Geological Bulletin of University of Peshawas Seminar Library Centre of Excelence in Gesingy University of Peshawar ping Priston, PeshawarVOTE; VOL. 11K DECEMBER 1965 CONTENTS English Section Sofder Khan Notes on the Dolerite Dykes in Northern Hazara S. Masoodun Nabi $ Landslide in Murree Hills R.A, Khan Tahirkheli 10 Recent Observations on the Undifferentiated Attock GroupIntroduction Notes on the ee a. mostly of metamorphic and plutonic rocks of Dolerite Dykes Palaeozoic and Mesozoic times. The plutonic rocks consist of granites and gneisses which are ‘3 part of the great Himalayan batholiths. The in Northern metamorphic rocks consist of almost all gtades from chlorite schists to staurolite schists passing further north into sillimanite gneisses Hotara in Hazara Kohistan. A little south of Oghi, big crystals. of kyanite can be seen in a small ortion of Susal Gali granite gneiss. These Safdar Khan Pooks of different metamorphic grades show all sorts of mineralogical, textural, and struc- tural variation. Almost the whole of the region is isoclinally folded. Analysis of the structural data indicates that this area has been subjected to more than two phases of tectonic events. The granites and gneisses are also extremely variable, mostly have faulted contacts, and contain accessary minerals such as andalusite, sillimanite, kyanite, and garnet, etc., all of which are generally of metamorphic affinities. There is ample evidence that they are products of assimilation (Shams, 1961). Some granites are also very rich in tourmaline. These granites are of a later time and are generally very massive. Some of them for example the Hakale granite in Mansehra proper is extremely rich in volatile components and has intrusive relations with Man- sehra granite. These rocks are profusely intruded by dolerite dykes and sills at different intervals of gelogical time. They have a tendency to be more abundant in plutonic than metamorphic rocks. The majority of these dykes and sills occuring in metamorphic rocks are region- ally metamorphosed with well developed schistose planes striking parallel to the regional strike. The present notes are a short discussion of the various types of these dolerite veins, their optical characters and a review of their possible relation to the granites. Abstract ‘The dolerite veins occur as dykes and sills. They vary in thickness from one to ten feet. The sills are mostly schistose metadolerites, intensely sheared and folded. There foliation is generally parallel to the general strike. The dykes are cross-cutting 12 veins, very massive, jointed, and have always chilled margins against the country rock. They are relatively more abundant in granites than in metamorphic rocks. Another type includes the altered veins. These diabases are dirty green friable rocks almost completely weathered to dark green clays. They are characteristi- caily abundant along fault zones. Fresh Dolerite Dykes These dykes usually consist of augitic pyroxenes, hornblende, andesine, epidote, and a little quartz. The augitic pyroxenes usually occur as small rounded crystals with abundant rutile needles usually oriented along the C-axis. They have a well developed cleavage and give 2nd order inter- ference colurs in yellows and reds. They usually show alteration to hornblende which is some times well developed as pseudomorphs after augite specially along its margins and fractures. Hornblende occurs as well developed crystals containing abundant magnetite inclusions. It shows anomalous interference colours generally due to some partial alteration into chlorite. Andesine always occurs as small laths oriented parallel to the flow direction and imparts the rock its typical ophitic texture. It usually shows alteration to epidote. on Usually a little quartz also occurs in the form of very clear grains of small size. Epidote is formed as an alteration product of the plagioclase, and occur at the margins of these crystals. It has a bolder relief against the enclosing plagioclase, and contains small grains of Fe-ore. Sphene is the usval accessory, relatively very abundant and forms crystals of a pleochroic nature. Metadolerites Metadolerites can be roughly classified into (a) Actinolite- albite-epidote schists and (b) Epidiorites of the | plagioclase- hornblende type. The former are relatively more abundant. They have been completely metamorphosed with well developed foliation. They are dark green in colour, very fine grained and massive. Actinolite occurs.as a plexus of small laths with a dark green hornblende of an anomalous plecchroic character and seems to be itself of an actinolitic type. The plagioclase is mostly albite with well developed albite twinning and itis relatively rounded. Epidote is very abundant, developed mostly at the expense of plagioclases.3 Sphene occurs as an abundant accessary. A red garnet is usually formed as well developed crystal of a very small size. Quartz is also to be seen. The epidiorites of plagioclase hornblende type are very massive and coarse grained. They are mostly restricted to Kotlion the Manserah-Batal road. Hornblende in this case is the most abundant mineral some- times found pseudomorphosed after augite. It is usually in the form. of deep green radiating flakes enclosing plagioclase of the andesine type. Itseems thatit has changed toa plagioclase. The plagioclase formed in sucha manner preserves all the structures of the horn- blende crystals. These two minerals grade into one another, and unaltered hornblende can be seen along certain cracks in the plagioclase, The plagioclase rarely shows any tiwinning. Another independently formed plagioclase is usually oligoclase and andesine. It is well twinned and has mostly utilised the pre- existing epidote. Epidote is very little as compared to the former varieties. Other minerals are red garnet and sphene which occurs as small wedge shaped crystals. Quartz is present. Petrogenesis These metadolerites are products of regional metamorphism set in by the tectonic movements most probably in Mesozoic times. The plagioclase of the original dykes was broken into albite and epidote which are more abundant in such cases. Actinolite is another mineral of a later crystallization. It is invariably accom- panied by hornblende in nearly equal amounts. According to Tilly’s analysis the hornblende in such cases is itself an actinolitic variety (Harker 1932), This has been confirmed to be so in the case of the present mineral under study. The epidiorite group of these rocks is similar to those of Highlands in which case with the survival of epidote into garnet zone, they form epidote, or zoisite-amphibolite (Harker 1932). This state is exactly similar to and hence these rocks can be put into epidote-amphibolite group. The utilization of felaspares and other mineral to form earlier, recognized by lacroix (Harker 1932) but the relation in the present case seems to be inverse. According to Harker (1932) the utilization of plagioclase in the formation of hornblende may be brought about at very high grades of metamor- phism. In this case it may be safely assumed that the formation of plagioclase from hornblende might have been affected due to retrograde metamorphism.eee 4 However it is clear that dolerites have been continuously encroaching upon the area through out the geological time. This points to the fact that these dolerites are inno way conventionally related with the intrusion of granitic magmas. Acknowledgements The author is extremely grateful to Mr. F.A. Shams and Prof. R.G. Davies of the University of Punjab who have always guided him so amiably as to enable him to complete his thesis in M.Sc. of which these notes are a small part. The author is also indebted to Dr. R.A. Tahirkheli for the encouragement and owes him many thanks. REFERENCES: (1) Harker A, Metamorphism, methuen, London, 1932. (2) Shams. F.A. Bull. Geol. Pun, Univ. No. 1, May 1961, pp. 57-65. (3) Walker. F. and Poldervasrt, A. Karroo Dolerites of the Union of S. t Africa, Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. Ix (1949) pp, 591. (4) Wiseman. J. D. H. The Central and South-West Highland Epidiorites: A Study in progressive Metamorphism, Quart. Jour. Geol. Sac. xc (1934), pp. 354.ido i Abstract landslide M Murree Hills were visited in the later Ee part of April to investigate the causes of Murree Hills land-slide which brought severe destruction to the building and roads this year. The _, geological factors responsible for these S. Masoodun Nabi* mishaps were studied and remedial measures are recommended for planning future deve- lopment work. Introduction * Landslides, in the hilly regions, are the common features during rainy season. This year as reported in the Dawn of the 22nd April, the Murree hills were subjected to severe landslides during March—-April period, which caused extensive damage to the buildings and roads. The author alongwith two colleagues, Safdar Khan and Qasim Jan had visited that area to study the various geological aspects which help to cause slumping. The severely damaged part lies towards the West and North west of thc Murtee hill station. The main road linking Murree with Rawalpindi was damaged at two points west of Murree near ‘Chatees Meel’, The metalled road, most of which is built over un-consolidated material, had been broken and due to slumping has slided about 100 ft downslope. Many houses in Kashmiri Mohallah were also damaged and about a dozen of them were completely washed out. A complete block of Cecil Hotel was also damaged. It was reported by the locals that there have been more than ten phases of mud flows due to uninterrupted raining. The major factors that helped to cause these mishaps were studied and geological aspects of these phenomena were observed. The purpose of this study was to point out major factors which are responsible for causing such mishaps. For a detailed study the author needed more time which he could not spare due to other commitments in the departmental affairs. Therefore, a priliminary report is produced here for a general information of the readers. Topography The elevation of the Murree Hills ranges from 5000 to 6500 feet. The winter precipitation is in the form of snow whereas the summer months record maximum rainfall. Therefore in modeling % M.Sc. Karachi, Lecturer Deptt. of Geology, Peshawar University. 56 the topographic form both the above mentioned geological agents are active in this area. Topography in this region is structurally controlled and all the streams flow parallel to the regional strike which is about N 60° E, The drainage system has a barbed pattern. The tributary streams along the valley slopes have a very steep gradient, and it is along one such incipient tributories that the slumping occured. Geology Murree Hill is the type area for Murree series of North Western part of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent which shows enormous thickness in these hill ranges. The Murree formation on lithologi- cal grounds, is divided into two parts; the lower and upper Murrees, The lower Murrees consist of indurated deep purple and red sandstones, generally flaggy with splintry shales and deep red clay with veinlets of calcite. The upper Murrees contain soft and coarse sandstone with inner cores of gray colour shale and clay. Red and purple shales which are nodular, are frequently recorded alongwith clay. This formation is underlain by a well marked congiomeratic bed which is exposed in a few section in the nallas in the area under observation. Structurally, Murrees are folded into oblique isoclinal types of folds which are considerably squeezed in the disturbed areas. The ‘Murrees are involved in the thrust also and usually they are over- lain by the older rocks. From the texture and composition of the rocks it appears that Murree sediments were originated from the soils which were subjected to sub-aerial weathering. Some of the old workers have pointed out that the source metarial of the Murrees may be from the purana formation of peninsular India. Due to higher proportion of clays in the Murree, the beds when wet become slippery and creat favourable conditions for movements of its overburdon which ultimately give rise to. large scale landslides. Causes of Landslides Mud-flows in the clay horizon of the Murree formations are the main characteristic features during the rainy season. The causes of mud-flow are the presence of excessive amount of clays and frequent occurrence of structural cavities in this formation. During rainy season the water percolates through these locally developed joints and minor cavities. These openings carry the finer sediments andre-deposit them over the lower horizons. Studying the area from7 erosional point of view the authcr observed that the differential erosion of strata of varying stability have left over hanging material of a harder strata which eventually had broken away and thus causing the slide. INDEX Vegelation Road House Streams Mud &cracks FA RITE Ti A GENERAL SKETCH OF THE SLUMP NadST oii 8 In the Murree hills the area which has suffered more showed huge transportation of finer sediments in the form of mud-fiows. Another important factor is the construction of buildings and roads over the unconsolidated material which consists of weathered debris ' derived from the adjacent rock. Thus talus are covered by | recent soil which usually support thick vegetation. The percolation | of water in such soil is very high and thus it has an easy access to the bottom of these deposits. This results in weakening and dis- turbing the stratigraphic equilibrium of the starta by removing the finer material and replacing the vaccume by the coarser debris. This arrangement ultimately disturb the whole structure and pro- duce many weak zones along which landslides occur. A few slumped areas observed in the Murree hills showed a displacement of over 150 feet. However, there is no indications of the develop- ment of slip-planes in the area subjected to mud-flows. Fig. 2 VERTICAL SECTION OF THE ‘FLOW’9 Conclusion and Recommendations The study of the above mentioned geological factors in the Murree Hills, confirmed that the siumping is the result of the mass move- ment of loose materia! which disturbed the stratigraphic equilibrium. The mud-fiow this year was execessive due to continuous raining, The slopes with high gradients containing the un-consolidated material were more prone to successive slumping. The thick vegetated area which contain appreciable amount of finer material helps to facilitate these movements along the weak zones. Since the sliding is natural it must be regarded as an inevitable part of the general geologic cycle. The following four possible preventive and remedial measures should be kept in mind for future planning, 1. For firm foundation, the space containing unconsolidated material should be abandoned. If such space cannot be spared, then proper measures should be taken for using mechanical methods to consolidate the material and if need be, to raise walls for checking the movements. 2. The edges of the slopes where rocks dip away from the hills are more prone to slumping. Such sites must be over- looked for constructing road or building. 3. The steep slopes are more exposed to sculpturing agents, which should be treated properly because gravitative forces are more active due to high gradient and such sites very often gave rise to landslides. 4, Special care should be taken for constructing new roads because Murree being a hill station cannot afford any dislocation of communications. A fresh survey is recom- mended for new alignments, especially at those places which are frequently subjected to mud-flows and land- slides. The alignment should not have a steep gradient and also those spots should be spared where the rocks are prints disturbed and dip slopes are away from the ill. Acknowledgement I owe a special debt of gratitude to Dr. R.A. Khan Tahirkheli for critical revision of my script. I am also thankful to my colleagues Safdar Khan and Qasim Jan for assisting me in the field work,Abstract Recent Obserta- Saber ene tight of recent investigations : the Attock Slates are found to contain five tions on the distinct lithological units which are easily differentiated in the field and belong to a : different ages. Three of these units are Undifferentiated dated to be Upper Mesozoic, one is assigned a pre-Cambrian age and the fifth unit is still under observation and is tentatively placed Attock Group” in the Paleozoic. The argillaceous part of the Attock Group which was previously, considered to be one homogeneous unit is R. A. Khan split into two divisions and gamed ‘“Manki Tahirkheli Slates”’ and “Dag Slates.” The later con- tain fossilized bands of limestone and on the basis of diagnostic fossil (Cerithiopsidea), have been dated to be Upper Cretaceous age. These two slates have got tectonic contact and the older Manki slates are found to have thrust over the younger Dag slates. Introduction The ‘Attock Slates’ accupy a prominent place in the strati- graphy of Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Wynne first described these slates in 1873 and assigned them a Pre-Cambrian age. These slates are named after the historical town of Attock on the left bank of the Indus, where these rocks are well exposed in the road cutt- ing along both the banks of the river. Middlemiss (1896), Holland (1926) and Cotter (1953) followed Wynne and on the basis of lithological characteristics correlated them with the Hazara slates which unconformably underlie the Infra-Trias. Almost all the geologists who succeeded Wynne in mapping the Attock slates, followed his classification and mapped them as a single undifferentiated unit composed of dominantly peli- tic facies. The description of these slates as given in the lexicon is as follows:— “Named by A.B. Wynne (Mem. Geol. Surv. Ind., Vol. 9, p. 33, 1873) after the town on the Indus (33°53’, 72°17’). Unfossil- iferous dark or black slates, limestones and sandstones of an olive, some times liver colour are also with intrusions and inter-bedded trap. They are identical with the slates series of % A new terminology for the Attock Slates adopted by the stratigraphic Comaiccee of Pakistan, 101) Hazara (Men. Geol. surv. Ind,, Vol. 26, p. 10, 1896), where they underlie the Infra: Trias of Hazara with marked unconformity and are now regarded as probably part of the Purana Group.” The present geological investigations on the Attock Slates were started in August 1964 and most of the work was confined to their type area in Peshawar District (topo. Maps 380/13, 43c/1). The extent of the area under study is delimited by the river Indus in the East and Pabbi — cherat road in the West. Towards the south the investigation is extended to the northern fringe of Nizampur valley. The isolated hillocks exposed along the northern bank of Kabul river are also included which form the northern limit of the area. A total of some 200 square miles of the area was brought within the fold of this investigation. The purpose of the present study was to gain detailed informa- tion on the general setup of the various different lithological units comprising the Attock Slates. This problem required a close examination of each unit in the Attock Slates to see whether it is possible to differentiate it in the field and plot it on the map as a separate mapable unit. The work on tne Attock Slates is still in progress and this paper is intended to provide preliminary informations on the problem. A more detailed report is to be published after the completion of the work. Topography The atea under investigation lies in Peshawar district and constitutes the eastern limit of Peshawar valley where Kabul river joins the mighty Indus. The area is rugged and cris- crossed by numerous Khawars which yielded a badland topography. A few of these nallas have perrenial flow which support isolated hamlets in the mountains, The mountains are parallel with a general trend to east west direction. The river bed near Kund Rest House is 233 feet a.s.l. and the adjoining plain with numerous isolated mounds, composed of Pleistocene and Recent formations, rises to over 200 feet near the foot-hill. The highest peak in the range is over 3300 feet a.s.1. and local relief is usually over 2000 feet. The Kabul river flows along the strike between Nowshera and Akora Khattak. About a mile upstream of its confluence with12 the oldest member of the Attock e valley oblique to the course of the river. Numerous heeps of river gravels located near, the mountain slopes, point out the former course of Kabul river, which used to flow along the foot-hill of these ranges. the Indus, the rocks comprising t Slates (Pre-Cambrain) traverse the Geology The Attock slates and the rocks outcrop along the northern bank of Kabul river are separated by an alluvium belt 3-5 miles wide, which cover their contact plain. So far these two groups of, rocks were treated separately by the previous workers. But the Tecent studies have revealed that at least one member of the Attock group, the oldest formation comprising slates and phyllites which have been subjected to intrusions, 1s closely associated to the rock outcrops exposed in these hillocks. The Kabul river exposures are developed in four isolated hillocks with a general east-west strike. A complete succession is not encountered in most of the exposures. Hence for convenience, only one section near Akora Khattak village is described here and work is under way to measure these sections and prepare a strati- graphic column for correlation. In the Attock group, the pelitic facies which are dominantly developed, belong to two different ages. ‘These can be differentia. ted in the field on the basis of distinct lithological characteristics and also due to dolerite sills, which are present in one of them. The fossilized limestone bands are also recently discovered in the younger slate member which further authenticated the distingui- shing characteristics of these two slates formations. These two formations combined, together, constitute over three-forth of the exposed outcrop. Due to intense folding and faulting, the thickness of these beds are exaggerated at most of the sections. FERDATOTED sYTOCK GROUP, PESHAWAR DISTRICT, WeST_PAKIECAN13 A geological map (1 inch =: 4 miles) anda section (Figs. 1,2) included in this paper will throw some light on the general set up of various lithological facies and their structural relationship. A few of the lithological units, shown on the cross-section could not be represented on the geological map because they are not of adequate thickness to be commensurate with the scale of the map. However a large scale map is being prepared to plot these units individually which will be published in the near future. Stratigraphy Present investigation has revealed five distinct lithological units which compose the undifferentiated Attock group. These units are being closely examined to see whether any further sub-division is possible. All of these members are consistantly exposed in the area, easily differentiated in the field and occur as distinct mapa- ble units. The limestone band, which separates the two slate formations is the thinnest unit in the group witha thickness of about 40 feet, which can be plotted on a large scale map. Along the northern bank of Kabul river, the isolated hillocks show three (?) major lithological formations. Among them, the limestone constituting Nowshera reef has been dated on the basis of diagnostic fossils. The following lithological units are differentiated in the Attock group, when traversed from South to North. App. thickness. 1. Grey, white, pink and brown flaggy quart- zites intercalated with slaty shales and slates. Decomposed limonite and pyrite specks are common in quartzite. 400 feet. 2. Yellowish brown crystalline limestone with numerous thin wavy veinlets of calcite and quartzite: Calcareous shales and carbon- aceous pockets are recorded near the top. 200 feet. 3. Light.and dark grey slaty shales intercala- ted with brownish and greenish siltstone. Bands of light to dark grey and brown limestone with numerous calcite veinlets are present. Thin stringers of quartz veins are sporadically distributed. Lime- stones are sparingly fossiliferous. 5000 feet.fl 14 Unconformity 4. Light to dark grey crystalline limestone weathering yellow brown and containing specks of limonite and pyrite. Surficial rubly texture is conspicuous. 50 feet. Unconformity 5. Light and dark grey slate and phyllite with bands of dark crystalline hmestone. The limestone weathers to yellow and brown. Specks of decomposed pyrite and limonite are also recorded. Carbonaceous horizon is very conspicuous and sills of dolerite occur as intrusions. 1500 feet. The rock types encountered in the outcrops exposed north of Kabul river near Akora Khattak is as follows:— 6. Grey, pink and brown quartzite intercala- ted with slate and phyllite. Igneous intru- sions are common, 7. Slate and phyllite interbedded with thin calcarcous bands, 1 to 3 inches thick. Igneous intrusions are present. 8. Light and dark grey crystalline limestone with disturbed contact plane. Igneous intrusives are recorded near the base. 40 feet. 300 feet. 70 feet. Lithology 1. Quartzite intercalated with slaty shales and slates are developed along the southern fringe of the Attock group in Nizam- pur valley. Their base isnot exposed. These rocks gradually wedge out as one follow them from east to west along the strike, The quartzites are thin bedded and contain specks of decomposed limonite. The colour is usually brown and pink which are usually associated with the weathered surface, Grey and white bands are also prominent. White quartzite is feldspathic and at places, due to decomposition of feldspar, could be disintegrated with a touch of finger’s tip. ___ The argillaceous bands occur as intercalations and near the junction of quartzite, they appear to be silty. Slaty cleavage though developed at a few sections is not common. At one section quartzite is folded into an anticline and slates are found occupying15 the core of the fold. The slates are light to dark grey and also contain decomposed specks of limonite, The average dip in these rocks is 40° North. 2. Grey and brown crystalline limestone conformably overlie the abovementioned formation. Neat the base the limestone is silty. Numerous thin wavy veinlets of quartz and calcite are the characteristic feature of these limestone. It is thin bedded and contain partings of calcareous shales also. Carbonaceous pockets are present near the top. Encrustation of alum is particularly noticed wherever the water ooze out from these beds. 3. The slaty shales comprise the thickest unit of the Attock Group. The siltstone which occurs as intercalations are most con- spicuous in the outcrops exposed towards south and south west of Manki and Ziarat Kaka Sahib, respectively. Siltstone is grey and greenish grey when fresh, whereas the weathered surfaces yield deep pink and brown colouration. In thin section the siltstone is made up of very fine angular grains of quartz, and cementing material is largely argillaceous. The western extension of these bed continue as far as Dag village, on Pabbi - Cherat road, where they are underlain by the Paleocene formation, The author first studied these slates at Dag which exposes a good section along the road cutting and are well conversant with the distinguishing characteristics to separate them from older Manki slates. There- fore, the name Dag slates is considered to be more appropriate for these beds: Dag slates are less metamorphosed and retain sedimentary cha- racter which is one of the major factors for separating them from Manki slates. The limestone bands present in Dag slates are also less crystallized. The slaty shales are light to dark grey and on weathering split into splintry pieces. Due to intense folding the beds are squeezed and fractures are well developed. During author's traverses, fossilized limestone bands were discovered in Dag slates which are now being examined for diag- nostic fossils. M.W.A. Iqbal from Geological Survey of Pakistan, who is working on these fossils, has reported presence of Cerithiopsidea, whose geologic time range is from Cretaceous to Early Tertiary. A few samples have also been sent to M.A. Latif, Department of Geology, Punjab University, whose results are stil awaited. From the stratigraphic position of these beds at Dag village, where they underly Paleocene formation coupled with the range of16 diagnostic fossil identified by Iqbal, Dag slates are tentatively placed in the Upper Cretaceous. Work on the fossils is being pursued for more authentic evidences in favour of this age. The junction of Dag slates at the northern contact with rubly limestone and Manki slates is faulted where the later two beds are usually seen overlying the former. ‘This thrust fault is more con- spicuous near Ziarat Kaka Sahib where displacement is more intimately observed. A cursory examination of a few sections in Hazara district for correlation purpose revealed that Dag slates extend farther and are developed in the ranges of southern Hazara. One such section is exposed in Rehana village south east of Haripur - which exposes Dag slates. This find is very important because a thorough check is needed to separate these beds from the Hazara slates. 4, A limestone band about 50 feet thick usually separates the Dag slates from the older slates and phyllites. This limestone bed is the thinest in the Attock group, but is consistantly developed, The limestone looks yellowish grey on the surface and is dark grey to black on the fresh faces. A peculiar surficial rubly texture is observed in this limestone which helps in its diagnosis. Deco- mposed specks of limonite and pyrite are usually found over the surface. The type section for examining this limestone is over a hillock in Ziarat Kaka Sahib villageand another exposure at aneasy access is in a nala about a mile east of the village. This limestone bed is thoroughly investigated but so far no fossils are discovered, The surface look of this limestone indicates that the elongate rubbles are the result of an autoclastic texture in which the dense limestone inclusions are sheared and orientated in accordance with the stress. The fresh faces of this limestone is however, homogeneous which show the rubbly texture is confined to the surface only. 5. Slates and phyllites with bands of yellowish brown and dark grey crystalline limestone are the oldest member of the Attock group. Unlike the other members of the group, this formation has revealed to contain numerous sills of igneous intrusions. The type section of this formation is Manki, where these rocks ate well exposed in an isolated hillock which gradually terminates at a point about 2 miles west of the village. The bed strikes to east-west direction at Manki which gradually swings to NE-SW at the road cutting near Kund Rest House. The dip varies from 35°to 60°to the north and north-west direction.17 The slates are light to dark grey, well cleaved at a few sections and split into rectangular chips of various sizes. The weathering product of these slates are quite distinct from Dag slates, which considerably help to distinguish them from each other in the field. Slates are quarried at Manki and Ziarat Kaka Sahib, but due to fractures developed in them, the large slates are not extractable. Pockets of soapstone also occur in these slates and a mine behind Kund village is already under operation, but from the output it appears that the deposit is not economical for large scale operation. _ Carbonaceous horizon in these slates is also very pronounced which extends laterally and at one section exposed about 4 mile south of Kund, it was measured to be over 20 feet thick. No fossil has been located so far in this bed. The samples collected from carbonaceous bands were also examined by Dr. Faridi, Chairman, Department of Botany, Islamia College Peshawar, who did not find any remain of living organism. The limestone bands in these slates formations show higher grade of metamorphism which considerably obscured their original texture. Specks of decomposed limonite and pyrite are also common in these rocks. In one slate speciman, specks of over 1 inch diameter were frequent in number. Quartz veining is also a characteristic feature of this formation. The vein are thick and a few of them have cut across the structure. The slates as discussed before are well exposed in an isolated hillock near Manki which is also easily accessible. Thus these rocks are named Manki slates for giviag them a separate entity in the Attock group. As no fosils are recorded from Manki slates, a pre-Cambrian age to these beds is consonant to the present findings. Thus the Kabul river outcrops of lower Paleozoic age unconformably overly the Manki slates. These slates when followed along the Indus river upstream of Attock are exposed in the bold ridges around Tarbela and Amb with a general north — south strike. These slates continue farther north and about two miles upstream of Takot in the merged Hazara Tribal area, Manki slates come in contact with the Hazara slates which crosses the Indus with east-west strike and extend into the lower Swat.e—M!_——_——_—_—_ 18 6. Thin bedded quartzite: brown, pink, grey, and interbedded with Sate. and phyllite are exposed at the base in the hillock north of Akora Khattak. From the ripple marks and cross bedding, the sequence here appears to be normal and hence quartzite are the oldest member of this succession. The lithological characteristics of quartzite are identical to the one discussed in the Attock group, except that the later is not associated with any igneous activity whereas the former contain numerous sills of dolerite. The argillaceous intercalations in quartzite at Akora Khattak are also more metamorphosed and slates are frequently recorded. The strike of the bed is east-west with dip varying between 40° to 65° towards North. 7. The quartzites are everlain by slate and phyllite, inter- bedded with thin bands of limestone and calcareous shales, | to 3 inches thick, which revealed a few shells of mega — fossils of no diagnostic value. Quartzite bands are present near the top. This horizon appears to be the passage zone between quartzite and ‘overlying limestone. 8. Light to dark grey, crystalline limestone, is the youngest member in this succession exposed north of Akora Khattak. Their thickness at this section is over 20 feet and the beds are slightly disturbed. Igneous intrusions are very common near the base of this outcrop. The dip varies from 55° to 70° north. The contact relationship of these limestone with the underlying bed appear to be normal. Igneous sills As mentioned elsewhere, the igneous sills in the oldest member of the Attock group, the Manki slates, were very helpful to distin- guish the two slate members, because both of them previously were considered to be homogeneous and were assigned a pre- Cambrian age en masse. Similar sills are of frequent occurence in all the outcrop encountered along the northern bank of the Kabul river. The sills are yellow and brown, medium to fine grained which usually cut across the structure. The sills are usually metamor- phosed and partly or completely decomposed. Under the micro- scope the minerals indentified are anhedral to subhedral plagioclase (49.5 %), monoclinic pryoxene in the form of anhedral augite (40.0 %) whereas magnetite and ilmentite, (8.5%) occur as_acces- sory minerals. Both augite and plagioclase are altered. Iron oxide also shows alteration and iron stained grains are fairly abundant.19 Olivine and kaolinite (2.0 %) are identified as secondary minerals, From the texture and composition the rock has been identified as dolerite. These sills may be correlated with the Swabi intrusives — which are located at a distance of 20-25 miles north of these outcrops. Structure Structure in the Attock group had created problems for discerning the facts in the field. The two slates members, being incompetent rocks comparatively yielded more to the movements which resulted in squeezing and juxtaposition of these beds. The section exposed along the road cutting on both the banks of the Indus near Attock throw enough light on the structural implications which made separation of the two slates members difficult. The Dag siates at Dag section dip under Paleocene formation in south east direction whereas farther east, the dip in all the members of Attock Group, including the lower Paleozoic beds of Kabul river, is towards north. The Manki slates show a swing in the strike which is east west near Manki and north east —- south west on the G.T.S. road near Kund Rest House. The slates are tightly folded and fractures are developed which are more pronounced in the Dag slates. From the ripple mark, cross bedding and cleavages, it appear that the beds are repeated. The folds are generally isoclinal with their oblique axis dipping, between 45° and 5° towards north. A GEOLOGICAL SECTION ACROSS THE UNOIFFERENTIATED ATTOCK GROUP 7 A major fault running east-west direction divide the Upp. Mesozoic beds from the Pre-Cambrian and the lower Paleozoic outcrops of Kabul river. This fault appears to be the result of overfolding of an anticlinal structure where the Dag slates are thrust over by the older rubly limestone and Manki slates respectively. This thrust has been traced to the west as far as Khyber Pass-where the Dag slates, west of Jamrud are seen underlain20 by the older massive and dark coloured crystalline limestone. In the Attock group, this fault is more pronounced in a section about two miles east of Ziarat Kaka Sahib. Conclusions 1. Most of the previous workers have correlated the Attock slates with the Hazara slates. The author was associated with the later for a couple of years while conducting geological investigations on the feasilibity of the Tarbela Dam site and during this work many common characteristic features were recorded which bring these two slates formations close to each other. Moreover if one follows these slates east-ward from Attock, north of Hassanabdal, one can clearly see the syntaxial bend which have changed, the strike of the Attock slates from east west to north south direc- tion, and with this strike these slates extend along the Indus valley upto Jijal, a village about seven miles down-stream of Pattan in Swat Kohistan. The Hazara slates are, homotaxial to the oldest member of Attock group, the Manki slates, consisting of slate and phyllite which has been assigned a pre-Cambrian age. The Khyber slates have also come to the limelight and recently this name is very frequently used by the geologists anda few have given them a separate entity in the stratigraphy of Pakistan. The author investigated these slates also to see whether these are homo- taxial to the Attock slates. The Attock slates when followed westward continue as far as Dag and the last outcrop is exposed about half a mile south west of the metalled road, in a nala. Beyond this point the Attock slates extend underneath the Murree formations and the thick mantle of recent alluvium, until they crop out again in the hill ranges of Khyber Pass. As mentioned elsewhere, the slaty shales exposed east of Jamrud Fort at the enterence to Khyber pass are indentical to Dag slates which are overlain by the older, dark and massive crystalline limestone. The pre-Cambrian outcrops equivalent to Manki slates are exposed at Landi-Kotal which could be followed eastward as fax as Torkham Post. These two slates are separated by a thick crystalline limestone formation which occasionally show rubly texture and the cursory examination of a few sections along the road brought to light beds which could be correlated to rubly limestone of the Attock group on lithological grounds. Thus it is preferable to conduct detailed investigations of the Khyber Pass out-crops for correlative purposes than to assign them a separate entity in the stratigraphy of Pakistan. In the Khyber Pass atleast three members of the Attock group are recorded,2 2. The Attock slates outcrops as mapped by the previous workers as a single undifferentiated unit is very much disputed under the light of the author’s recent observations. To apply a pre-Cambrian age to these slates en masse is also not conformable to the present findings, Nowshera reef in the Kabul river outcrops had already been dated to be Silurian — Devonian in age on the basis of diagnostic. fossils located and examined by Teichert and Stauffer. More fossils have also been collected by the author from the limestone beds in the other isolated hillocks which are now being examined, The quartzites at Akora Khattak and in the other exposures apparently underlie, the other formations and thus form the oldest bed exposed north of Kabul river. These quartzites, as would be discussed later, are correlated with the quartzite outcrops exposed upstream of the Tarbela Dam along the eastern bank of Indus, In the earliar stages of investigation the igneous sills and the lithological characteristics of the rock assemblages played greater role to distinguish various componentes of the Attock group. But the recent discovery of fossilized limestone bands in the slates by the author, was a landmark in the stratigraphical history of Indo- Pakistan subcontinent which helped to change the whole conception about the Attock slates. The argillaceous component of the Attock group, which covered extensive portion of these outcrop around Attock for which they won their name (Attock slates) were previously considered to be occupying one stratigraphic horizon and were assigned a pre-Cambriai age en masse, But now the field investigations authenticated by the discovery of fossilized bands and indentification of Cerithiopsidea among the fossil assemblages by Iqbal clearly indicate that the slates of Attock group are of two different ages and that one which is younger in age (Dag slates) is extensively developed than the other. The time range of family Cerithiopsidea is Cretaceous to Early Tertiary and then at Dag section the Dag slates are also found underlying the Paleocene formation, These factors are undoubtedly in favour of assigning these beds an Upper-Cretaceous age. The Manki slate is the only member of Attock group, which has been placed in the pre-Cambrian, These beds did not reveal any fossil yet and moreover the presence of igneous sills, unlike the other members of Attock group, is also suggestive of the fact that they are the oldest. The swing in the strike of Manki slates to NE-SW direction near Kund Rest House, throw ample light on the Jateral continuation of these slates. If this strike direction is follow- ed upstream of Attock along the Indus, it coincides with the strikeee 22 ofthe metamorphosed outcrops of Hazara. In other words as explained earlier, the Manki slates structurally also merge with the Hazara slates outcrops exposed along the Indus river near Tatbela Dam. The thinly developed rubly limestone band separating the two slate members of the Attock group is also devoid of fossils. In the normal sequence this band should be younger to the Manki slates and older to Dag slates. This sequence is also further confirmed by studying the igneous sills — which throughout along the contact plan, did not show any association with the rubly limestone, Thus the age of rubly limestone should be post Mid-Devonian and most likely Upp. Paleozoic. This limestone band may easily be correlated with the rubly limestone of Khyber pass where it shows athick development. The thining out of this limestone in the Attock group may be attributed due to tectonic causes The quartzites intercalated with slaty shales and the crystalline limestone developed along the Northern fringe of Nizampur valley also did not yield any fossil yet. The Mid-Cretaceous outcrops in the Nizampur valley exposed farther south of the present area contain adequate development of arenaceous facies consisting of quartzite and quartzitic sandstone. An attempt is being made to correlate these quartzites with these outcrops. Hence these quartzites including the crystalline limestone are tentatively placed in the Mid-Cretaceous, 3. Duting the present studies some knowledge is also gained on the outcrops of quartzite exposed between Tarbela and Dal Darra upstream of Tarbela Dam site along the eastern bank of the Indus in Hazara. Previously these rocks have been designated as Tanol formation by Wynne in 1879, who placed themas Infra-Trias, Ch. Mohd Ali from the Punjab University has further investigated these quartzite in 1962 and produced a detailed description on litho- logy and structure. __ These quartzites on the basis of lithology and igneous intru- sious appear to be more closer to the quarizites exposed in the hillocks along the northern bank of Kabul river. From the stratigraphic position they occupy, their age may be lower Silurian or Ordovician, The swing in the strike of Kabul river quartzites, like Manki slate, is also conformable to the exposute upstream. of Tarbela Dam, Thus structurally they are also aligned. t 4. The Dag slate outcrops extend eastward and as mentioned previously, a few section examined in the southern ranges of Hazara, did confirm the presence of these slates.23 The previous workers in most of this area, mapped these slates along with the Hazara slates, Therefore a thorough examination of this area is recommended to separate Dag slate from the Hazara slates. REFERENCES (1) Ahmad, Mesbabuddin, 1965. Personal communication. (2) Cotter, G. de P. 1933, The geology of part of the Attock District West of longitude 75°45'E; Mem. G.S.I., p. 63-161, pt. 2. @) Middlemiss, C.S. 1896. The geology of Hazara and Black Mountains. Mem. G.S.I., 26, pt, 1, 1-290. (4) Mohammad Ali, Ch. 1962. The stratigraphy of the southern Tanol Area, Hazota, West Pakistan, Geol. Bull. Panj. Univ., 2, 31-40. (5) Wynne, A.B. 1873, Notes from a progress report on the geology of parts of the upper Panjab. Recd. G.S.I., p. 59-64, pt. 3.