Cenozoic magmatism and metallogeny in Serbia: insights from the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex

Abstract

This field guide accompanies the pre‐conference field trip of the 17^th EGU Émile Argand Conference on Alpine Geological Studies and presents key exposures of the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex and the associated Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag skarn deposit in central Serbia. The excursion focuses on the relationships between Oligocene–Miocene post‐collisional magmatism, hydrothermal activity, contact metamorphism, and polymetallic ore formation within the Serbo–Macedonian Cenozoic magmatic–metallogenic province. The principal field stops are located within the Rudnik volcano–intrusive complex and encompass quartz–latite volcanic and subvolcanic facies, diatreme breccias, contact‐metamorphic rocks, and underground exposures of skarnhosted sulfide mineralization. To place the Rudnik system within a broader volcanological context, the field trip also includes the nearby Borač volcanic complex, which preserves a more complete record of volcanic and pyroclastic facies associated with Oligocene–Miocene post‐collisional magmatism in central Serbia. The selected localities provide complementary insights into the volcanic, subvolcanic, and hydrothermal processes that governed the evolution of magmatic–hydrothermal systems and associated Pb–Zn–Cu–Ag mineralization within the Serbo–Macedonian Cenozoic magmatic–metallogenic province.