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The area of the Vinodol Valley and Bakar Bay represents a NW‒SE oriented valley in the NW Adriatic characterised by prominent historical and instrumentally recorded seismicity. As part of the greater geodynamic domain including the Ilirska Bistrica–Rijeka–Senj seismogenic fault zone, new geological and structural data addressing the tectonic evolution of the area were collected in order to better understand the focal mechanisms of previous earthquakes and to enable identification of potential seismogenic sources. Mapped informal lithostratigraphic units mostly correspond to the Upper Cretaceous, Palaeogene and Quaternary successions described in other parts of the External Dinarides. However, a shorter stratigraphic range of the Gornji Humac fm., the youngest Cretaceous unit in the study area, was determined and suggests that the uplifted area in the central NW part of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform already comprised several thousand km2 (from W and NW Istria to Krk and Vinodol area) at the end of the Turonian. Structural measurements of the fault planes in the study area generally correspond to the existing structural model of the tectonic evolution of the Dinarides. However, in contrast to the SW vergences typical of the Dinarides, NE-vergent reverse structures are common, especially along the SW margin of the Vinodol Valley. Cross-cutting relationships suggest that transpressional (NW–SE and NE–SW striking dextral and sinistral faults) and extensional features (NW–SE and NE–SW striking normal faults) are structurally concurrent or younger than the reverse faults, suggesting a change in the palaeostress field during the Neogene–Quaternary, with prevalent transpression and radial extension. Comparison of results of the palaeostress field analysis and the constructed synthetic focal mechanisms on one side, with available focal mechanism solutions for earthquakes within the Ilirska Bistrica–Rijeka–Senj seismogenic fault zone on the other, shows a favourable orientation of the observed NW‒SE and NE‒SW striking faults with respect to the recent compressional/transpressional stress field (N‒S oriented P-axis), indicating these as potential seismogenic sources within the study area.

The Cenomanian–Turonian boundary (CTB) on the intra-Tethyan Adriatic Carbonate Platform (AdCP) is generally characterised by a transition between microbially laminated and/or bioclastic limestones to calcisphere-rich massive limestone with bioturbated intervals, organic-rich interbeds, firmgrounds, as well as neptunian dikes, carbonate turbidites, tempestites and slumped structures. Compilation of the results from two study sites in the northwestern part of the AdCP and from previous research (on Istria Peninsula and islands in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia) provides a more complete overview of geological events and paleoenvironmental conditions that transformed the formerly contiguous shallow-marine environments during this time period. For the first time, a comparison between protected inner-platform area (Barban section) and a coeval intra-platform basin (Premuda Island section) during the CTB was made. This study utilized a combination of litho-, bio-, and microfacies studies with SEM, EDS, TOC, δ13C and δ18O stable isotope analyses. The stratigraphic successions start with shallow-marine carbonate deposits of the Milna Formation that is conformably overlain by the drowned-platform deposits of the Sveti Duh Formation on the platform and by the Veli Rat Formation in the contemporaneously developed intraplatform basin. These deposits are in turn overlain by the Gornji Humac Formation, which represents re-establishment of shallow-marine depositional systems on the AdCP, whereas the deeper water environment persisted in the intra-platform basin until the Santonian. Despite diagenetic modifications of shallow-marine carbonate deposits, the results of TOC and stable isotope analyses indicate the influence of global Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2). Combination of local and regional synsedimentary tectonics and global Late Cretaceous sea-level changes accompanied by anoxic and hypoxic conditions, extinction of numerous benthic foraminifera, diversification and expansion of planktonic foraminifera and calcareous dinoflagellates, provide new insights into the character of the CTB interval in this part of the Tethyan realm.

Active tectonics in long-lived orogenic belts usually manifests on the preexisting inherited structures. In the Kvarner region of the External Dinarides, an area with low-to-moderate seismicity related to the Adriatic microplate (Adria) northward movement, we deal with faults in predominantly carbonate rocks within tectonically complex NW-SE striking fold-and-thrust belt, which makes the identification and parametrization of the active structures challenging. Moreover, anthropogenic modifications greatly complicate access to the surface geological and geomorphological data. This paper demonstrates results of focused multidisciplinary research, from surface geological mapping and offshore shallow seismic surveys to earthquake focal mechanisms, as an active fault identification and parametrization kit, with a final goal to produce an across-methodological integrated model of the identified features in the future. Reverse, normal, and strike-slip orogen-parallel (longitudinal) to transverse faults were identified during geological mapping, but there is no clear evidence of their mutual relations and possible recent activity. The focal mechanisms calculated from the instrumental record include weak-to-moderate earthquakes and show solutions for all faulting types in the upper crust, compatible with the NE-SW oriented principal stress direction, with the stronger events favoring reverse and strike-slip faulting. The 3D spatial and temporal distribution of recent earthquake hypocenters indicate their clustering along predominantly subvertical transversal and steeply NE-dipping longitudinal planes. High-resolution shallow seismic geoacoustical survey (subbottom profiler) of the Quaternary sediments in the Rijeka Bay revealed local tectonic deformations of the stratified Late Pleistocene deposits that, along with overlaying mass-transport deposits, could imply prehistorical strong earthquake effects. Neotectonic faults onshore are tentatively recognized as highly fractured zones characterized by enhanced weathering, but there is no evidence for its recent activity. Thus, it seems that the active faults are blind and situated below the thin-skinned and highly deformed early-orogenic tectonic cover of the Adria. A strain accumulating deeper in the crust is probably irregularly redistributed near the surface along the preexisting fault network formed during the earlier phases of the Dinaric orogenesis. The results indicate a need for further multidisciplinary research that will contribute to a better seismic hazard assessment in the densely populated region that is also covered by strategic infrastructure.

We disagree with many of the concerns raised by Font et al., (2017) and take this opportunity to clarify matters. We wish to emphasise that in our paper (Korbar et al., 2017), as well as in the first report on the “potential” Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) tsunami in the Adriatic region (Korbar et al., 2015), we reported on rare shallow marine distal K–Pg records that differ from the dominantly deep marine records commonly reported in other papers. We did not include more references on the latter, since that was not a goal of our paper, and we encourage the authors of the Comment themselves to make additional research of the Likva section, especially the issues that are criticised. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We show crucial evidence for the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary event recorded within a rare succession deposited in an inner-platform lagoon on top of a Mesozoic, tropical, intra-oceanic (western Tethys) Adriatic carbonate platform, which is exposed at Likva cove on the island of Brac (Croatia). The last terminal Maastrichtian fossils appear within a distinct 10–12 cm thick event bed that is characterized by soft-sediment bioturbation and rare shocked-quartz grains, and is interpreted as a distal tsunamite. Directly overlying this is a 2 cm thick reddish-brown clayey mudstone containing planktonic foraminifera typical of the basal Danian, and with elevated platinum-group elements in chondritic proportions indicating a clear link to the Chicxulub asteroid impact. These results strongly support the first discovery of a “potential” K–Pg boundary tsunamite on the neighboring island of Hvar, and these two complementary sections represent probably the most complete record of the event among known distal shallow-marine successions.

The Cenomanian–Turonian boundary (CTB) in the Cicarija Mountain region (northern Istria, Croatia) is characterized by calcisphere limestone successions with a firmground and glauconite horizon, bioturbated intervals, tempestites, and slumped structures as well as microbially laminated and organic-rich interbeds deposited in the northwestern part of the intra-Tethyan Adriatic Carbonate Platform (AdCP). Compilation of the results from three studied sections (Vodice–Jelovica, Martinjak and Planik) of litho-, bio-, and microfacies analyses, X-ray diffraction, SEM, EDS, and stable isotope analyses allowed reconstruction of marine paleoenvironmental conditions during this time period. Shallow-marine carbonate deposits of the Milna Formation underlie a drowned-platform succession of the Sveti (Sv.) Duh Formation. The contact between these two formations is sharp and commonly marked by slumped deposits. The Sv. Duh Formation consists of about 100 m of calcisphere wackestone enriched in organic matter. The results of preliminary δ13C and δ18O stable isotope analyses indicate the influence of the global Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE2) on the deposition of this carbonate succession. Anoxic and hypoxic conditions in the water column lead to major changes in the shallow-marine carbonate system of the AdCP. Numerous benthic foraminifera declined during that time, but planktonic foraminifera and calcareous dinoflagellates diversified and expanded greatly. The results of this research provide new insights into the character of the CTB interval in this part of the Tethyan realm. Local and regional synsedimentary tectonics combined with global upper Cretaceous sea-level dynamics allows the correlation of the investigated deeper-marine lithostratigraphic units with OAE2.