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Belgrade area is a region of high paleobiodiversity, being ranked among the best known in Serbia. The prominent position among a number of Middle Miocene (Badenian) fossiliferous sites in the vicinity of Belgrade (southern Pannonian Basin, Central Paratethys) are occupied with sediments of Rakovica stream, also known as ?Rakovica sands?. Here, the integrated evidence based on new fossil findings of calcareous nannoplankton, foraminifera and molluscs assemblages, allows the stratigraphic revision of the clastic facies of the Rakovica succession. Based on the studies of lithological composition, high paleodiversity molluscs fauna and local palaeogeographical setting, it can be concluded with reasonable certainty that deposits of Rakovica stream entitled ?Rakovica sand? represents a sandstone of the shallow marine (littoral) environment during Lower Badenian time. Large benthic foraminifera Ammonia viennensis (d?ORBigny), and Borelis haueri (d?ORBigny) as well as zone marker nn5 Sphaenolithus heteromorphus defLandRe correspond to this biostratigraphic level. during the late early Miocene and Middle Miocene (Badenian), the climate in the Central Paratehys was mainly subtropical. This is supported at its southern margin by the presence of thermophilous mollusc taxa, as well as the Conidae, Strombidae, Xenophoridae, Pleurotomidae, Turridae, Muricidae, etc. Consequently, the investigated deposit can be ascribed to the early Badenian which biostratigraphically corresponds to the nn5 nannozone by correlation with successions in theirs type-areas to the Central Paratethys, and defines preciously the time of the marine transgression in this area.

This paper presents the irst detailed biostratigraphic investigation of deposits cropping out in stream Sumijevac near Koceljeva (western Serbia). The most important fossil communities and their signi icance are presented. New biostratigraphic results have been achieved by the study of calcareous nannoplankton, foraminifera and mollusks fauna which clearly indicate the presence of the lower Badenian zone (Lagenid Zone), and de ines preciously time of the marine transgression in this area. Further, the revised age of the sedimentary deposits presented here provides the necessary background information for future research of the Badenian sediments of Serbia and neighbouring regions.

<p>The Central Paratethys Sea occupied the transition between the Alps, Dinarides and Carpathian mountains during Oligocene to Miocene times. However, its spatial and temporal evolution, i.e. southward expansion, subsequent salinity crisis, and governing mechanisms are poorly constrained. Here, we employ radiometric dating to construct the Middle Miocene absolute chronology of the evolution of the successions developed along the southwestern margin of the Central Paratethys flanking the NE Dinarides (NE Bosnia and Herzegovina) and governing mechanisms. We present three U-Pb zircon ages acquired by LA-ICP-MS from volcanic ash layers sampled in Tuzla marginal marine basin (two layers) and neighboring lacustrine Lopare Basin (one layer). Zircon grains from the lowermost ash of the playa lake in Lopare Basin yielded a U-Pb age of 15.143 ± 0.094 Ma. This indicates that despite the warm and humid global climate, the Lopare Basin and many lakes in the internal part of the Dinarides hosting similar salina-type successions recorded regional arid climatic conditions during Middle Miocene. Furthermore, this age implies synchronicity of arid with humid lakes (e.g., Sinj, Gacko) developed in the internal and external Dinarides, respectively which are orographically controlled. The U-Pb zircon age of the middle ash layer (14.12 ± 0.077 Ma) places new constraints on the marine flooding in the Tuzla Basin, i.e. along the southwestern margin of the Central Paratethys. Considering age data from previous studies the new age implies south-southeastward marine expansion of the Central Parathetys over a period of 3-4 Myrs, along the N, NE-ward flanks of the Dinarides. The demise of the Dinarides affected by the rift climax in the neighbouring Pannonian Basin and associated block rotations provided a space for the S/SE-ward marine expansion. Deposition of the uppermost ash layer sampled at the top of marine salt succession in Tuzla Basin is constrained by a U-Pb zircon age of 13.88 ± 0.11 Ma. This indicates that Salinity Crisis in Badenian was affecting the entire Central Parathehys coevally. Therefore, we correlate the evaporitic event in the Tuzla basin with the sea-level fall controlled by the global climatic Mi3b event.</p>