Late Anisian platform drowning and radiolarite deposition as a consequence of the opening of the Neotethys ocean (High Karst nappe, Montenegro)

A short-term radiolarite interval of Late Anisian (Late Illyrian) age was dated by means of radiolarians and conodonts in the Dinarides, Montenegro. The radiolarites, with intercalations of filament-rich limestone layers in the higher part, were deposited in deeper-water shelf areas, as documented by the underlying and overlying shallow-water carbonate succession. This Illyrian radiolarite interval is widespread in the northwestern Tethyan realm, especially in the Dinarides, and was deposited in a phase when the carbonate production decreased. The radiolarite event occurred shortly after the main subsidence pulse and the final break-up of the Neotethys ocean, and was concomitant with a prominent sea-level highstand.