Broach/Surghar Group

The Surghar Group was proposed by Shah in 1980.

Formations included in this group are from Jurassic to Middle Cretaceous (by Shah, 1980).
In 1986 Fatmi et al., divided the Surghar Group in two Groups.
The Lower Group Called as Broach Group of Jurassic age and Upper Group retained the same
Name as Surghar Group for Cretaceous age.

Most of the Formations have type section in Surghar Range.

1. Datta Formation

Name Introduced by Danilchik and Shah 1961 & 1967

Gee 1945 named it as “Varigated Stage”

Type Locality/Section
Type section is located in Datta Nala (lat. 330 00’ 00’’N & long. 710 19’ 00’’ E) in Surghar Range.

Lithology
Lithology comprises of sandstone, siltstone & shales.
Lithologies give varigated colours of red, maroon, grey, green and white.
Formation also contains the economic minerals like silica sand, fire clay, sulphur, coal etc, and
hydrocarbons.

Thickness & Distribution

The formation is well developed in Trans-Indus Ranges (Khisor, Surghar, Shinghar) and Salt
Range.
It is also reported from the Samana Range & Kala Chitta Range.
Thickness at type locality 212m and increases at Pannu Nala to west.
In SW of Khisor Range it is 150m.
In Salt Range 150m in Nammal Nala and decreses further east.
In Kala Chitta it is upto 10m.
In Samana Range it is 272m.

Fossils
No diagnostic fossils reported, some carbonaceous remains are there.

Age
By Law of super position, Early-Jurassic

Contact
The lower contact is unconformable with Kingriali Formation.
The upper contact is conformable (gradational) with the Shinawari Formation at Surghar Range,
but unconformable with Samana Suk in Salt Range.

Environment of Deposition
Deltaic

3. Samana Suk Formation

Middlemiss 1896 named it as “Kioto Limestone”,

Davis 1930 introduces the name “Samana Suk” in Samana Range.
Cotter 1933 named it “Upper part of Kioto Limestone” in Kala Chitta Range
Gee 1945 named as “Broach limestone” in Salt Range and Trans-Indus Range.
Calkins & Matin 1968 called it as “Daulatmar Limestone”
Latif 1970 called as “Sikhar Limestone” in SE Hazara.

Type Locality/Section
Name derived from a mountain peak “Samana Suk” (lat. 330 33’ 50’’ N & long. 700 50’ 13’’ E) in
Samana Range.
Fatmi 1968 designated a type section northeast of Shinawari (lat. 330 31’ 13’’ N & long. 700 48’
06’’ E) in the western part of the Samana Range.

Lithology
The lithology comprises of limestone, marl and shale.
At type locality limestone: grey to dark grey, medium to thick bedded with subordinate marl and
interclation of calcareous shale, limestone is oolitic.
In Salt Range & Trans Indus Range the limestone is lighter in colour, medium to thin bedded and
is marly and shaly in the lower part.
In Hazara, Kala Chitta and eastern Kohat it is thin to thick bedded and includes some dolomitic
and ferruginous, sandy, oolitic beds.

Thickness/Distribution
The Formation is well distributed in Salt Range, Trans Indus Ranges, Kala Chitta Range, Kohat
and Hazara area.
Thickness at type locality 186m, Kohat and Hazara area, Kala Chitta Ranges the thickness varies
from 170-366m, at Surghar Range it is 66m.
Fossils
brachiopods, gastropods, ammonoids and crinoids and foot prints of dinosaurs.

Age
Middle Jurassic.

Contact
Lower contact: conformable with Shinawari Formation (Transitional) at Surghar Range, Hazara,
Kohat and Kala Chitta Range but disconformable with Datta Formation at Salt Range.
Upper Contact: coformable with Chichali Formation at Surghar Range, and disconformable with
Hangu Formation at Salt Range.

Environment of Deposition
Shallow Marine

4. Chichali Formation
5. Lumshiwal Formation
6. Kawagrh Formation
 Makarwal Group

Shah 1980, who named and described this group.

Type locality is suggested at Makarwal (lat. 320 51’ 00’’N & long. 710 09’ 00’’E).

Makarwal group well developed all over the Kohat-Potwar province with gradational pinching of
lower part of the group in eastern Salt Range.
Makarwal Group consists of the following formation

3. Patala Formation
2. Lockhart Limestone
1. Hangu Formation

1. Hangu Formation

The “Hangu Shale” and “Hangu Sandstone” of Davies in 1930.

“Dhak Pass Beds” of Davies and Pinfold in 1937.
The “Langrial Iron Ore Horizons” of Khan and Ahmad in 1966.
The “Dhak Pass Formation” of Danilchik and Shah in 1967.
“Mari Limestone” of Latif in 1970 .
The name has been formalized by the Stratigraphy Committee of Pakistan in 1973 as Hangu
Formation.

Type Locality
A section south of the Lockhart Fort (Lat. 330 33’ 40’’ N & long. 710 03’ 00’’E) &
Dhak Pass located on Lat. 320 40’ 00’’N and Long. 710 44’ 00’’ E has been designated as principal
reference for this Formation.

Lithology
Lithology comprises of sandstone, shale and limestone)
At type locality
dominantly of sandstone
which is silty,rich in ferruginous material in the lower part.
highly fossiliferous shale and calcareous sandstone in the upper part.
The sandstone is light grey, reddish brown, weathering to dark rusty brown, fine to coarse grained
(few beds are conglomeratic), medium to thick bedded.

At principal reference section

comprised variegated sandstone, carbonaceous shale and some limestone.
In the Salt Range
sandstone, dark grey, a ferruginous pisolitic sandstone bed occurs at its base
sandy carbonaceous shale with intercalation of nodular, argillaceous limestone.
In the Surghar Range
Sandstone in the lower part & argillaceous limestone of dark grey colour in the upper part.
The sandstone is light yellowish grey, very fine grained, thick bedded, and has dark grey to black,
laminated, silty and carbonaceous shale in the lower part which develop into coal seams at
places.
In western Kala Chitta and Hazara area
The formation is mainly represented by ferruginous sandstone, siltstone and shale, which are
oolitic and pisolitic.

Thickness/Distribution
The formation is widely distributed in Salt Range, Trans Indus Ranges, Kohat, Kala Chitta and
Hazara areas.
It is 90m thick in the type section.
It is 45m in the reference section.
It is 30m in the Surghar Range.
In the Samana Range, the thickness is 50m.
Western Kala Chitta, the formation is less than 15m thick.
In southern Hazara is recorded to be 35m near Mandeha Banni, 1.5 miles of Mari Rest House.
Fossils
Forams, corals, gastropods, bivalves.

Age
Early Palaeocene.

Contact
Lower contact: disconformable with
Samana Suk Formation at W. Salt Range.
Kawagarh Formation at Kohat, Kala Chitta and SE Hazara areas.
Upper contact: conformable with Lockhart Formation

3. Lockhart Limestone

Middlemiss in 1896, “Nummulitic Series”

Wynne in 1873 and Cotter in 1933, The lower part of “Hill Limestone”
Gee in 1933, the “Khairabad Limestone”
Eames in 1952, “Tarkhobi Limestone”
Latif in 1970, used the term “Mari Limestone” for the Lockhart Limestone in SE Hazara.
Davies 1930, introduced the term “Lockhart Limestone” in Kohat area and Stratigraphic
Committee of Pakistan in 1977 also adopted the term.

Type Locality
A section exposed near Fort Lockhart (Lat. 33° 26´ N: Long. 70° 30´ E) in the Samana Range has
been designated as the type locality.

Lithology
Lithology is comprised of limestone, shale and marl)
At type section
limestone:
grey to medium grey
medium to thick bedded
lower part being dark grey to bluish grey,
Elsewhere in Kohat area, the limestone gets rubbly and brecciated with the overall lithology
remaining the same

In the Salt and Surghar Ranges

Limestone:
is grey and light grey, weathering light brown to yellow
medium grained
medium bedded and nodular with nodules of four to eight inches in diameter
Some grey marl and dark bluish grey shale is also present as minor intercalations especially in the
lower part

In Hazara and Kala Chitta

limestone:
dark grey to even black
medium grained
thick to medium bedded and nodular
with interclations of dark grey marl and shale

Thickness/Distribution
Well distributed throughout the Kohat-Potwar Porvince (Upper Indus Basin).
Type locality: 60m
Darsamand (Kohat): 36m
Thal (Kohat): 40m
Nammal Gorge: 70m
Kala Chitta Range: 260m
Hazara Area: 90-242m
Fossils
Forams, corals, mollusks, echinoids, algaes etc.

Age
Middle Palaeocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Hangu Formation
Upper: conformable with Patala Formation

Environment of Deposition
Shallow Marine
 3. Patala Formation

Waagen and Wynne in 1872, Nummulitic Formation

Wynne in 1873 and Cotter in 1933, Hill-Limestone
Middlemiss in 1896, Nummulitic Series
Davies and Pinfold 1937, Patala Shales
Eames in 1952, Tarkhobi Shales
Latif in 1970, Kuzagali Shale
The term was formalized by the Stratigraphy Committee of Pakistan in 1977.

Type Locality/Section
Patala Nala (Lat. 320 40’ N: Long. 710 49’ E) in the western Salt range, Mianwali district, Punjab
province.

Lithology
Salt Range
Shale: dark greenish grey, at places carbonaceous and calcareous.
Limestone: white to light grey, nodular occurs as inerbeds with shale at lower part.
Sandstone: interbeds of yellowish brown, calcareous sandstone present at upper part.
Kohat Area
Shale of dark grey, at places carbonaceous and includes light grey argillaceous limestone.
Hazara Area
Shale of green and brown colour with interbeds of nodular limestone.
Kala Chitta
Light brown grey marl with thin interbeds of limestone.

Thickness/Distribution
Upper Indus Basin, Hazara, Kala Chitta.
Khewra: 27m, Patala Nala: 90m, Surghar Range: 30-75m
Kohat area: 30-180m, Hazara: 182m, Kala Chitta: 20m

Fossils
Abundant forams, mollusks, ostracodes, bivalves.

Age
Late-Palaeocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Lockhart Formation
Upper: conformable with Nammal Formation (Salt Range/TISR)
Margalla Hill Limestone (Kala Chitta/SE Hazara)
Bahadurkhel Salt/Panoba Shale (Kohat)

Environment of Deposition
Shelfal (Marine)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Cherat Group(Chharat Group)

Pinfold 1918, cherat series

Then Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan formalized it as “Cherat Group”
Type locality after Cherat village, Attock District, Punjab
Group Consists of Eocene Formations of
Salt Range/Trans Indus Ranges

Chorgali Formation
Sakessar Limestone
Nammal Formation
Kohat Area
Kohat Formation
Kuldana Formation
Jatta Gypsum/Sheikhan Limestone
Bahadurkhel Salt/Panoba Shale
Kala Chitta, Hazara, Eastern Kohat
Kohat Formation
Chorgali Formation
Margalla Hill Limestone

1. Nammal Formation

Gee (in Femor 1935) “Nammal Limestone and Shale”

Danilchik and Shah (1967) “Nammal Marl”

Type Locality/Section
Nammal Gorge (lat. 320 40’ N & 710 07’ E)

Lithology
(Shale+Marl+Limestone)
Salt Range
Alternating sequence of shale/marl & limestone
Shale: grey to bluish grey.
Limestone: Argillaceous at places.
Surghar Range
The Lower part of formation is bluish grey marl with subordinate interbedded calcareous shale
and minor limestone.

Thickness/Distribution
Distributed in Salt Range and Trans Indus Ranges
Salt Range
Nammal Gorge: 100m
Khewra-Choa Saidan Shah Road: 40m
Surghar Range
Chichali Pass: 130m
Broach Nala: 35m

Fossils
Abundant forams, mollusks

Age
Early Eocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Patala Formation
Upper: conformable with Sakessar Limestone

Environment of Deposition
Shallow Marine
2. Sakessar Limestone

Term introduces by Gee (in Femor 1935)

Type Locality
Sakessar Peak (lat 320 31’ N and long. 710 56’ E) in Salt Range.

Lithology
(limestone+Marl; through out its extent)
Dominantly limestone with marl of cream light grey, nodular, massive and having chert nodules
in upper part.
Salt Range
In Salt Range (Western) at Daud Khel limestone grades into white grey massive gypsum.
Surghar Range
Chert lenses increase in No.
Thickness/Distribution
Salt Range/Surghar Range
Salt Range: 70-150m
Surghar Range: 220m

Fossils
Echinoids, mollusks, forams

Age
Early Eocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Nammal Formation
Upper: conformable with Chorgali Formation

Environment of Deposition
Shallow Marine
 3. Chorgali Formation

Term used by Pascoe 1920, Chorgali beds

Formalized by Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan
Pinfold 1918, in Attock area, Passage beds
Gee and Evans (in Davies and Pinfold 1937), Badhrar beds
Latif 1970, Lora Formation in Hazara area

Type Locality/Section
Chorgali Pass (lat. 330 26’ 30’’ N and long. 720 41’ E)
Khair-e-Murat Range has been a type section

Lithology
Salt Range
Divided into two units
Lower: shale; greenish grey/buff and calcareous limestone; light grey and argillaceous
Upper: limestone; white & cream, well bedded
Hazara
Limestone+marl
Thinly bedded, light pale grey, on weather surface yellow to cream
Kala Chitta
limestone+marl
Thin-medium bedded, grey limestone with subordinate marl
Limestone slightly nodular and contains chert
Khair-e-Murat Range
Divided into two units
Lower: dolomitic limestone; white to light grey and yellowish grey, medium bedded. Shale; grey
to greenish grey, calcareous and interbeds in upper unit.
Upper: shale; greenish grey and red occasionally varigated and calcareous with one thick bed of
limestone; that is nodular and argillaceous

Thickness/Distribution
Salt Range, TISR, Khair-e-Murat Range and Hazara.
Chorgali pass: 150m, Tarki (Salt Range): 30m
Bahadurkhel: 15m and SE Hazara: 45m

Fossils
Forams, mollusks, ostracodes

Age
Early-Middle Eocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Sakessar Limestone
Upper: unconformable with Rawalpindi Group (Salt Range)
 conformable with Kuldana Formation (SE Hazara, Kala Chitta and elsewhere)

Environment of Deposition
Shallow Marine
_____________________________________________________________________________
 Rawalpindi Group

Term was introduced by Pinfold 1964, approved by Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan

Group was named after Rawalpindi District
Group contains the following miocene formations;
Kamlial Formation
Murree Formation

1. Muree Formation

Mari Group, Wynne 1874

Muree beds, Lydekker 1876
Muree series, Pilgrim 1910
Then Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan approved the name Muree Formation.

Type Locality/Section
Derived from the Murree Hills, in the Rawalpindi District.
North of Dhok Maiki (lat. 330 25’ N and long. 720 35’ E) in Cambellpur District is a type section.

Lithology
Clay and sandstone with subordinate intraformational conglomerates.
Clay is Red, purple and sandstone is grey and greenish grey in colour.

Thickness/Distribution
Widely distributed in Upper Indus basin, Hazara and Kashmir area.
3030m in Potwar basin
Thins out to western kohat upto 9m
180-600m in Salt Range
Fossils
Poorly Fossiliferous, few plant remains, fish remain frog and mamal bones

Age
Early Miocene

Contact
Lower: unconformable with Chorgali Formation
Upper: conformable with Kamlial

Environment of Deposition
River Deposits (Alluvial Plain)
Due to colour, fossils

2. Kamlial Formation
Kamlial Stage, Pascoe 1963
Kamlial beds, Pinfold 1918
Stratigraphic committee of Pakistan formalized the name “Kamlial Formation”

Type Locality/Section
SW of Kamlial (lat. 330 15’ N and long. 720 50’ E), Cambellpur District as type section.

Lithology
Sandstone with interclation of shale and intraformational conglomerates.
Sandstone; is puple grey, brick red, medium to coarse grained
Shale; is purple and hard
Colour of conglomerates yellow, purple
Formation is distinguished from Muree Formation by Spheroidal weathering

Thickness/Distribution
Widely distributed in Upper Indus basins, Hazara, Kashmir.
90m at Kamlial (type section)
580m at Kaur
650m at Soan Gorge

Fossils
Plant remains, frog, mamals, fishes having species difference from Muree Formation

Age
Middle to late Miocene

Environment of Deposition
Fluvial

Siwalik Group

Term first used by Meddlicot 1868 for the upper part of “Sub Himalayan System” of Siwalik and
Simla Hills of India
Siwalik Series and Siwalik System of Oldham 1893 and Holland et al 1913
Pilgrim 1913 divided the Siwalik Systme into faunal zones
1. Lower Siwaliks; Kamlial, Chingji
2. Middle Siwaliks; Nagri, Dhokh Pattan
3. Upper Siwaliks; Tatrot, Pinjor and Boulder Congl.
Danilchik and Shah (1967) established the Siwalik group for the following formation:
4. Soan Formation
3. Dhokh Pattan Formation
2. Nagri Formation
1. Chingji Formation
 1. Chingji Formation

Chingji Formation by Lewis 1937, accept by SCP

Type Locality/Section
South of Chingji village (lat. 320 41’ N and long. 720 22’ E) in Cambellpur District.

Lithology
Clay with interclation of sandstone and intraformational conglomerate.
Clay red in colour, sandstone; ash grey, brownish grey, fine to medium grained occationaly gritty,
cross bedded and soft.
sandstone+clay interclation vary at places

Thickness/Distribution
Widely distributed in Upper Indus and Lower Indus Basins
Type section 750m
Shinghar range 1800m

Fossils
Abundant vertebrate fossils, crocodile, lizards, turtles aquatic birds

Age
Early Pliocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Kamlial Formation
upper: conformable with Nagri Formation

Environment of Deposition
Fluvial with pond condition, due to crocodile(Swamps)

2. Nagri Formation

Nagri Stage, Pilgrim 1913, 1926

Nagri Formation, Lewis 1937, accept by SCP

Type Locality/Section
Village Nagri (lat. 320 45’ N and long. 720 14’ E) at Cambellpur district (Upper Indus basin)

Gaj River (lat. 260 51’ N and long. 670 17’ E) in Lower Indus basin
Lithology
Sandstone+clay and conglomerate
Upper Indus Basin
Sandstone; greenish grey, medium to coarse grained, cross bedded and massive
Clay; is sandy/silty, choclate brown or redish grey and pale orange.
Conglomerate: varies in thickness, composed igneous pebbles and eocene limestone in the Upper
Indus basin.
Lower Indus Basin(Suleman-Kirthar)
Clay has nodules and sandstone is soft.

Thickness/Distribution
Widely distributed in Upper Indus basin and lower indus basin
Thickness ranges from 300 to 2000m at places
1100m Sibi area (Suleman)
940m Gaj River (Kirthar)
Fossils
Rich in Vertebrate assemblages, crocodile, chelorians, rhinoceras
Age
Early to Middle Pliocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Chingji Formation
Upper: conformable with Dhokh Pattan Formation

Environment of Deposition
Fluvial

3. Dhokh Pattan Formation

Term introduce by Pilgrim 1913

Dhokh Pattan Foramtion, by Cotter 1913 and accepted as such by SCP

Type Locality/Section
Village Dhokh Pattan (lat 330 07’ N and 720 14’ E) Cambellpur basin of Upper Indus basin
Spintangi (lat. 290 57’ N and long. 680 03’ E) Quetta district

Lithology
Sandstone+Clay
Sandstone: commonly grey to light grey, thick bedded, calcareous, cross bedded
Clay: orange, brown to dull red, calcareous and sandy.
Ocassionaly conglomeratic in form of lense and layers

Thickness/Distribution
Upper/Lower Indus basin
Max. thickness at Khair-e-Murat Range 1820m
Eastern Suleman Range 1330-1500m
Gaj River 1500m
Fossils
Abundant vertebrate fauna in upper indus basin less fossilierous in lower indus basin
Age
Middle Pliocene

Contact
Lower: conformable with Nagri Formation
Upper: conformable wih Soan Formation

Environment of Deposition
Fluvial

4. Soan Formation

Upper Siwaliks, Meddicott (1864)

Pilgrim 1913 divide it into two zone “Tatrot and Pinjor”
SCP called it as Soan Formation

Type Locality
Along road Gali Jagir to Sihal near Mujahad Village, North of the Soan River (lat. 320 22’ N and
long. 720 47’ E) Cambellpur district

Lithology
Thick massive conglomerate with interclation of sandstone, clay and siltstone.
Upper Indus Basin
Conglomerate: different sizes of pebbles, mainly these composed of Margalla Hill Limestone
various igneous rock are reported
Clay/Sandstone: are interclated, clay is orange to brown to pinkish and sandstone is greenish grey,
coarse grained and soft
Lower Indus Basin
Conglomerate is composed of ill sorted, well rounded to subangular boulder and pebble.
Clay and sand are the matrix

Thickness/Distribution
Indus Basin
120-450m Kohat-Potwar
300-1500m Suleman Province
300m Kirthar Province

Fossils
Poorly fossiliferous

Age
Late Pliocene

Contact
lower: conformable with Dhokh Pattan
Uppwer: unconformable with Lei Conglomerate

Environment of Deposition
Fluvial
___________________________________________________________________
 Lei Conglomerate

Lei Conglomerate, term used by Gill 1952, for post Siwalik conglomerates of Soan area
Earlier, Kalabagh bed by Waagen 1891
Boulder Conglomerate by Pilgrim 1910
Dada Conglomerate by Hunting Survey Corporation 1961 of LIB and Quetta
Kalabagh Conglomerates by Gee 1946
Kalabagh Hill Conglomerate of UIB, Danilchik and Shah 1967

Type locality/Section
Gill 1952 designated the Lei River section, SE of Rawalpindi as type section (UIB).
Cheema et al. 1977, proposed Dada River section, south of Spintangi Railway Station as principal
reference section (LIB).

Lithology
Regarded as valley fill deposited by various fluvial, lacustrine and outwash of Peidmont.
Mainly composed of conglomerates with minor coarse and cross bedded sandstone.
In Soan Valley (Kohat-Potwar)
Conglomerate with interclation with beds of soft sandstone+Siltstone of pale brown colour.
Conglomerate consists of poorly sorted pebble and boulders mostly Eocene rocks, with small
proportion of igneous rocks.
Lower Indus Basin
Conglomerate composed of poorly sorted pebbles, cobbles and boulders with calcareous sandy
matrix.
Most boulders are limestone, marl, sandstone derived from tertiary and older rocks.
Conglomerate with interclation of sandstone having green grey, brown colour with cross bedded
usually forms steep walls and cliffs.

Thickness/Distribution
150-900m Kohat-Potwar
150m Kalabagh area
150-900m in Lower Indus basin

Fossils
No such fossils, few vertebrates

Age
Pleistocene by Hunting Survey corporation

Contact
Lower: undonformable with Soan Formation in most localities.
Upper: …
 World Wide Unconformities at Pakistan
P-T Boundary (Permo-Triassic Boundary)
K-T Boundary (Cretaceous-Tertiary Boundary)

P-T Boundary
Between Palaeozoic/Mesozoic Era
Disappearance of almost 90% Marine Life.
There is an unconformable contact of rocks of Permain (Chhidru Formation) and Triassic
(Mianwali Formation) age, significant break of fauna across the contact.
Kummel and Tiechert (1966) reffered the boundary as “Paraconformity”

K-T Boundary
Between Mesozoic/Cenozoic Era
Disappearance of almost 50% of Earth’s Life.
In Pakistan the boundary is in between

Upper Indus Basin

Hangu Formation (Palaeocene; Tertiary)
Kawagarh Formation (Cretaceous)

Lower Indus Basin

Ranikot Group (Palaeocene; Tertiary)
Moro Group (Cretaceous)
Causes of Mass Extinction (K-T)

Scientists all over the world come up with three theories

1. Meteoritic Impact
2. Volcanic Activity
3. Change in Earth Magnetism