correlated with the Orava succession. The Jurassic crinoidal limestones of the Smolegowa and Krupianka fms. and red nodular limestones of the Czorsztyn Fm. are part of the Czorsztyn succession. The whole zone is intensively deformed and brecciated. The additional deformation can be interpreted as a consequence of backthrust and incorporation of the PKB successions inbetween the thrust sheets of the Krynica Unit, which is consistent with some older opinions.