The complex Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of the Outer Carpathians produced series of ridges separating deep water basins.The Silesian Ridge existed since from Jurassic till Oligocene times. Today this ridge is destroyed totally and is known only from olistoliths and exotic pebbles in the Outer Carpathian flysch. It separated the proto-Silesian Basin from the Alpine Tethysduring Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times.The carbonate platform was initially developed on this submarine ridge providing excellent conditions for organic life, represented by calcareous algae, sponges, corals, bryozans, brachiopods, bivalves, ammonites and crinoids. The Late Cretaceous uplift of the Silesian Ridge produced a tremendous amount of clastic material.The submarine fragments of the Silesian Ridge provided favorable conditions for development of shallow banks with the carbonate platform sedimentation during Paleocene-Eocene times. Shallow water, probably narrow shelf locally was dominated by Paleocene and Eocene reefs built of red algae together withbryozoans, brachiopods, sometimes corals and foraminifers. Patchily distribution of these faunas is confirmed by local occurrence of redeposited organic limestones within siliciclastic material. The accretionary prism of Outer Carpathians reached the Silesian Ridge during latest Eocene-Early Miocene. The uplifted part of the nappes produced big olistoliths, which glided down into the adjacent, more distal basins. Finally, the ridge collapsed as a result of the lithosphere flexure in the southern part of the Silesian basin and was destroyed during Neogene times
