The Kate-1 exploratory well has penetrated Middle and Lower Eocene (1998-2412 m), Upper Santonian (2412-3234 m), Turonian-Lower Santonian (3312-4370 m), Upper Cenomanian (4370-4440 m), Cenomanian (4740-5110 m), Upper (5110-5640 m) and Lower Albian (5640-5920 m) and finally the Lower Aptian deposits (5920-5968m + xm. During the Early Aptian, patch reef and biostromal limestones were deposited, followed by gradual shallowing and emersion reaching its maximum by the end of the Aptian. The emersion phase lasted throughout the Late Aptian and possibly the lower part of the Albian. During the Albian, sedimentation took place in restricted shoals and/or lagoonal environment, whereas towards the end of the Late Albian little restricted lagoons were formed, with anoxic characteristics, and supratidal environments with early diagenetic dolomites. During the Early and Middle Cennomanian, lagoonal and shallow subtidal sedimentation was renewed, while extensive shoals with high water energy, inhabited destruction of collonial organisms (bioherms), occured by the end of Cenomanian.Those organisms produced large amounts of coquina and coquinite limestone. Due to eustatic and vertical tectonic movements during the Early Turonian, the greater part of the carbonate platform was deepended and environments with characteristics of open and drowned platform were created. Limestones made up of micrites, fine rudist particles and oligosteginids were deposited. During the Late Turonian and Early Santonian, restricted shoals and lagoonal environmsnts were renewed with periodical shallowing up to intertidal. By the middle of the Senonian, general transgression occured whereby sedimentary conditions were created similat to those in the Early Turonian (oligostegina limestones). By the end of the Senonian, due to the renewed intensive shallowing, the sedimentation occured mostly in lagoons and shoals with agile water, and sporadic formation of rudist bioherms. The shallowing reaches its maximum with succesive change of fresh water by the end of the Late Senonian when emersion, paleokarstification and corrosion occured and Microcodium forms were formed. A new transgression took place in the Early Eocene, accompanied by the deposition of shallow-water and deeper subtidal (carbonate platform slope or ramp) limestones succeeded by nummulite-discocyclina-bearing limestones.
The External Dinarides form a thin-skinned fold-thrust belt extending in NW-SE direction along the northeastern Adriatic coast. They comprise the regional-scale tectonic units derived from the Adriatic microplate, being composed of more than 7 km-thick succession of predominantly carbonate and subordinate clastic and igneous rocks of Carboniferous to Miocene age. The majority of the carbonates accumulated from the Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous, when the Adriatic Carbonate Platform became gradually affected by generally NE-SW directed compression due to the collision between the Adriatic and European plates. During the Eocene-Oligocene the deposition was restricted into several NW-SE trending basins of both the foredeep and the piggy-back type, controlled by the propagating thrust sheets. They were characterized by mostly carbonate deposition on ramps and deep-marine deposition in distal parts. As a result of continuous geological explorations for more than a century, the present-day structural architecture of the External Dinarides is presumed as being almost exclusively the result of two tectonic phases: the phase of Late Eocene-Oligocene SW-verging and SW-propagating thrusting, overprinted by the younger, presumably Miocene, phase of dextral wrenching. However, according to our recent multidisciplinary investigation focused on Kimmeridgian source rocks of the central part of the External Dinarides in Croatia, the first order NW-SE striking thrust structures characterized by the opposite vergence, i.e. the NE tectonic transport direction are clearly distinguished. As the NE-verging map-scale structures were also reported from the neighboring areas, it may be concluded that the NE-vergent thrusting was the oldest and prevailing tectonic phase in formation of this part of the Dinarides. Hence, it is of the major importance for reconstruction of tectonic and hydrocarbon system evolution and the origin of massive and voluminous carbonate breccia associated with the NE-vergent structures.