GSP Mem., vol. 22 Stratigraphy oJ Pakistan

PRECAMBRIAN

Prccambrian lithostratigraphic units of Pakistan, recordcd in thc hrst addition o1 thc

Slratigraphy of Pakistan (Shah, 1977), were only half a dozen in numbers. Since then researchers

from differcnt organizations working in diffcrcnt parts ofthc country havc comc up with morc than

two dozcns of then'1. In some cases single fornation originally known and described with wide

distribution and l'acies variation has, hitherto been split up inlo different groups and lbrmations. lnmost of lhcsc cases, it is j ustificd but in a fcw cases unwananled, rnultiplc splitting ol a previously

named onc unil into number ollclrmations with thc addilion of new names has also been sccn. Thcy

may also havc somc mcrit. I-lowcvcr, at thc timc of thc formaiization of thc rock units, many of thcsc

extranamcs arc likcly to bc synonymiscd.

A large numbcr of radiometric ages dating data are non'availablc lor many oflhe igneous

and mctamorphic rocks of Pakistan, which havc now placcd somc of thcm as old as liarJy

Proterozoic. Thesc Precambrian rooks provided bascmcnt for the lower Palaeozoic scdiments and in

ccrtain cascs, thcy scrvcd as thc sourcc o I'tcrrigcnous clastics, a provcnancc lor thc youngcr rocks ofthe adjoining areas.

ln tlic southcm half of Pakistan, the Precambrian assemblagc within the Indus Ilasin

constitutcs volcano-pluionic rocks of Lalc Protcrozoic agc, which wcrc carlicr considcrcd lndian

Shicld clcrnenls, and with the belief that thc orogenic activities of this shicld had ended during

Prccambrian age, thereupon, assuming thc character of a stable mass. Dctailcd work on these rocks

shows that thc conccpt of stablc Indian Shicld is challcngcablc; dctails arc givcn in thc succccding

topic of lndian Shicld clcmcnt'.Thc southcrn most cxposurcs ofthis so-callcd shicld crop out ncar N agar Parkaq Sind, whcrc

granitc and basic igncous rocks reprcscnt thc asscmblagc. 'fhc othcr cxposurcs of thc Proterozoic

cxposr-rrcs arc prcscnt in the isolaled hjlls cxlending lrom Shahkot to Sargodha, Purjab. These rock

units arc composcd of me tascdimcnlary complcx with acid and basic igncous rocks.

Lastly, in the lndus Basin, thc rocks closc to the Pre cambrian-Cambrian boundary aro

exposcd in the Salt Range, Punjab. They are composcd mainly of mar1, salt, dolomite and gypsum

dcposrts. 'l'hcy occupy probabLy thc sloping parl ofthe lndian Platform and ovcrly thc mctamorphic

rocks olthc Latc Proterozoic agc.

In thc Northem arcas bcginning with the Axial Bclt and Himalayan 'Icctonostratigraphic 13asin, thc

assemblagc of Prccambrian rooks occupics a large area in the llazara Folded Belt. I lere, thcy arc

composcd rnostly ofsedimentary and metamorphic units and frcqucnlly intrudedby acidic and basic

igncous rocks. ll is herc that thc largest cxpansc olPrccambrian rocks has bccn rccorded in Pakislan.'l'be llazara Fonnation occupics considerable part of the castem llazara arca and represents

lithologics of s1atc. phyllitc and shalc. ln fact, in thc norlhcrn part of thc Hazara Folded Ilclt, thc

rocks arc moslly compriscd ol'phyllilc, quartzite with minor amount of limcstonc. Wcstwards, in ttrc

Altock-Cherat Range, similar cxposures have been recognized as Manki and Dakhner Ironnations.

Earlicr thc latcrrocks wcrc collcclivcly known as Attock slate. The age was highly problcmatic, only

20

'-:il\.thcqucstionofagehasbcensettledandtheyarenowconsideredmostlyPrecambrtan

rrl(lthcrocks o1'Ilazaraarca(l lussain ctai., 1990).

liLrrlhcr norlh in the uppcr llazara. Salkhala and Tanalval Formations o1'Prccambrian agc had

- . . : ::cordcd by carlicr workers. T hcse fbrmations consist olschist, gneiss and marble with minor

- -lt ofcarbonaccous matcrial. A largc part olthc cxposurcs ofthcsc lbrr-naliotts h:rvc now bcen

- ,rehLy rcvised and studicd in dc1ail. rvhereupon host ol Precambrian bascmcnt rocks arc t.rov'

- r:d 1o bc prcscnt in thc fbnn of metasedimentary, igneous and rnetamorphic complexcs.

: -: Basin

Indian shield: Thc conccpt oflndian Shicld along wilh its stability and boundarics has been

' -:,' --sting topic of discussion among thc studcnts ol South Asian gcology. Somc workcrs in

.:::', aiso havc their rcscrvalion to the use ol'[ndian Shield eLements lbr the Kirana and Nagar-.: -'onrplcxcs.

l-ttct alll', thc sh icld is dc fincd as contjncntal block ofthc carth's crust that has bccn rclativcly' - -r\.r a ]ong pcriod of timc and has undcrgonc only gentle warping in contrasl to thc strong

'r: of bordering geosynclinal belts. 'l'hey alc essentially Prccambrian rocks and practically. :... nrous with craton.

-fhc carlicst conccpt of lndian Shicld had been attrlbuted to the ancicnt crystallinc rocks,

-r::.ly conlorted and largcly irrlruded by plutonic rocks, with u'ell-dcfincd loliaied structurcs.

- : - :ocks arc ofArchacan agc and oftcn thcy are callcd "Fundamcntal Complcx" and "Bascmcnt

- : :r" (Whdia, I 95 7). Somc workers have included rocks of Middlc Proterozoic agc n'ithin rhc

-:: lf 'llascrncnt Complcx" which includcs all thc rocks of "Arar,alli Super Group", "De1hi

. .,roup" and thc ovcrlying "lirinpura Granjtc" and ultrabasic intrusivcs prcscnt in thc wcstcm

..:ran. (l)alirval, 1992). Somc olhcrs have includcd Vindhyans to make Indian Shicld

- *raphically spanning up to the end ol Precambrian Iira, whcrc grcat unconfbnlity exisls belorr--

:'! .r.rt of grcat marinc transgrcssion of Cambrian.

\. M. Ilcron in twentics and thirties and of the last century mappcd Rajasthan arca arcl

. :- ou1 its Precambrian history in dctail. IJis four'-fbld classification olthe pre-Vindhyan rocks

, :rca includcd Banded Gncissic Complcx (Bundcl-khand gnciss), Aravalli Systcm, Raialo

.. :nd Dcihi Systcm. 1'his asscmbiagc continued northrvards fiom I'eninsular India and lorne d

:.hu cstcrn part oflndian Shicld with Kirana and Nagar Parkar igncous complexes as decply

- -: Lrutlicrs ofAravalli chain.

\\brkers olsouthAsian gcologyhave questionedthe status oflndian Shicldmany timcs, and

,. : lrr vct bcen compJctcly rcsolved. A shod history narrated by Varadan (1976) is quolcd here.

'- - rnt ),cars ccrtain qucstions havc bccn raiscd rcgarding thc slratigraphic status of thc Ilandcd

, :::j Complcx- conclation ofgneissic rocks ofisolated arcas. Doubts liave aiso been expresscd

: ralidily of rnaintaining a scparate stratigraphic slatus of the Raialo Series. Ifowcvcr,

-::rng in lhc Udaipur arca during sixtics by (ieological Survcy oflndian (GSl), has confirmcd

-.:cnceofabasomcntofthcAravallisupracrustalsaspostulatedbyllcron,bulthcgcographic

21

spread of this bascment may be much restrictcd than what had bcen envisaged by llcron. The

rccognition ofthc gncissic rocks ol'diffcrent orogcnic cycles is onc ofthe crucial problems, not only

in thc Prccambrian ol Rajasthan, bu1 also elsewherc in the Shicld arcas. Revision of geological

mapping carricd out in wcstcrn Rajasthan since 1960's (by GSI) has indicatcd that the so-called'frans-Aravalli Vindhyans ovcrlying thc Malani Rhyolitc arc not homotaxial with thc Vindhyans ofeastem Rajasthan and Madhya Pradcsh. Geo-chronological datcs have ascribed an age of about'l400 Ma for the Mndhyan and Chilorgarh-Bundelkland, whereas thc 'frans-Aravalli Mndhyans

(Wcst ofAravalli ) appcarlo be youngcr than 700 Maby virtuc of thcil ovcrlying thc Malanics, which

har c bccn datcd at about 700 Ma.

An important contribution made by the Geological Survcy of India in reccnt ycars is thc

discovcry of stromatolitcs, phosphorite and syngcnilic scdimcntary sulphidcs o1'possiblc biogcnic

dcrivation in lhcAravallics, hithcrto, consideredbeing banen offossils.According 1o Varadan (1976), "Audcn's classic work on thc Vindhyans of Son Valley has

scrvcd as a modal for subscqucnt sludics. Rcccnt radiomctnc dating of glauconilc and kimbcrlilicinlrusivcs into them has indicatcd an age ofabout 1200 to 1400 Ma for thc basc ollhc Mndhyan in

central India. Ilowever, a youngcr age of less than 700 Ma is ascribed to thc lians Aravalli

Vindhyans. Thc agc datc has nccessilatcd a rethinking on thc his1ory ofstabilization and subscqucnl

fracturing ofthc lndian Shield".

Dctailcd work on Mndhyans Supcr Group of Peninsular lndia has shown that thc Vndhyans

arc not only known as Prccambrian, but also thc uppcr part ofit is clearly Phancrozoic, apart liom

othcr organic rcmains, sporcs of vascular plants, fossil wood of primitivc organization and other

microfossils, the stromalolitcs rcporlcd fiom the Mndhyan arc usually rcgardcd as carly to middlc

Riphcan agc. 'l'hc Jodhpur Group of Trans Aravallics, westcm Rajasthan correlatcd with the

uppcrmost Vindhyan unconformably overlying Malani volcanic is dated as 745 Ma (Acharaya,

1976). According 1o him, thc upper mostVindhyan exposcd in the Trans-Arar.alli rcgion is similar to

Lhc castcm cxtcnsion ofthc Cambrian sca ofSalt Rangc, which is wcll corrclalcd by thc occurrcncc

oflithological similarity, occurrcnce ofsalt pseudomorphs, gl,psum-anhydrite-halite succession and

abovc all "Carnbrian-t-atc Palacozoic Iliatus" in both areas. Paliwal (1992), defining the basemcnt

statcd, that bcsides thc rnain Aravalli Rangc and isolated hills to the wcst, dcfomcd Aravalli and

Dclhi mctascdimcnts cropout at scvcrai placcs, forming the bascmcnt. IIe furthcr statcd that a1

Khatu, sandslonc and shale sequence drrectly ovcrlics the deformed AravalU slates with the

intcwcning Malani suilc of rocks missing complctcly. llcrc thc unconformity is markcd by thc

presence of a conglorrcralc horizon. Granites and granitic gneisses bclonging to the "Bandcd

Gneissic Complcx" arc also cncountered at anumber ofplaces along the westem flank oltheAravalli

Mountain Rangc".

i,a Touch6 (1902) and llcron (1932) have grouped Malani rhyolite, ignimbritc and

associated wclded tufls under Malani suite ofrocks. Accordrng 1o Paliwal ( 1992), this acid volcanic,

representing an early cruptive phase of thc Malani suite, arc spread over a largc area (55000 km')

along thc wcstcrn flank ofthc Aravalli Rangc, and extend subsurfacc up to Tosham hills of llaryana

22

.' -ina hills ol Pakistan. Palirval quoling Kochhar (1973, 1 983) slated that thc presencc ofring- ' tnd rcrtical lincs ofsomc 11or.vs in rhyolitcs "indicatcs a zonc ofcxtcnsion and thc rclcasc rn" ,-<sociatcd wilh thc Aravalli-Dclhi orogcnic movcments" whicl.r bcgan in 2000 Ma and cnded.:n I 500 1o l7(.)0 Ma. gi."ing linal shape 1o the Aravallj Mountain Iluilding. whrch proriuccd

- :- roncs o1'crustal wcakncss along which thc Malanr suitc rvas triggcrcd by mantlc plumcs.- )-'nald (1974) considcrcd such ring dykcs as conlinental rcprescntativcs olmantlc plumes ancl

,: rs occurrilg in cratonic arcas ofcrustalcxlcnsion..\ll Lhat happcncd long altcr thc Aravalli orogcny had cndcd and acoording to paliwal

1op. tcnsional tcctonic sctting prcccdcd this carly liagmcntation ol'Pangaea in Late Prolct'ozuiu

' - r :o initialc thc process. I)uring thc pcriod, a numbcr of linear zones ol cruslal r.vcakncss

.. - -'rcd in thc norlhwcstcm parl oi'1hc lndian Pcninsular Sbicld, parallcl to thc Arar.alli h'cnd., ., .sc o ltbcsc lincar- laults and high hcat floq tho rnagmatisr.n of thc Malani suitc rvas triggcrcd b1,

: .'plumcs (Kochhar. 1983) about 745 t, l0 N4a.'I'his bccamc thc sitc ofvolcanic aclivities and

- - :rpositional basin o[ a shallow cpicontincntal sca lvcst ofAravalli Rangc". on thc othcr hand,. --hn ct al. (1999) postulated that in thc post,,\ravalli pcriod at about 1000 Ma rifiing startcd in.. -'l I his was cluc 10 rnantlc plumc, which rcsuhcd in r.videspread igneous activittcs in l{ajasthan,- .:na and Kirana. Ilc fiLrlhcr addcd. "lrrtcnsion of thc crust not on]v rcsullcd in thc rvidcsprcad

,::rsm and plutonisn bur also thc subsequent dcposition of scdimcntary packages of Marwar- , . ( iroup in lndia and lVlachh Supcr Group in l)akistan".

In conclusion- Chaudhry ct ai. ( 1999) rccordcd thal lhe Kirana complcx ofLalc Protcrozc,iu. '. crposcd in Indus Basin incJurling rocks of Kirana. Nagar Parkar in Pakistan and Prolcrozoic

.Lrrt-s at .lodlrpur, Malani, lbshan, Mount Abu and lirinpura in lndian, are composctl oi'.:o-plulonic and scdimcntary packagcs. According to thcm, thcy rcprcscnt a distinct "cratonie-'.:nblagc" which r'vas dcpositcd in an crtcnsional basin lomred bccausc ofrising oftbc manlle: around 1000 Ma. 'l'hcy rramcd 1.his cntire oulclop arca as "Malani-Kirana [lasin', and

-:'rncd thal this basin ncithcr bclongs to vindhyan Sysrcm nor it is a part of Aravalljcs.' rs lr. howcvcr. it was bclicvcd thal Kirana hills arc highly oroded outlicrs ofthc Aravalli chaiu

, :. 1957) and n,as inclr,rdcd in tbc lndian Shield....rlndusBasin

\ sgar Parkur igneous complex: Jan et al. ( 1 997) namod and describcd a scqrrencc o f acid- , : :,sncoirs rocks cxposcd ncar Nagar Parkar in Sind as "Nagar Parkar igneous complcx,,.

- ...znri anil Khan ( 1 973) had callcd it as "Nagar lgncous complcx,', ,,[_alc prolcrozoic rocks

-.- l'urkar" by U utt ct al. ( 1 994), "Nagar Parkar granilc" by Shah ( I 977), and ,,Nagar parkar

:i \lLrslim and Akhtar (1995). Nonc o{ thcse namcs havc yct becn lormalized by

- ,: rrc Commiltcc of'Pakistan. A.rca at a glancc shows granite of grcy and pink coJours,

-::ro basic isncous rocks, which arc in 1um tntrudcdbymafic dykcs.I .-r ct al ( I 994) mappcd and described the rock sequence as follows: "'l'hc olclcst rocks arc

' ]hoscd basic igncous rocks. Acid dykes havc intrudcd thcsc mclabasitcs, whrch havc thc

':rtlotc arnphibolitcs mctamorphism. Acid dykes range from rhyolitc to quartz trachl.tc irr

23

composition. Metabasites are intmded by grey granite, which contain the xenoliths of the former

rock typc. Pink granite intrudes thc grcy granite, and also carics xcnoliths ofmafic rocks, finally all

the major rocks including both the granites are intruded by mafic dykes". Jan et al. (1997) made

detailed and crihcal petrographic studies and produced a geological map ofthe area. According to

thcm sixmajor magmaiic cpisodes ofintrusive and extrusive activitics have beenidcntified:

(1) Amphibolites and related dykes: the amphibolites, apparently forming host rock for the

subsequent intrusions, show low-grade metamorphism. Geophysical survey carried out by Farah

and Jafficy (1966) in the arca indicates that they covcr large subsurfacc arca and cvidcntly form thc

basement for the laterrocks; they are metamorphosed up to amphibolite grade.

(2) Riebeckite-aegirine grey granite: The riebeckite-aegirine grey granite is essentially

composed ofperthittc fcldspar and quartz, with a small amount ofplagroclase and prcscncc ofsodic

minerals includtng characteristic riebeckite and aegirine. The best exposures ofthe grcy granite are

at Karunjhar I{i11. It is mostly rurdeformed; also contain iron oxide, zircon and many other accessory

minerals. Jan ct al. (1997) correlatcd this unit with Warsak and Sheva-Shahbaz Garhi granite in thc

northem Pakistan.

(3) Biotite -homblende pink granite: The biotite-homblende pink granite rs mostly medium

to coarsc-graincd. Jan et al. (1997 ) termcd it as "generally lcucocralic and commonly

homogeneous". It is generally madc up of"light minerals" like perthitic feldspar, local microcline,

qtnrtz, and, minor plagioclase (oligoclase), with some biotite, homblende and iron oxide. Some

rocks contain sufficicnl plagioclase to be termcd quartz monzonitc or adamellitc.

(4) Acid dykes: This unit includes porphyritic microgranite dykes, rhyolitic dykes and

rhyolite poryhyy and with leucogranitic and equigranitic aplite dykes. ln brief, this unitranges fiom

aplite to microgranitc to quartz trachl.te. It contain phenocrysts ofperthite, plagioclasc and qu,e|rt7 in

an allotriomotphic matrix ofthese minerals and it induces in it accessory minerals, like iron oxide,

blue-green amphibole (riebeckite), biotite, zircon, apatite, fluonte, sphene, allanite and secondary

cpidotc. Thcsc rocks gencrally occur as small bodies but locally (as in Dhcdhvero), form up to 6 m

thick dykes extending formorethan2 km.

(5) Rhyolite Plugs: Thc rhyolites occur in two small, domel outcrops suffounded by

alluvium. They arc dark grcy to black, glassy looking rocks with whilish bands and consist of

phenocrysts of feldspar and quartz in a very fine-grained matrix. The rocks are fine-grained and

porphyritic to sub porphyritic, contain phenocrysts of K-feldspar, mainly pelthite and quartz with

small amount of plagioclasc and accessory minerals like zircon and apati{c.

(6) Basic dykes: All the major rock units ofthe complex are intruded by undeformed basic

dykes, mostly less than 3 m thick. Thcy show considerable petrographic variation and range from

homblendc microdioritc to gabbro and dolcritc, some ofwhich contain titanial augitc suggcstivc of

alkaline affrniff ( J an et a1,., 1997).

Broadly, two types ofdykes have been encountered in the area: lamprophyric and alkaline

gabbro/dolcritc dykcs. These mafic dykes are the youngest cutting across all thc cxposcd rock units

in the area. The Nagar Parkar granite is believed to be the conlinuation ofthe Proterozoic granitoids

24

-:rc Indian Rajasthan.

:per Indus Basin

Kirana Complex: Scdimentary and igneous rocks of Kirana hills of Late Protcrozoic age are. :-'scd in Punjab. covering the arcas lrorn Sargodha to Shahkor, (l,at. 31.5g'30" N: Long. 72.34'

l. to Lat. I l" 34' 30" N: Long. 73' 32' 30"). Major cxposurcs arc rocated ncar the toms o1-

' -.:Lrdha, Chiniot, Shahkot and Sangla hills.The arca, menlioncd abovc. is exclusively occrLpied by exposures ofProtcrozoic age with no

: 'rcrozoic rocks; howcvcr, it is bcltcved that this cornplex scrves as bascment rocks for thc Eo-

.:rbrian to Palacozoic rocks ofthe Salt Range, which crop out about I 00 km north ofthis complex.: complcx is composed of metasedimentary, grey slates, red and grey q\arlzite, conglomerate,; rnrc and mctavolcanic. No plutonic rocks in thc compJcx yct havc bccn rcportcd liom an]-where..'complcx contains some mincralized zones of hematite, coppcr, golcl, srlver ancl cobalt. Except

::l atite all otlrcr minerals are in minor quantities.

ln lhe lorvcr paIl of thc scqucncc. thc mctascdimcntary rocks arc interlaycrcd with andesitc,- .l1lc and tu1'fbcds and solid volcanic lava florv at the base. This sequence is composed ofrocks of

':asic conposition. 'l'he basic rocks are highly wcathcred and altered. 'lhin scction study indicates'- --rtlzcd plagioclasc, chloritc. cpidotc and a littlc quartz.'l'he basic dykcs contain gold and silver in

.-.)r amounts. Pockcts of rcd green and yellow ochrcs are also lound in cluarlzite and slatc beds: :h. I973).

Davics and Crarvford ( 1971) madc pctrogaphic and gcochronologio studics ofthc volcaniu- '. ol'a part of thc Kirana conrplex. In aclclition to the detailed studics ofacid and basic rocks, they... also rcportcd thc prcscnce ol an unusual ankeritic rock. Thc ankeriiic carbonatc bodies are

,:llincdtohavcbccnproduccdbythelatcstagcautonctasomal.icconccntrationsdcvelopcdbyrhc

, r ling doleritic magmas.

Studies u'ere carried out to determine the possibilily that the ankcritic carbonale bodies nray. . .' bccn carbonatitcs but according to the authors ETSr/86Sr ratios dctcmtincd, wcrc vcry diffcrcnt- :rr thosc in typical carbonatites. They gave thc lollowing analysis o1'a typical sample of thc-,..-rite rock from Ilulland Ilill. "Calcir-un Oxide 29.2%, total lron as l,'etric Oxide 21.0% and Silica- 1.,r". 'fhc scdimcnls of thc Kirana compJcr arc dcvoid of fossils and thcy arc largcly non,

-.rrcous. Thc absolute agc for thc Kirana volcanic rocks given by Davics and crawford ( 197 I ) is-.-l0Ma.ThisplacesthcKiranacomplexintheLalcPrccambrianage. lt has been corrclared with

' \lalani Volcanicof India(llcron, 1913). tt may bc notcd. that volcanics in tlre Kirana arca arc not., -,rrmon ars in thc Malani, rvhcre the predominant rock units arc volcanics.

Davies and crawford (1971) placcd the Kirana complex as youngcr than the geosynclinal

--. of the "Aravalli Mounrains" and oldcr ihan thc "Malani Rhyolitc Scncs" of India. Thcy-l-irsted that thc corrclatiott of Kirana complex wilh the Malani Rhyolite must be abantloned.

I er cr. Mrdi (1997) suggestcd that the Kirana andNagar Parkar complexes are Malanics and part- :.:ar allics.

Followi'g thc outlines of Shah (1973) and Alam (1987) caried out derailcd mapping,

25

GSP Mem., vol. 22 S tr a t i grap hy of P a ki s t an

seclion measurement, petrographic sludies, and divided these rocks into Kirana and Sharaban

groups. Hc furthcr dividcd thesc groups into five formations (Tablc 1) and Shataban group is

composed of two formations, named as Sharaban conglomerate undcrlain by the Fladda quartzite.

Kirana group consists of three fotmations viz., Asianwaia quartzite, Taguwali phyllites and Hachi

volcanic. Asianwala quartzilc is thc youngest, which is undcrlain by Taguwali phyllitcs. Alam (1987)

named the lIachi volcanic as the oldestunit inthe Kirana group.

This stratigraphic scheme has been revised by Chaudhry et al. (1999), and refincdbyAhmed

ct al. (2000) whtch is as follows: Hachi Volcanic is scparatcd fiom thc rcst ofAlam's formations ofKirana group; they argued that the l lachi volcanic are genctically different fiom the other formalions

and constilute a very distinct lithostratigraphic unit as wel1as it is separatedby an unconformity from

the rcst ofthc Kirana group. This unconformity is reprcsentedby polyrnicitic conglomcralc.

Overlying the Kirana group, Alam (1987) had named and described Sharaban group

combining the uppcr most 1wo lrormations to which Chaudhry et a1. (1999) resisted with the pleathat

neither the top nor thc bo11om ofthc group is known and also thc Sharaban group is vcry small and

exposed at only 1wo places, Sharaban and Chandra hills. They further added that giving it a stalus ol-a

gloup is not justified and thus they rearranged the stratigraphic se1 up and combincd all the

formations in a Supcr Group (Tablc 1).

Chaudhry ct al. (1999) coined thc term "Machh Super Group" to correlate the rocks of

Kirana area wilh similar rocks of Marwar Suier Group of India. They included all the formalions of

Alam (1987), exccpt l{achi volcanic and eliminatcd the namc Kirana gtoup and yct, they namcd no

group ofany lnnd to go aiong with their supcr group (Table I ).

z6

iablc l classiiicarion ard corrclarion orthe tjnits olthc Kirana comprcx by vario's authors.

.\tam (19137) ('harLdlrry ct al l.199'i) a.d Jhis rcviclvAhlncd et al.

Sharaban

Sharabangroup

Kiranagroup

"MachhSupcr'Croup"

Sharabangroup

KiranagrolLp

coDglomcralc,Pebblcs olqua zitc, slatc,lirncstonccmbcddcd iucalcarcoLrs nlatrix.119 m

lladda qLLanzilc,dull rusly brownlinc graincd withminorconglomcralc bcds,Astanwalaquartzlle; lighl grcynrcdiurn b coarscgraincd, crossbcddcd, \rilh minorinlcrcalations'l'aguwali phyllilc;Phyllitcs, Iighlgrc)/, with mioorintcrcalations ofquartzilc. I 190 m.

llachi volcanic.Slatcs. minorqLlarlzjtc, wjthabunclant loffandlava fl orv olacidiccomposition.,l04

a. Shalabanlbmration(oongiomoratcswith slatcintcrcalations).b. l'laddalormalion;calcarcousquafizi1e.

o. Asianwalalolmation, mainlyquarlzitc \r' i1h

subordinate quartzwaokcs, gri11y

quartzitc andslatos, ollcnshowing dpplcnark ancl crossbcdding.d. laguwalifonnation. slates,finc-graincd andquartz wackcs.Chak I l2conglomcrate;polymictic(polymicritic)conglometutc\\'ith clasts oldolcritc and acidvolcanica. Vrlcanic;dolcritcs,andcsitc, dacito,dacilic tuIf,rhyolitc andrhyolilic tuILb. Vo)canogcnic;Sla1c, oftcnintcrbcddcd withrhyolitc,/rhyolilicluJl-and dolcritc

Sharabanconglomcratc;corlgloDeratq withcalcarcous slalointercalationlladda formation;prcdorninanllycluartzitc.

Asianu,ala fbnnalion;qoarlzitc with slatcintcrcalations.

'l aguwali lormationslatc and cluartzrvackcs

(lhak 112,

conglomer-atc;poiymictconglomeralc withacid and basicvolcanic laycrs.---unconformity

a. Volcanic; dolcritcs,andcsitc dacilc,dacitic tufl, rhyoliteand rhyolitic tufl.b. Volcanogcnic;SIatc. oftenirtcrbcdded wrrhrhyolitc/rhyolitic tulland dolcrilcc. Volcanic;prcdoninantly l,ava(glassy iock) wilhminor slatc

MachhSupcrgloup

I lachivolcanic

21

Corrclation of Machh Supcr Group with Indian "Marwar Supcr Group"

Machh Suoer Group with Indian Marwar

* Bilara Formation (cherty dolerite, limestone

and ferruP.inous breccias.** Sharaban conglomerate** Hadda quaftzi

*** Asianwala formation***'l'acuwali formation

Basal Formation*+* chak 112

Tosham-Malani Volcanic

GSP Mem., vol. 22 Statigraphy of Pakistan

'fable 2. (Chaudhry et at., 1999).

* Now thcy are callcd groups in lndia ** Sharaban group *x* Kirana group

Admittcdly,..MachhsupcrGroup',namcdbyChaudhryctal.(op.cit.)irtsvcrywcllinconelation with "Marwar Super (houp" ollndia, howevcr thc stmtigraphic codc of Pakjstan docs

not allow the establishment of a "Super Group" without having its component groups. only

informally, howcvcr, it can bc applicd. Neverthelcss, for formalization, it is required that at lcasttwo

or morc than two groups (not formations) be named in thc thick lithostratigraphic pilc of Kirana

complex. Moreover, altogether elimrnation of the name Kirana fiom this pile appears odd, specially,

whcn it is rcalizcd that Kirana group has its roots embedded decp in the gcological litcrature and is

popularly used in it, thcreforc, if at all super group is to be uscd thcn both the groups i.c. Kirana and

Sharabanmustbe retained.

Incidenlally, it is also nolcd that thc "Marwar Supcr Group" oflndia also compriscs Nagauf,

Bilara, Jodhpur groups sitting on thc Malani suite ofigneous rocks'

FromthedescriptiongivenforHachivolcanicasdetailedbyAlam(1987)andAhmedetal.(2000), it is cvidcnt that thc Hachi volcanic can be Split into prcdominantly scdimentary unit and

predomtnantly volcanic unit, howevcr, more information is rcquired to cstablish thc formations

within the llachi volcanic. At present, the Hachi volcanic is informally refened here as the Ilachi

volcanic group. Tentatively, the Sharaban andKirana groups ale letained to fulfilthe requirement of,,Machh Supcr Group". This schcme is based on thc dcpositional environmental and genctic

grounds. To illustrate this point, it may be emphasized that the Sharaban group is calcareous, while

the Kirana group is non-calcareous, which means each of these two groups had a separate

depositional cnvironment. Kirana group clcarly differs from older rocks ofHachi (volcanic) group,

sincc the later is purely volcanogenic, while the fonner is purely sedimentary. In view ofthe above

facts, it is concluded that genetically there are three groups: first is Sharaban group of calcareous

naturc with rare lava flows, the sccond is Kirana group ofnon calcarcous typc and dcvoid ofvolcanic

material and the third is Flachi group composed of volcanogenic rocks. with this stratigraphic

28

arrangcment, thc units arc dcscribed as follows:

Ilachi group: Haclii volcanic of AIam (1987) rs dcscribcd hcrc as llachi group aftcr thc

ltachr I Iill north of Srkhanwali Railway Station. Ahmed et al. (2000) divided thc Hachi volcanic into

the lollowing two units. Volcanic (dolcritcs, andesite, dacite, dacitic lull rhyolitc and rhyolitic tufl\blcanogcnic slatcs, oltcn interbcddcd with rhyolitc/rhyolitic tuff and dolcritc. At thc basc ofvolcanogenic (b) more than 90 m thick, grcy, glassy lava and tuffis present; in this subunit lava flows

prcdominale.

Agcncral look on this group shows that thc unit is composcd of1ufl:itc, which includcs mixed

clastic sedimcntary pylocJastic material. llowevcr, it is difficult to demarcate clear stratigraphic

units in the I Iachi group except lor marking the units as dominantly lava beds or dominantly slate or

tulfbcds. t-itho)ogically, thc group in gencral is composed ofquartzitc, slatcs, phyllitc, tuffs and lava

flows. Dlsewherc, small hills locatcdjust in the ChiniotTown, the unit is cntircly composed oflava ofrhyolilic composition. Such cxamples encourage diffurentiating and naming of some fonnations

rvithin thc group, bnt this can only bc donc aftcr dctailed survcy and the cslablishmcnt of thc

scqucncc in I Iachi packagc. lt is ascerlained, thal the unit better be called llachi group due to its

varied lithology. 'l'his unit is thc olclesl in the Kirana complex. The base of the group is no1 exposed

and thc top is unconformablc.

The llachr group contains quartzite laycrs, which are light-to medium-grey, medium-

graincd, being composcd mosliy of'sub rounded to rounded grains ofquartz with sericite and clay

mincrals. Tuffs and volcanic brcccias arc widesprcad throughout thc group and thc bcst cxposurc ofthem is present at I Iachi I lill. Thc tufls and volcanic breccias are light grey in colour and are present

at dillerenl slmtigraphic lcvcls interlayercd with lava and mctascdimcnts. The volcanic breccias ale

coursc-grained u,ith abundant rock frag'mcnts and largc phcnocrysts offcldspars and quarlz sct in

fine malrix. 'Ihc composition ofthe rock is rhyolitic.Thc luffs arc inlerlayered wilh quartzites and slales. In general, the bedding is not distinct but

at a fcw placcs, clcar bedding is also prcscnt. Thc rocks arc slightly mctamorphoscd but unusually

retain thc original tcxture. The slales interbcdded with tuffs secm to havc been derived from volcanic

ash and other fine volcanic nratcrial.

Lava is intcrlaycrcd with thc mctasedimcnts. Nolvhcrc, pillolv structure has bcen found in

thc lava flows. Mosrly, thc lava is ofacidio composition and is represcntcd byrocks such as rhyolite,

dacite and minor andesite.

Iixposurcs in I lundawali Hill rcprescnt dark grcy massive rock. Undcr thc microscopc, the

rock is holocrystalline and hnc graincd with porphyrilic texlure. The phenocrysts offcldspars are so1

in groundmass ofoligoclasc, orthoclase and quartz.

Thc lowcr contact of this unit is not cxposcd anynvhcrc. Thc uppcr contact with Taguwali

phyllite and slates is also obscurc. However, the held relationship suggests that it represents thc

oldest formatron of Kirana complex, which passes into the overlying Taguwali formation of Kirana

goup. Its thickness is 404 m at the bpc locality. lts age, as discussed under thc section of Kirana

complcx, is Prccambrian.

29

Bulland lJill rocks are considercd rcprcscnlalive olllachi group from whcrc, Davies andcrawford (1975) pickcd up thc samples fcrr absolutc alc dating ancl determincd thc agc at 870 Ma.On the basis of above rcsults, the rocks of llachi group probably lic within the time range of\ ndhyan System, which is as old as 1400 Ma in the east and arourd 700 Ma (in the Trans AravalliVindians) in thc wcst.'fhc twoVindians, howcvcr, maynot bc homotaxial.

Kirana group: This revicw divides the rocks of Kirana group (mentioned before by Kazmr(1964) and Shah (1961 lunpublishedl and 1973), into two units: namely Asianwala quartzites and

Taguwali slates antl phyllitcs. 'l'hcsc two units arc in succcssion and havc no conncction to otherformations or groups in the area.

Taguwali formation: Thc name has been assigned aflcr a small place Taguwali.'l'he typelocalily and typc scclion of this unit is on soulhcm part of Kirana IIill at grid rcfcrcncc L 862462(Alam, 1 987). Lilhology of this unit is phyllite/slate and fine-grained quartzitcs in thc lower part.Phyllite is lighl silvcr-grcy, fine-graincd, thin-bedded, partly thick-bedded at places and shows cross

bcdding. In thc uppcr part ofthc fomralion, phyllitc is thc dominant rock lypc with minor slatc. Thcmiddle part is composcdof slalewith littlc shinc on the surlaco.

According to Alam (1987), this l'ormalion is quite widc sprcad in thc area. It is exposed inChandra tllll (E 891426), whcre it is rcprescnted by finc-graincd quartzites in Machh l{ill (li912395), about 4 km southcast of Taguwali, whcrc it is mostly reprcsentcd by fine-grained, thin-bedded phyllite. In Chiniol-Rabwal area, finc-grained quartzite and thin bedded slates represent

this ruri1. tn Chiniot arca, small expostuc ofphyllitc reprcscnts this formation.Ils upper contacl with thc Asianwala quartzitc is gradational. 'l-hc lowcr conlact with IIachi

group is nowhcre clcar. Ahmad et al. (2000) indicatcd thal and outcrop olpolymictic conglomeratepoint out an rurconformity bctwccn 'I'aguwaly formation and ttachi goup. .A1 the type localily, thc

formation has bccn mcasurcd 1 1 [J9 m. The agc of the formation is Prccambrian.

Asianwala quartzitc: This unit is namcd after thc canal rcsl housc Asianwala located at I 1

km on thc Sargodha-F'aisalabad Road. Thc lype scctron is dcsignated atlhe main Kirana IIil1, whcrc itis exposcd in the northern parl o lthc hill, at about 4 km ftomAsianwala rest house, (Gridrefcrcnce, G

879490);Alam (1987)

I.,ithologically, thc formation is prcdominantly quadzitc with minor intcrcalations of slate.'l'hc quartzitc is gencrally coarse-grai:red; parl1y pebbly at places the quadzito is dirty while to lightgrcy, mottled brown, thick bedded. It is cross-bedded and ripple marked. At placcs, joints and

flactures arc fillcd wilh brom hcmatitic matcrial. Thc intcrbcddcd slatcs are light grey in colour and

occur as thin laycrs in-bctwcenlhe thickbcds ofquartzite.

The formation cxtends to Chiniot, Sangla Hill and Shahkot areas. 'I'hc exposures ofquartziteat Sangla IIil1 arc ofmcdium to coarsc $aincd, thick bcddcd which arc similar to and includcd in thcAsianwala formalion. In Shahkot area, this formation is exposcd at about one kilomclre wcst ofthetown, and is represcntcd by light-grcy, medium-bedded, coarsc-grained quarg.ite.

Al thc truc localily, thc uppcr contact of Asianwala formation is with alluvium. Thc lowcrcontact is gradational and passcs into 'faguwali slatcs. The thickness mcasured in the tlrpe scction a1

30

Kirana Hiil is morc than 248 m. 'l'hc agc of the formation is precambrian.

Sharahan group: According to AIam (1987), .,ncw Sharaban group h.s bccn proposcd:omprising of two unils: thc uppcr unil is Sharaban conglomcrate, which is charactcristioally.-alcareous jn naturc and thc lowcr unit is Itadda quarlzitc, whrch is also calcareous. 'l'hesc two unitstavc not bccn includcd in Kirana group, bocausc nowhorc in thc arca thcir dirccl contact and:ciationship with Kirana group could bc found. 'fhe rocks ollhest: uniis are cxposed only in isolaledhills callcd Sharaban. Thcsc units arc considered yourlgcr than thc Kirana group based on regional:rcnd/struclurc.

lladda q uartzitc: It has bccn name d and dcscribcd by Alam (1 987). euadzites arc thc mainlithology oflhe lormation, which alc dull rusty brown, fine-graincd, calcarcous, typical ofshallow;narinc origin or dcltaic, containing minor conglomcratc bcds, rarc lava flou's.'l'hc formation hasb'ccn namcd after thc canal resl hotLsc I ladcla locatcd about 20 krn IJSII ol Sargoclha and about I 0 km;ronh cast ofSharaban llill. I lowcvcr, thc typc locality is al sharaban llill.

'fhcsc quarlzilcs occur in bcds varying liom 1 1o 13 rn. 'lhey arc calcarcous in narure,somctimes cross-beddcd, and show oomplcx contodcd laycring on 1.hc cxposcd surlacc duc toslumping bclbre consolidation.

Conglomcratcs in minor quanlitics occur in thc upperpart ofthc formation, intcrbcddcd withquartzitcs ranging in thickncss iiom 1 to 2.5 m. l'hcsc conglomcrales arc similar to sharabanconglomcrate and are composcd olpebbles of quartzitcs, slalc, wilh rninor limcslone, vcin quartzand jaspcr, scl in hnc calcarcous matrix of msty*brown colour. 'l'hc pcbblcs arc flattcncd, and,rrrangcd wilh thcir Iong ax is parallcl to thc bcdding.

'I'he rniddlc part oflhc lormation is composcd of quartzrtes,ligbl greyto brownish grey,l'rnc-grancd, thin-bcddcd, and somc parts arc phyllitic. l,ava flows of grccnish-grcy colour arc prcscnt

'r ithin thc quartziic beds. 'l'hc lowcr pzul of the formation is reprcsen[ed by quarlzites of lighl grcy,-'olour, which arc highly I'erruginous at places. Some parts arc bcing m incd as hematilc orc lor usc as

piErcnt.

Its uppcr contact with Sharaban conglomcrate is gradationai, whilc thc lower contact is

.-onccalcd. At the rypc localily, ir is 3 72 m thick (Alam, I 9li7).

l'hc lormation is unfossilifcrous. llowcvcr, Alam rccordcd "an algal likc slung slructurc."This slruoture may vcry well bc stromatolitic material, which has been found in thc Late Protcrozoic:ocks olthc l,csscr I limalaya. I]ascd on regional lrcnd and slructurc, the isolated exposurcs ofthjsunit arc thought to bc lying abovc thc rocks ofKirana group. This assumption placcs this unit abovc:hc Asianwala quartzitc, wilh l,atc Proterozoic agc.

sharaban conglomcrate: Sharaban conglomeratc is named and dcscribed by AIam ( 1 9g7).Lithologically thc formation is prcdominantly conglomcratc of rusty brown colour with mrnor (0.3r thick) stringcrs of finc-grained quartzite. According to Alam (op cit.), i1 is rlull rusty brown:ontaining pcbbles olqr-radzite, slatc, limcstone embcdded in calcareous matrix. The type locality isjcsignatcd at thc Sharaban Hrll, wbcre thc outcrop ofthis formaiion is shown in thc form ofisolatc6i.r,.r -lying exposure .

'lhc uppercontact ofthcunit ts terminatcd by alluvium.

I

Clasls ofquartzites and slates make up about 85% with only a small percentage of limestone

and fcw vcin frcc quartz andredjasper ftagments. Tbe formation is bcddcd and individual beds are 5

to 10 m thick. The quartzitcs and slates pebbles are similar to the rocks exposed in the area and the

origin of limestone pebbles is not known. The general size ofthe pebbles is in the range of 1-3 cm

diamcter.

The limestone pebbles, present in the conglomerale pose problem to their origin, as nowhere

limestone beds have been found in the entire Kirana complex. The limestone pebbles are light grey,

fine-ralncd, and microcrystallinc. Thc pebbles are flattened duc to strcss and ate arranged with their

long axis parallel to the bedding. Thin beds of rusty brown qrlrtzite are interoalaled with the

conglomerate. The quartzite is fine-grained, calcareous in nafure, and is similar to the matrix present

in the conglomeratc bcd. The lowcr contact of thc Sharaban conglomcratc passes into Hadda

quartzites. The exposed thickness of the unit is estimated to be 118 m. No fossil or any trace oforganic remains bas been found in this unit. The exact relation ofthis unit with Kirana group is not

known (Alam, 1987). Howcvcq these rocks are rcgardcd as the youngest in the arca. Shah (1973)

also statedthatthis oonglomerate unit is the youngestin the area, based on stratigraphic position.

Kohat-Potwar Province

Rock units ranging in age fiom Precambrian to Cambrian are exposed in the KohalPotwar

Province of the Indus Basin, where the Salt Range Formation with salt marl, salt seams and dolomite

foms thc bascment for thc fossiliferous Cambrian sequcnce of thc Salt Rangc. As indicated by thc

lilhology, the deposits of the Salt Range Formation represent an evaporite sequence similar to the

Hormuz Salt Fomation oflran (Shah and Quennell, 1980). Probably a large part ofthe Indus Basin is

occupicd by this formation. Although, its exposures are restrictcd to thc Salt Range, decp drill holes

have confirmed its presence to the north and south ofthe exposures.

Salt Range Formation: Wltrne (1878) named and described the formation as 'Saline

Scrics'. Gee (1945) called thc samc unit as the'Punjab Saline Series'. Asrarullah (1967) has givcn thc

prescnt name 'Salt Range Formation' aftff the Salt Range. Khewra Gorge in the eastem Salt Range

has been designated as thc type section.

Thc lowcr part ofthc Salt Rangc Formation is composed ofred-coloured gypseous marl with

thick seams of sa1t, beds of gypsum, dolomite, greenish clay and low-grade oil shale are the

constituents oflhe upper part. A highly weathered igneous body known as "Khewra Trap" has been

reported from the upper parl of thc formation. The "Khewra Trap", also knovun as "Khewrite" by

Mosebach (1956), is six meters thick and is purple to green in colour. It consists of highly

decomposed radiatlng needles ofa light-coloured mineral, probably pyroxene.

The rcd-colourcd marl consists chiefly ofclay, glpsum and dolomite with occasional grains

and cryslals of quartz ofvariable sizes. Thick-bedded salt shows various shades ofpink colour and

well-developed laminations and colour bandings up to a meter thick. Minor amounts of potassium

and magnesium sulphates arc found in association with thc shalc beds. The glpsum is white to lightgrey in colour. It is about 5 m thick, massive and is associated with bluish grey, clayey gypsum and

32

S/rati gr0phy of Pakistan

-,-'.. fiiable gypscous clay. 'fhe dolomitc is usually light colour, it is flaggy and cherty. It is

--, -::tcd u'ilh dolomjtic shalc, bituminous shalc and lou-grade oil shalc.

.{srarullah (op. cit.) madc a detailed study of the Salt Range Formation and divided the

:-,:ion inlo threc mcmbers in the ibllowing succession: Sahiwal Marl Member: (a) t3right red

-. .-icds with irrcgular gypsum, dolomitc beds and Khcwra Trap (3-100 m) and (b) Dull rcd marl

:.:. '.r ith somc sah seams and 10 m thick gypsum bed on the 1op; (morc than 40 rn). Bhandar Kas

: :sum Member: Massivc gypsum with minor beds of dolomite and clay; (morc than 80 m),

::.lanrvala Salt Mcnbcr: Furuginous rcd marl rvith thick scams of salt (morc than 650 m). T'hc

:::ration represents evaporitc scdimcntation, which took placc in an cncloscd basin in arid

, :ijtions. Thc clastic material was lransporled from Penjnsular lndia and dcpositcd under

, : Jrzing conditions.

Thc Salt Rangc Formation is cxposcd along thc southem flank ol the Salt Rangc, from.

- -..ak in thc casl 1o Kalabagh in the west. In the subsurl-ace, the rock unit has bcen encounlered as

:,: :ir south as Karampur in thc Punjab plains and in thc north at Dhulian oil hcld in thc Potwar arca.

. .-- thickness of thc Salt Rang Fonnation in the lype section at Khewra Gorge is more than 830 m. It.. occn loundby drilling thatthc thickness is morethan 2000m at Dhariala.

The basc of'1hc Sah llangc Fotmation is only known from thc Karampur wcll, r.vhcre thc

:.,:malion ovcrlics thc mctamotphic rocks, presumably ol Precambrian age. The contact with thc

:.. erlying Khewra Sandslonc is generally normal and conformable. The age of thc Salt Range

-..rmation, its palcontological rccord and i1s contact with thc ovcrlying rocks has long bcen a

:.,ntroversial topic. Details of tliis conlroversy arc beyond the scope of this reporl. Sahni (1939,

e15. 1947) and othcrs havc reportcd Tertiary microfossils from it. Gee ( I 947) has very rcasonably

::-.lcrcd with thc inlcrprctation of a Tcltiary age of thc formation. Morc rcccntly Schindewolf and

:.':hchcr (in Tcicherl, 1964) havc supporlcd thc vicws of (iee. They suspcctcd that thc Tertiary

r, .sils rcportcd lrom this lonnation by Sahni (1947) thal wcre duc to contaminalion. Thc overlying

r.:r-\\'ra Sandstone is probably of lrarly Cambrian agc, as obscrvcd by Ccc (1 945); Schindcwolfand

!::lachcr (1955). The Sah Range F'ormation is thcrcfore, assigncd an Early Cambrian to Late

.-. :.'ambrian age.

r rial Belt (Northcrn Sector):

":,nhern Sector of thc Axial Belt is bound by Main l3oundary Thrusl (MB'I) in the south and

,::roxinratcly nrarkcd by Panjal-Khairabad thmst in thc north; thc arcas includcd arc Waziristan,

{:rram, Attock-Chcral ILangc and southem }{azara (Fig. 1).

lnock-Charat Range: llussain ct al. ( 1989) divided thc Attock-Chcrat l{angc into northcm, central

. - southem blocks bounded by thrusl faults, lbr the convenience oflhe description ofstratigraphy.

-::r dcscribed the Precambrian rocks from the Atiock-Cherat Range as lollowing.Manki Formation: The namc Manki Formation was introduccd by Tahirkhcli (1970) and

:., reen derived from thc village of Manki in the Attock-Cheral Range. The formation has bccn rc-

33

dcscribed by I{ussain ct al. (1 989) as a scqucncc ol phyllite, slate and slaly shale wilh lenticular

sandy bands cxposcdin thc northernblock ofAttock-Chcrat Rangc.

The cntirc norlhcm block of thc Attook-Chcrat Rangc, consists predominantly of Mankj

Formation. fhe formation in this block is mainly dark-grey 1o black scricrlic slale and phyllile wilh

subordinatc lcnscs ofycllowish-grcy limcstonc and quartzitc. Ilussain ct al. (1989) rccordcd that thc

estimated thickness of the formation is about 950 m. lt is the oldcst formation in the area. 'I'he Mankr

Formalion resemblcs the Ilazara Formation to which Crawford and Davies (1975) and Calkines et al.

(1975) havc assigncd Prccambrian agc. I'hc Manki Formation has a gradational contact with thc

overlying ShahkotF ormation, whilc jts lowcrcontacl is not exposcd.

Shahkot Formation: 'lhe lormalion consists ol light brownish-grcy limestone and

intcrbcddcd dark, grccnish-grcy phyllitc. Limcstonc ncar thc lop of thc lom.ratron, south ofUchKhatlak Villagc yicldcd fossils tcnlalively identified as bryozoans ol l,ower Palacozoic agc

(11'ahirkhcli, 1970). I lussain ct al. (1 989) added thal the lbmation is ycllowish, browri grey and thin

to thick-bcddcd, sandy, crystallinc limcstonc with piltcd and groovcd fcaturcs, undcrlain by grccn

and grecnish-grey, sandy and slaty shale contains dolerilc sills. The thickncss according to'l'ahirkheli( I 979) is about 75 m. Ilussain e1 al. ( 1 9tl9) could not find any lracc o fli lc and dcclarcd thc age ofthe

formation as Precambrian.

Uch Khattak Formation: Thc formation as dcscribed by Tahirkhcli (l 970) is composed ofthin beddcd to massivc, grcy to sooty-black, crystallinc limestone wilh argillaccous strcaks and

laminations. I)olcritc intrusions arc prescnl. Thc formatjon comprises prcdominanlly olrubbly and

stromatolitic limcstonc with grey to buff argillaccous laminations. Near Khairabad, at Raja IIodirailway tunnel, thc Uch Khattak lionration conlains clasts of Shahkol and Manki l]ormations and

thcrcforc youngcr than both. l'hc agc of thc formation as dcscribcd by llussain ct al. (l9tt9) is

Prce ambrian.

Shckhai Formation: 'l'his formation, as descnbed by Tahirkheli (1970), is thin-bedded 1o

massivc, crystalhnc, dolomilic limcslonc with thin-bcddcd quartzite and slaty shalc at thc base and

contains igneous intrusions. Ilussain ct al. ( 1990) rccorded that lormation is the youngesl unil oflhe

nothcm block and is rcprcsenlcd by mcdium- to thick-bcdded and massjve limcstonc wlth

subordinatc quartzite. 'l'hc limcslonc is brccciated in the middlc and uppcr parts. 11 is lithologically

similar to Prccarnbrian I Iazara lrormalion. It has locally gradational contacl with Manki Formation.

I Iussain et al. (1990) suggcstcd that all the lormations in thc northcrn block are ol-Precambrian age.

l)o lcritc dy kcs and s ills arc com monly lound in th is block.

Dakhncr F'ormation: llussain ct al. (1989) have rcnamcd "Attock shale" of Tahirkheli,

(1970) as Dakhncr l;ormation. According 1o them, the ccnlral block is principally underlain by

I)akhncr Formalion, which consists of a thick scqucnoc of sillstonc, argillite, quartzilc and

subordinate limeslonc. 'l'ahirkhcli (1970) considered thc agc ol'this scquence to bc Middle Jurassic-

Cretaceous on thc basis of lossils in thc limcstone thal he considcrcd 1o bc rr.rtcrbedded within thc

formation. llussain ot al. (1990) slatcd that all thc fossils found during thcir sludy including

Tahirkhcli's localily, arc in Ccnomanian or Palcocene limcstonc that overlics thc Dakhncr Formation

34

.--:;::.*, -. g;

-- - ionrably or jn lhrust contact with the [)akhncr l"ormalion. At Ilassanabdal. (rast ol,{t1ock-' - .: Rangc. thc Jurassic limcslonc lics unconlomably abovc l)akbncr l.ormation. Conscqucnlly,

-,.. ::ndcrcd thc lbrmation as Prccambrian in agc on thc basis ollithoiogicai corrclalion with thc

- ,:r l:ormatiolr lal n,hich Rb/Sr dates ol'740 I 20 and 930 t 20 Ma havo been reported by-. ,. 'rrd and Davics (1975). lJn]ikc thc northun block, thc ccntral block contains no intrusion of

: i -:r lahirkhc| ( I 970), cxccpt lor one occuncncc in limcslonc, cast ol lndus Ilivcr. A thin covcr

,:lisic, Crctaccous, Palcogcnc and Mioccne rocks unconformably ovcrlics thc Dakhncr- :.:tron. 'l'hc thickncss of thc Dakhncr f.'or-mation is morc than I 000 m (l lussain ct al., I 990).

llazara F'ormation: Marks and Ali (1961) hare givcn scvcral nancs to this fonnation- - -lin_e "Slalc scrics of I lazara" by Middlcmiss ('l896) and "I{azara Slatcs l.'ormation". Prior 1o

' :.r rar.]]cs, Waagcn and Wyrnc (1879) dcscribcd lbcm as "Attock Slatcs". Calkins c1 a1., (1969)'.-:,-i it "llazara liormalion". Latil(1970) named this lormation "llazara Gror,rp", in which hc-, -i.-dthc" |anawal lronralion" olCalkins et al. ( I969) as a pan of it.

fhc I Iazara liomation consists of slatc, phyllitc and shalc wjth minor occurrcnccs o1'

--':ionc and graphitc laycrs. Slatc and phyllitc are grccn 1o dark grccn and black, but arc rusty--.,.:randdarkgrccnonwcathetcdsurlace.Somcthjck-beddcd,finc-torncdiLLm-graincdsandstonc

- ,..p prcsent. l,imcstonc bcds with maxinum thickncss of 150 m and a scqucncc of ca]carcous

. . ,irc and gypsum ranging lrom 30 to l20 m thick are lound in southcm-most llazara and Azad

. ...nrir (Calkins ctal., 1969).

ivlarks and Ali (1961) rcgardcd 1l.rc formation as a turbiditc dcposit. Calkins c1 al. (1969)

- .,:rccd with thal conccpt, contcndcd thal thc beds ollimcstone, graphitc and gypsum arc unlikcly::cLrr in a tr,Lrbiditc scqucncc, and regarded most of thc formation as probably a shailow watcr

. : .1accous scclucncc. 'l'hc Ilazara ljormation is cquivalcnt to thc 'Dogra Slatcs', whioh arc ovcrlain- . -,,silifcrous C'ambrian rocks. On this basis, Calkins ct al. (1969) assigncd a Latc Prccambrian agc

:r: llazara liormalion. t-atil(1970 a) has rcporlcd l-ossils sinrjlar'1o l)rotobo]clla in thc Ilazara' :nation shor.ving that it may bc carJy Palacozoic in agc.

Latil'(1973) corrclalcd thc I lazara fonnation with thc Salt l{angc lionnalion bascd on

-::(rritclacicslbundinboththclbrmalions.CrawlbrdandDavics(1975)analyzedlhrccsamplcs' rs eradc, finc-graincd, clastic rocks l'rom tbc IIaza:'a l,'omation lor agc dctcmination by thc

: r Sr nrcthod as wholc rock sampJcs. Dala ibr thc 1wo samplcs gavc thc agc o1765 + 20 Ma in.::::ieu. thc thild onc indicalcd thc agc of 950 r20Ma. This agc dclcnnination placcs thc lbnnalion- ::.r'Prccambrian.

: { i m a I ay an Te cto no stratigrap hic R asin:

Originally. in this arca only Salkhala, 'l'anarval and littlc igncous rock wcrc dcscribcd about-::: dccadcs ago. 'l'his situation was duc to inacccssibility and lack olmapping in this area and only

-:::sidc rcconnaissance lvork lvas availablc. l)etailcd rcsearch work bcgan in late scvenlics and. -->.qucntly, a largc numbcr of fonnations havc now bccn dcsclibcd. I'his basin is dclincatcd by--. -:l l'hrusi in thc soulh and Main Manllc'l'hmst (MM1') in thc nolth, and inciudcs Lcsscr and

35

HigherHimalayas withthe Main CentralThrust (MC'I') inbctweenthem.Salkhala f'ormation: Wadra (in Pascoc, 1953) inlroduccd tbc namc; Salkhala Scries'to a

sequence ofschist, phyllitc, quartzite and carbonaceous material cxposed in Kashmir and designatedthe rype section at Salkhala Village on the Kishanganga River, Kashmir. Offield and Abdullah inCalkins et al. (1969) adoptedthc samc namc with little modification as "Salkhala Formation".

The formation occupies a large area extending from Kashmir to Gilgit. Stauffer (1968) made

a detailed study ofthe rock unit in the GilgilHispar Valley. Lithologically, the rock unit in northemarcas consists of slate with promincnt graphitic bcds intcrbeddcd with marblc. Thc formationincludes quartzite, gamet-biotite, quartz schist and talc schist at various places. Marble is foundthroughout the formation. In Hazara area, the Salkhala Formation crops out around the apex ofthesyntaxis. Ncar lJalakot thc formation thins out to only a fcw hundrcd mctcrs. According to Calkins et

al. (1969) the formation occupies both sides of the Indus River from Tarbela to Swabi. Marblc,graphite schist, quartz schist and quartz-feldspathic gneiss are the main constituents ofthe formationinthcHaz.ara area. Southwards, in thc Kashmir rcgion the formation is intcnscly foldcd and consists

mainly of schistose rocks. Just nodh of Salkhala Village aoross the Neelum River, Ghazanfar ct al.(1983), have now mapped Salkhalabeds indicatedby Wadia as Sharda group (Sec Sharda group).

During thc coursc ofthe mapping of Swabi-Rustam arca, Khan S. R ct al. (1994) found thatfold slructures other than the Indus re-enhanl might also contain Salkhala Formation in their cores.

One ofthese fold slructures in Swabi-Rustam area, is termed as the Kundal anticline by Khan et al.(op cit.), which trcnds WNW-ESE, and runs for ovcr 15 km from Tarbela dam in thc east up to thcGhurghushtuVillagc in the west. Thecore is occupiedbythe Salkhala Formation.

Khan S. R et al. (1994) divided the Salkhala Formalion into two units; the basal part of the

formation is refcrred to as thc Gandaf uni1, whilc thc uppcr part of thc formation, cxposcd at the apr:x

ofthe Kundal anticline at Kundal and from where it extends to tl-te west, ail oflhese exposures are

called as the Kundal unit. The Gandaf unit consists of graphitic and pelitic schists, phyliites,calcareous rocks, quadzitcs and quartz schists. The overlying Kundal unit in its lowcr part (100 mthick) predominantly consists of fine mud altemating commonly with silt layers. The two altemalinglayers on mm scale yield spectacular lamination. Graphitic schist is locally present. ln the upper part,

thc Kundal unit (300 m) is grccn-coloured chlorite bearing quartz-mica schist, with quartzite and

phyllite interbedded.

The upper contact of the Salkhala Formation with Tanawal Formation is transitional in the

Swabi-Rustam arca. The lower contact ofthc Salkhala Formation is nowhcrc cxposed in thc Swabi-Rustam area. Basement gneisses on which the Salkhala Formation overlies are not exposed in thisarea, Khan S. R et al. (op cit.). The fotmation is 1800 to 3000 m thick in the Kashmir area, still thickerin the Nanga Parbat area. Thc formation has an intrusive contacl with the Kailas Batholith. At thc1]pe locality the Salkhala Formation is overlarn by "Dogra Slate" known inlhis volume as equivalentto Hazara Formalion, which was radio-metrically dated as 750 Ma Crawford and Davies (1975).

Thc "Dogra Slate" is, in tum ovcrlain by fossiliferous shalc and slatc of Cambrian agc. Thc agc ofSalkhala Formation derived from the super positional order and correlalion is considcred

36

l::cambrian.'I'anawal l'ormati,n: wynnc (1879b) describcd rhc rocks of this formation as "'r'anol

::-,up". Middlcmiss (1896) called thcm "Tanol quarlzite" and believed thal they fbnneil the lou.cr::n of thc ovcr lyrng 'lnfra-Trias' (sce Abbottabad Formation). Marks and Ali ('l962) and Latif.970)namcd thcm "Thnol formalion"; calkins et al. (1969) madc a dctailed study and uscd the namc

. :nawal Fonration lor this unit ofrocks. According to them, the Tanawal Formation consists mainly:iquartzosc schist, quartzite and schistose conglomerate. The unit is well exposcd in the soulh ands--'ulhcastcm margin of thc 'Mansehra Granitc'and in a narrow bclt to the nodhwcst along thc westcm:ltnks oflho Balakot syntaxis. -lb thc South of the'Mansehra Granite', the Tanawal Formationmainly:rnsists of mcdium-grained quartzite and fine-grained mica-quartz schist. In thc area of thc\lanschra cranitc" and northward, thc gradc of mctamorphism in thc Tanawal F-ormalion is highcr

::an in thc sou1h. ln thcsc areas, granitc, biotite- muscovite-quarlz schist, and andalusile-staurolite

':hist conslitutc thc grcater parl of the Tanawal Forration (Calkins ct al., 1 969).Thc thickncss ol' thc Tanawal F-omation is difficult to mcasLtre due to structural

:omplications. Marks and Ali ( 1962) estirnated thc thickncss as 1666 m. At quite a few places, theTanawal Irormation is missing and thc t{azara Formalion underlies thc Abbottabad Formation. Theianawal |ormation undcrlics thc Abbottabad F'ormalion and ovcrlics thc I'lazara lrormation in thc.rea bctwccn Abbottabacl and thc Indus Rivcr. The contact befween the Abbottabad Formation and:ic l'anarval Fonnat'ion, in this arca is markedby an unconformity, which is representedby aboulder:rd known in thc lilcraturc as'fanakkr conglomeratc. Calkins ct al. ( 1969) fuithcr slatcdihal bctwcen.\bbottabad and (iarhi I Iabibullah the lower contact of 'l'anawal Formation with thc Flazara- ormation is markcd by only a lithologic changc lrom slate to quartzite, which in places is::adational. In nodhcastcrn pad of southcrn llazara, thc Tanawal Formation dircctly overlies the?rccambrian Salkhala Formation with an unconformily.

Calkins ct al. (1969) tcntativcly correlated the formation with the 'Muth quartzite, olS ilurian-Dcvonian agc cxposcd ncar Shimla, India. Thc Tanawal Formation is clcvoid of fossils.: iLrwcvct fron thc abovc-mcntioncd contact relalion, it is evidcnt that the Tanawal Fonnation is.ounger than the Ilazara Iiormalion of Latc Precambrian age and oldcr than the Abbottabadl.rrmation. In thc light ofa ncw hnd of Cambrian fossils in the Abbottabad Formation, thc agc ofthcl:nawal Formation may also be cambrian or Precambrian. Tanol is considered here a slmonym ofl:narval and it is intorssting to note that exposures ofTanol al Mansehra are older, not younger thanil azara Ilormation (Chandhry and Ghaz.anfar, 1993).

Sharda group:'Ihe Sharda group (Fig. 4) has been described from Neclum Valley as wcll as

;om Kaghan Valley. Ghazanfar et al. (l9ti3) named and described the Sharda group lrom Neejumiallcy, Kashmir and in 1987 chaudhry and Ghazanfar asccrtaincd thal thc rocks ofuppcr Kaghan\alley arc in physical stratigraphic continualion ofthe same (Fig. 5). According to thcm, Sharda:aoup ofrocks is charactcnzcd by ubiquitous development ofgenerally large size gamet, calcarcousmalcrial, nlarblc bands and gbncrally with gncissic tcxturc, which is bcttcr dcveloped in thc nor1h".The group is divrsiblc inlo two formations namely the Sharda formation and the Gamot formation

31

GSP Mem., vol.22 Stratigraphy of Pakjstan

in the NeelumValley and from where Wadia ( 1930) has originally describedthe Salkhala Formation.

Analyzing the Wadia's dcscription, Ghazanfar et al. ( 1983), stated that from Tithwal to Loath, over a

road distance of many miles, some of the lithologies recorded by Wadia are barely present and that

Wadia's definjtion of Salkhala Formation does not fit precisely here in the Neelum Va11ey. Instead,

goodpafi of the Neclum Vallcy section compares reasonably well with Wadia's own definition of the

Tanol (Tanawal) formation. Therefore, they added, that the section betweenTithwal and Loath "must

be considered Tanol and not S alkha1a".

Incidentally, this section covers Salkhala Village from, wbere Wadia (1 930) had namcd and

described the Salkhaia Formation. Consequently, Ghazanfar et al. (1983) divided the NeelumValley

section into Tanol formation, exposed between Tithwal and Loath, comprising pelitic arenaceous

material ofthe sub unit of Tanol formation such as the Tithwal schists, Kundal Shahi - Nagdarschists and Athmuqam biotite chlorite phyllites. While north of Loath in the Neelum Valley a

sequence ofa calc-pelitic material is named by Ghazanfar et a1. (op cit) as Sharda group. As already

stated, thc Sharda group, according to Ghr ranfar et al. (1983), Chaudhry and Ghazanfar (1987) is

widespread in the Neelum and Kaghan valleys. In brief, the rocks in Neelum and Kaghan valleys as

worked out by structural interprelation based on geologic mapping, are shown in attached

geological/tectonic map, which includes siratigraphic order in Sharda group in upper Kaghan and

Neelum valleys (Fig 5).

Sharda group as described by Ghazanfar et al. (1983) in Kashmil fiom Neelum Va11ey is as

follows: "Upstream ofLoath there is a huge and extensive development of gamet mica schists and

gneisses, calc-schists and marbles, gamet amphrbole-calc gneisses, and kyanite beanng gneisses,

calc-gneisses, graphite schists and paraamphibolites cut by Kel granite gneisses. This group ofrocks

extends over vast areas north and northwest ofDorian, Sharda, Kel, Gamot and Tarli Domel". The

above definition applies only to the calc-pelite facies of the Kashmir section, which represents the

Sharda group called earlier as "Sa1kha1a" of Wadia. As opposed to the above sequence, the other

pelitic arenaceous stratigraphic sequence ofthe Tithwal schists, Kundal Shahi-Nagdar schists and ofthe Athmuqam, biotite, chlorite phyllites collectively represent the Tanol (Tanawal) formation.

Ghazanfar et al. (1983) added that the remarkably sharp contactbetween the two is marked by a fault

along the north margin of a quartzite bandjust upstream ofTarli Loath. The fault is marked by thc

presence of cataclastics.

Accordrng to Ghazanfar et al. (1983), the Sharda group ofrocks indicate onginal li.thology ofshales, calcarcous shales, carbonaceous shales, marls and limestones, which have been

metamorphosed to gamet-mica schist and gneisses, calc-schists, marbles, gamet-amphibole-calc-

gneisses, graphite schists, gneisses, kyanite schists and paraamphibolites intruded by meta dolerites

and granite gncisscs. From south to north, the whole goup shows an increasing intensity ofregionalmetamorphism.

The Gamot formation is generaliy non-calcareous, although they are interbedded withbands

ofmarble. On the other hand, the pelites of the Sharda formation arc generaliy calcareous. Both the

Sharda formation and the Gamot formation contain graphitic bands but the proportion and number

38

(;-tP Mem., vol. 22 Stratigraphy of P akis tan

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39

GSP Mem.. vol. 22 Pakistan

increases inthe Gamot formation.

Sharda formation: Sharda formation is namcd and dcscribcd by Ghazanfar ct al. (1983).

According to them, the formation ocgurs on the roadside bclwecn Loath in the south and Kel Scri and

Sheikh Bela:in thc nor1h. Il is comprised of gamet mica schist and gncisses, minor graphitc schists,

marblcs, calc-schists, gncisscs, gamct amphibole and calc-gncisscs. Howcvcr, southwards toward

I)orian, this rock unit predominantly comprises gamet-mica schists and gncisses with a lew bands ofnon-calcarcous graphltic schists/gneiss. Schistosity at places is developed but commoniy the rock is

massivc gncissosc- Broadly, diffcrcnt lithologics can bc groupcd into numbcr ofunits in thc soulhcrn

pad, bclwecn Loath and Dorian. These arc gamel-mica schists and gneisses wilh rocks from

schistose 1o gneissic and porphyroblastic to poikioblastic and calcareous quadz mica gneisses,

which arc strongly gneissrc and oftcn sub porphyroblastic. 'l'hc pctrogaphic studics indicaic an

original composition varying fiom calczreous pelites argillaccous carbonatcs with occasional

sandstone bands. In gcneral, the formation indicates two important members in Sharda arca, thcy

aJc:

Sharda gneisscs: Gamelamphibole, calc-gneisses, some bands of marbles and a few minor

graphitic bands rcprescnt the rocks of the Sharda formation near Sharda. The Sharda mctagneisses

are mcdium bluish grcy on frcsh surfacc and light earthy brown onwcathered surface.

Changan martrles: It is prcsent near Changan, whcre Sharda formation is distinguishcd by

1.he predominance olmarblcs with altemating bands of calc-schists and gneisses. The marbles are

generally light grcy to mcdium-grcy in colourwithwhitc bzLnds.

'Iablc3. Sharda group ofKaghan Valley (aftcr Ghazanfar ct al., 19f13).

Amphibolitcs

Migmatitcs and Granitc gncisscs including:.Sail ul Valu-k granitc gnciss

- Dadar migmalites

- Iladun granitc gnciss

- Jalkhad granitc gneiss

- Giltidas granite gneiss

Lulu Sar fcldspathiscd porphlroblastic Gnciss

Mrxcd unitinclurJing:

- Purbinarmixed unil- ilasal mixcd unit

Gametiferous calc-pelitic gneisses including:

- Naran garnctifcrous calc-pelites

- Burawai gamctifcrous calc-pelites

Dhak graphitic gneisses (in JalkhadNar)

Bans pelitic gneisses

40

. -.n n.iarblc

- :,rlc-pclilcs

. : . \an llal[q;: Sharda group at Kaghan Valley is exposed on the roadside from Batal to Babusar.' ,, -hr\ ct al. ( I 9136) dcscribcd the main lithologics ol thc group under geographic narncs, wbcre

' .- :sarcbestexposed(Fig.5).

Dumri calc-pelites: West of Sobhai Mahli between Bans and Batakundi, it occurs as a

..,'ttr clv calcarcous scqucncc on thc right bank of Kunhar Rivcr. It also cxtcnds on thc lcft bank' . Dumri Maidan at Batakundi and mainly comprises of white pale yellow marbles intercalatcd

::ht erev to greyish brou'n peLites.

Datrukan marble: lt is a drstinctivc whrtc, massivc, thick band of marblc with subordinatc:. . ol calc pclites. Dabukan rnarble is present at Dunga Katha, Dabukan Katha and Dadar Nar

-: .,1Ileori. In higher areas olKhaba Nar, it appears to be intrudecl by a number of amphiboiite

Bans pelitic gneisses: Thrs lithology occurs in the area ofDhanr (near Rakhan), Bans and

' lt cornpriscs ofpel itic gneisses with subordinate psammites and occasional bands ofmarble.Dhak graphitic gneisses: This unit is composed of dark-grey to black graphitic gnciss

,,.-ratcdn'ithfeldspathiscdpeliticgneissshowingtounnalineneedlesandatplaces,kyanitelathes.

- : Lirs as a snrall band on both sjdes ofJalkhad Nar near Dhak village.Garnetif'erous calc-pelitic gncisscs: Garnctifcrous calc-pclitrc gneisses, is thc prir.rcipal

rloul amongthe mctamorphose d sedimentary rocks betwcen Naran and Babusar. There arc twor::, outcropsJ one around Naran and the other around Burawai. Other lithologies like pelitic gneiss,

.:-pclitcsandmarblcsarcrclativclyminor.Grccoctal.(1993),theNaranandBurawaiformatiors,

.: ihe age ofPcnno-carboniferous, have later described these two units ofGhazanfar et al. ( I983),, : -:rli,itions.

Naran garnctiferous calc-pelitcs: The calc-pclitic gncisscs arc gcnerally light grcy and

-:: brownish grcy on ftcsh surlace and dark brou'nish grey or yellowish brown on thc q'cathcrcd

- ::ic. Thcy are banded and show differential weathering with the micaccous and schistose layers

'::.-aring as ribs on thc '"veathcrcd surfacc. Thcir tcxturc is gncissic and polph).roblastic and thcy arc

r:posed of calcite. gamet, biotite. muscovite and quarlz. At times more than 50% of the rock is, ::pised of gamcl in the Naran area from where the name has been derived. The urit is best

:-,scd hcrc, to which Grcco ct al. (1993) havc namcd it as Naran fonnation and compnscd mainly: :-,e tape Iitic-metagrcywacke gneisses and assigned lower Palaeozoic uge.

According to Chaudhry et al. (19E7), thts unit of calc-pelitic gneisses is intcrbedded

-:rcrally rvith amphibolitc alrd impurc bands of marblc. Tlrey considcrcd it Prccambrian. Thc,:'.phibolitc bands are fine to mcdium-grained, well foliated, dark-grconish with shining on fresh'.::s and are gzLmetiferous. The interbedded marbie bands constitute a subordinate lithology. They,-: ii'hitc. light grcy. or ycllowish and ycllowish-grey on flesh surfacc and grcyish-brown or. .lvish-brorl'n, mustard or brown on tveathered surface. They are gcncrally medium-bedded and

4l

GSP Mem., vol. 22 ol PaAi.ttan

medium-grained,

Burawai garnctiferous calc-pclites: Burawai gamctifcrous calc-pclitcs unil is pclitic

gneiss ancl calc-pelitic gneiss with large sizcd gamets. At places, it shows alternation ofpclites with

thtn bands of marbles or with thill laminae of cluatlzofeldspathic type. 'I'here ale numcrous quartz

vcins, which contain lourmalinc nccdlcs. occasionally, thin bands of paraamphibolitc arc

developed. Gcnerally, tho rock unit rcscmbles the dcscription ofNaran garnetilerous oalc-pelitcs.

The Burawai gametilerous calc-pelites occur in the form ofan ellipiical outcrop, near Ilurawai, lrom

whcrc thc namc Burawai gamctiferous unit has been dcrivcd. undcr thc Mixcd Unit, chaudhry cl al.

(1987) describcct the lithologies cxposed al Tatti Gali Nar, the Purbi Nar and a pad of the Gittjrlas

Nala. Theyhavc dividedthis mixed unitinto Purbinar and Basal units.

purbinar mixed unit: This unit occurs in thc upperrcaches ofPurbinar,lhtti Gali and Dadar

Nar. It is, gencrally a mixlure of granitc, gnciss and granitiz.ed, fcldspathiscd gnciss. These

lithologies, at places can sometimes bc mapped as sepalalg units bul mostly are inter-fingcrcd and

intcr-wovcn.'lhcgranitcsarcgcncrallylightgreyandthcgncissshowsshadcsofbro*n'Lulusar fcldspathised porphyri..rlastic gneiss: 'lhis unit is exposcd on the roadsidc around

Lulusar Lake and its outcrop is present in Khote Nar and Putha Nar. It ls pelitic gnciss, which at most

places shows rlcvclopmcnt offcldspar porphyroblasts along with small sizcd gamcts. Thc gcneral

colour is light bruu n.

Migmatitcs and granitc gneiss: A numbcr of granile bodics occul mostly associated with

thc mctamorphic scqucncc. 'l'hcsc bodics are shcct likc and conformablc as wcll as fbldcd with thc

mctamorphic rocks. Ncarly all of thcm may be termcd gamcl tourmalinc granilc gneisses and

especrally near thc contacts may show variable degree of migmatizatton. There are also some

lcucocratic youngcr gamcl-tourmaline granitc bodies. Thcse arc gencrally small and occur

associatcd with granite gneisses and mi gmatite horizons.

Gittidas granitc gneiss: Gfanitc and gneisses with amphibolile bands and patches make the

principal lithology ofthis unit. Thc granitc rs finc-grained and lcucocratic, light grcy to whitc on

freshsurlace.'lhcgncissesarcgametiferousandhighgrade.lhcymayconlainsillimanitc.Babun granite gneiss: Leucocratic microgranite gneiss and granite occurs near the conlact

with Lllusar fcldspathiscd porphyroblastic gnciss at Babun. Thc unit has a gradational rclationship,

away from the contacl howcver, it is more massive. It occrus near Babun, wear and Jobra, howevcr,

from nor1h and south itjoins with other granite gr.reiss bodies.

Dadar migmatites: Thcsc rock bodics occur in Dadar Nar and ncar Dharir. Thcsc arc

migmatilcs formcd by analcxis of meta-pelitcs, meta-arkoscs, acid meta-tuffs (?) and mcla-

fcldspathic psammilcs. Thcy show a wide variety of structures within leucosomcs. Thcy show

stromaritic, phclabitic and ncublitic structurcs. Thc palacosomc and mctasomcs show a particularly

complex rclalionship. Agmites and restiles are also common. Schilleren, ghost structurcs antl

straligraphy canbe seen in the neubilites. The restites are orthoquartzites, calc-pelites, amphibolitcs

andmarblcs.'lhcpclitcswthminorcarbonalccontcntsalsotcndtosurviveanalcxis.Saif-ul-Maluk granite gneiss: Thc Saif-ul-Maluk granite/gnciss is a non-porphyritic, fine-

42

--'jium grained, strongJy loliatcd brotite grzLnite gneiss/migmatitc with thin pcgmatite veins.'- ranitc gnciss al many placcs contains abundant rclics of transformcd (granitizcd)-,-:.cdimcnts and screens. It. is extremely well foliated dark coloured biotitc granirc

- . .: migmatiles with irrcgular leucocratic bands. 11 appears 1r.l be a trans-fonred granitized---::rciss. Thc modificd mctamorphic clcmcnt appcars to be considcrablc, espccially in thc ciark

- .:::: sneiss. The glciss is granitized and aplitised frequently.Gamot formation: The other formation of the Sharda group is Gamot formation namcd and

:, , - -rcd by chazanlar ct al. ( I983). To thc north ofSurgam and Dokhanan, thc Gamot lormation is-,:::s;nted by kyanitc gncisses, marbles, calc gneisses, graphitic gneiss and paraamphibolite.

\'langlaur group: Bascment rocks of the Mingora-Dagger area havc been named as

--:-aur group by chaudhry ct al- ( 1992). This namc originalcs from Manglaur formation ofKazmi,: , 1984).

Manglaur group constitutcs a lower pacha fomalion and an upper Swal granite gneiss::.:iron (l-ig. 6), thc lalcr is intruded into thc fomcr. Thc group is mainly composcd of.

---::i porphyroblastic granilc gneiss, pelite-psammitc schists, graphitic schist, marbls, migmatites,--::.ibolilcs and non-porphyritic tourmaline bearing granites gnciss. The base ofthis group is not- '::r.-d. lts top is unconlbrmablc with thc ovcrlyrng Alpurai group of chaudhry ct al. (1992). Thc1.:-r1aur group cxtcnds lrom the Pak-Afghan border in west, continues towards east up to Bcsham

. --,. and covcrs thc area south olKohistan island arc.

Pacha formation: The name Pacha formation was givcn by chaudhry et al. (1992) 1o tbei.:-glaur schist of Kazmi etal.(1984). Earher Kazmi ct al. ( 1984) had separaled this unit liom Swat

--::;-< or lower Swat-[]uner schistose group ofMartin et al. (1962). The constituent lithologies have-,.r dcscribcd from typc scction a1 Pacha. whcrc this formation is wcll cxposcd. According to

,.:dhry ct al. (1992), the Pacha formation is a hcterogeneous suite of rocks composcd, -.:lminantly of pclite-psamm ile, and quarlzite. Marble , calc-silicatc marble, graphitic-schist with.-:r iboiitc occurs as subordinalc litbologics.

Orthoquartzitcs and quartzitcs arc off white to dirty white in colour and thick-beddcd. l.hc:.:nering colours are rusly-yellow 1o rusly-brown or greyish-brown.

Thc pclitc-psammitc unrt ts siliceous and composcd ofbands rich in quartz, mica and garncl.. .r_rht grcy to offwhtte or carthy iooking. It weathcrs to rusty-grey colour.

'rhe marble beds in the Pacha formation are earthy grey or white. The grey beds are thick-- - :::d and wcathcr to rusty-grcy colour Thc whitc rnarblc is thin- to thick,bcridcd. Thc thinncr beds

-.-: ::npurc and thc loliation planes show shining and radiating to fibrous or bladed crystals of:-:.-.litc. Thcsc beds arc cut by abundanl quaftz veins (3- I 0 cm thick), which occur along as well as

: - 'r. thc foliation. Thc thickcr bcds contain much lcss quartz and show a granular/sugary lcxturc.-:rr'narblcbedsweathertoorfwhitetodirtywhitecolours.Rustyandrustygreycoloursareless

- : -mlton.

Amphibolitcs arc gamctifcrous and rarc. Thcse arc black to dark grcy rocks with rcd gamct: :: and whitc quartzoleldspathic grains and whether 10 rusty-grey. Due to inlrusion of granitc

43

GSP Mem., vol. 22 Stratigraphy of P akis tan

Fig. 6. Geology of Saidu Sharif - Daggar area, Swat, N.W.F.P., Pakistan.Courtesy: Shahid Hassan and Hamid Dawood, 2006

:'rdics. mctasomatism and pal1ial anatexis, migmatization is common in pacha formation.Pacha fonnation is exposcd mainly in thc corcs ofthc anticlincs. 'fhc basc ofthis lormation is

:: erposed and the top bcds arc intimate ly admixed wrththc overlying porphyroblastic Swat granite:::iss. ln Puran-Chakcsar rcgion, old basement garnet tourmaline bearing non-porphyritic granite

-:. i..e s and m igmal ircs occu r.

In vicw olmixcd zoncs belween porphyroblastic Swat granitc gnciss and Pacha formation

- i the uppcr agc constrainl on the fbrmer, the later must be Proterozoic rn age. The choga granite-.lpurai arca) and Loc Sar domc granite (ncar Manglaur) cu1 thcsc mctascdimcnts. On thc basis of

- -Pb zircon agc ol' Choga granitc (468+5 Ma) and Loe Sar domc ganite (268+7 Ma), these

---iasedimcnts can bc considered Ilarly cambrian to Prccambrian agc (Anczkiewicz et al., I 99g).Chaudhry ct al. (1 992) corrclatcd this formation with Lulu Sar gncissos ofPrccambrian age.

-:.'- granitc gncisscs in Puran and chakcsar (the non-porphyroblastic garrret-tourmaline oldr:icment gneisscs) may con'cla1c with parts of llesal-Di-Khari granite gnciss and Saif-ul-Maluk-::nitc gnciss of Kaghan.

Swat granite gneiss: Granitoid of Swat cut through thc Pacha lormation and mostly ovcrlic: as extensivc sheels, which are lolded along with enclosing metasedimcnts into broad NS trending::sins and domcs.

A massivc shcct like body intrudcd into the Pacha formation has bcen named Swat granite:reiss by Kazmi ct al. (1984), dislinctivc l-eature of this unit is the occurrencc of beryl in ir.

liaudhry ct al. (1992) dcscribcd this rock unit in sufficicnt dctails.In Swat arca, Pacha lotmation forms migmatites and mixetl zones wilh thc porphyroblastic

.:anile gncisscs (a part ol'Swat granitc gnersses). There occurs basemcnt gamet tourmalinc bearing:on-porphyritic granilc gncisscs and migmatitcs, in Puran Chakesar arca, which had cntered Ilcsham..:tiformal structure and are cxposcd mainly in the deeply croded core areas.'lhese may be rcgardecl:s lorver lcvcls ofManglaur group.

According to thcm, thc formation is of hctcrogencous charactcr and is composcd of thc,:.lorving rock typcs:-t Pot?hyroblastic granite gneiss: This is the predominant unit in swat. It contains porphyroblasls:: microclinc, which gcncraliy rangc fi'om 2 x 4 cm to 5 x 8 cm. Thcsc are gcncrally whrte in colour

-rd set in a groundmass ofquartz, albite, rnuscovite and biotite. Somc tourmaline and occasionally a:nle gamct may also bc prcscnt. The porphyroblasts are slretchcd and at places, augen shaped. This:"pc is off-whitc to palc-whilc with black biotitc flakcs. lt shor.vs light msty to grcy wcathcring:.rlours. 11 also shows bouldcr weathering. Presence oI psammitic xcnolilhs is very common.::reens, measurablc up to a few meters across are also noticed in these $anitic glcisses.'.:t .vassive biotite grdnite: lt is rclativcly fine-grained and may contain porphyroblasts of K-

::-dspar up to 4 cm. Its mincralogy is similar 1o that ofporphyroblastic granile gnciss. However, it is---c grained and massive looking though foliated. 11 is pale to off-white and weathcring to light

--jJ:grcy to 8rcy. It forms cliffs. ]t is probably this massive unii, which has bccn dalcd as cambrian: . :adiomclric methods.

45

GSP lfen., t ol. 22 Sn'atigraphy of P a kistan

(.itt) Tourmaline-garnet granite gnezss: lt is fine-gtained and occurs as massive looking but foliated

bodics. Its fresh and weathcring colours are similarto the type (ii) abovc. It forms cliffs.(w) Rapakivi lype biotite and sphene bearing granites: These granites have been described by

Humayun ( 1985), it contains pink K-feldspar. The megacrysts are up to 2 cm. The formation forms a

mixcd zonc at its lower contact with the Pacha formation. Thc upper contact is unconformablc with

Salampur fonnation. In other words, the upper contact is tdctonised with thc development ofmylonite zones.

Thc granitc gnciss exposcd in Malakand Agency can bc divided into (i) Kot-Malakand

gneiss, (ii) Selai Patti granite gneiss and (iii) Kolangi granite gneiss. The first two gneisscs are two

mica bearing non*porphyritic gneisses whereas, the Kolangi granite gneiss is porphyroblastic

granitc gnciss. Thc granite gneisses comprisc of quaftz, feldspar, muscovitc, biotitc

gamet+amphibole+epidote and +chlorite. The presence of migmatites and pegmatites associated

w:ith Kolangi granite grreiss indicates these rocks as representing deeper levels of the basement.

Gneissosity in gcneral is wcll dcvcloped. These rocks at places reprcscnt multiplc intrusions, which

may be identified based on texture and mineralogy. Pegmatites quite often cut these rocks. The

mineral composition ofpegmatites also varies in the above-mentioned varieties ofgranite gneiss.

Gcnerally, thc porphlroblastic Swat granite gnciss has been corrclatcd with late

Prccambrian to Cambrian Mansehra granite. Chaudlrry et al. (1992) added thal the Mansehra granite

has age dating of5l5*16 Ma. The Mansehrapluton is composite and heterogeneous body and covers

a large range of age, which gocs older than Cambrian. More clearly it may be stated that with the

exception of tourmahne granitic facies, the Mansehra pluton is Cambrian and older. Chaudhry et al.

( 1992) also indicated that excapt for their porphyritic nature, comparison between Mansehra granite

and porphyroblastic Swat granite gnciss is superflcial. "The later rs a part of gtamte gleiss sheet,

which occurs in Higher Himalayan rather than Lesser Himalayan setting". Thus the two also occur i-n

very different tectonostratigraphic framework. The constraint on the upper age hmit of Mansehra

pluton is lower Cambrian (Chaudhry et al., 1992). Based on U-Pb-zircon dahng, the Choga granite

and the Loe Sar dome granite, which are apparently parts of Swat granitoid gneissic complex have

468+5 Ma and 268*7 Ma age (Arczkiewicz et al., 1998).

46

--,- siratigapbic scqucnce ofllighcr and a pafi of t-csscr Himalaya in su'at, west ofBcsham syntaxis

:CORI OpftlOLITIC I Talc carbonate, greenschist, amphibolite,

serpcntinite, gabbro, siliceous and graphitic

schist.lndus Suture

:SSER HIMALAYAN1_,ILENCE: :.\IPOKIIA GROUP. -:rak formation

: :rai formation

.: Cover

l::gai formation

.,GF{ER HIMALAYANS:QUENCE]:PLR.AI GROUP

Unconi

or Uncon

bctonised Unconformi

Palacozoic (Eo'McsozoicCambrian

Late Proterozoic to

Palaeozoic/Mesozoic

MCT

: i:ram fonnation

formation

Upper Palaeozoic to

Lower Mesozoic

Gametifcrous calc pelitc, graphitrc

etiferous Calc-pelite and marble

.,i\\GLAURGROUP

?:cha lormation Pelite-psammite schist and gneiss, calc-

silicate marble, graphitic schist. migmatite

and amphibolite (The sequence is cut and

migmatized by granitic bodies Precambrian

in addition, amphibolites). The sequence falls

in upper amphibolite facies and sillimanitegradc.

Late middle to EarlyProterozoic.

:\\.\T BESHAM3 \SEMENT.\EISSES

Mainly non-poryhyritic ganret-tourmaline

and often zircon bearing granite gnciss. some

paragnciss, old migmatite and their enclavcs

with intruded and interbedded almandine

amphibolite. The whole sequence is cut bygneisse s of 1400 Ma. 900 Ma. 510-550 Ma,

468 Ma. 268 Ma. and Tetiary granitcs and

migmatite.

Early to MiddleProterozoic

3:se not cxposcdet a1.. 1994after

4-l

Alpurai group: Alpurai schisl of Kz.:mi et a1. (1984) has bcen raiscd to the rank ofgroup as

Alpurai group by Pogue ct al. ( 1992). Poguc ct al. dividcd thc group into lour formations.'l hc oldcst

one is Marghazar formation overlain by Kashala lormation followed by Nikanai Ghar formation and

capped by Saidu formation, with age of the group as Palaeozoic to Mesozoic on the other hand

Chaudhry ct al. ( 1992) dividcd thcirAlpurai group into psammitcs, pelitcs and amphibolitcs in lowcr

parl named it as Salampur lbrmalion and the upper part containing gameltlerous calc-pe lite, marble,

graphite, gamelifcrous calc-pelitcs as Tilgram formition, wilh a pronounced unconformity bctwecn

thc two formalions. Thc agc ofAlpurai group ofChaudhry ct al. (1992) is statedtobc Prccambrian

(Fig.6).

Salampur lbrmation: The Salampur formation is named and described by Chaudhry et al.

(1992). lt is a vcry distinct unit, which pcrsistcntly ovcrlics thc Swat porphyroblaslrc granilc gnciss

and urderlies the Tilgram formation. It is nowhere cut by thrs granite gneiss. Howcvcr, it is inlrudcd

by Tertiary Amlukdarra tourmaline-gamet microgranile gneiss and its aplitic facics. DiPictro ct al.

(1999) dcscribcd a similar fomalion in thc samc area and to thc wesi and namcd it Marghazar

lormation.

The Salampur or Marghazar formation is composcd ol about 70% amphibolite and 30%

pclitc-psammitc. It falls in thc uppcr amphibolitc lacics of rcgional metamorphism. The

metasedimcntary part is in fact a turbidite sequcnce, which often shows graded bcdding. Thc laycrs

are silvery-grey 1o off whitc.'Ihe mica rich layers are silvery in colour and arc ollen studded with

small rcddish-brown gamcts. Thc quartzitic laycrs arc difiy whitc, offwhite and light grey. At pJaccs

they may show small scale cross bedding. The we athering colours are rus1y yellow, rusty brom and

rusty grey to grcy.

Thc amphibolite bcds are gcncrally black to dark-grccnish grcy. Thcy may have wbitc

specks, grains and 1'rlled vesiclc like spots, composed ofquarlz or feldspar Rcd garnct shows erralic

distribution. l1s sizc varies lrom 2 mm to 1 cm. lt is fine- to medium-grained, well foliated to

schistoscd/mylonitiscd. Rarcly small patches and arcas ofrctrogresscd amphibolitc with palc-green

to green epidote and dark-green chlorite may occur. At places medium- to coarse*grained patches

and pods of amphibolitc may be present. Weathering colours of amphibolites are rusly-grey, rusty

brownish grcy and dark-grcy. 'l'hc metascdimcntary part may contain 7 to 10 cm thick vcins ofquadz, which are generally parallel to S 1. These may be boudrnaged, compared with granitic rocks

and the garnetiferous calc-pelites and marbles of overlying Tilgram formation. Il weathers readily

and forms gcnllcr slopcs and gullics. The thickncss of this unit varics fiom tcns of mctrcs to more

than a kilomelre.

This unit lies over the Swat formation (porphlroblastic granite gneiss). Ilowever, the contact

has bccn slrongly tcctoniscd and a1 places inhuded by Tcrtiary granilic rocks. Thc upper contact ofthis formation with Tilgram formation is also very abrupt. It is marked by an amphibolitc horizon

(metavolcanic). Thc agc ofthc formation is determined as Prccambrian by Chaudhry et al. (1992).

DiPietro et al. (1999), bascd on thc stratigraphic position, dctermincd thc agc of the Marghazar

formation as Permian.

48

Tilgram lbrmation: Chaudhry c1 al. (1 992) dcscnbed thc lormation as composed

: :iominantly of bandcd gamctilcrous calc-pclitcs u'ith subordinatc grcy to whitc or bicolourcd

:::1 and whilc) narblcs. I)clilic horizons arc rarc. lt has a high grade and Ialls in uppcr amphibolitc

'::ics o f rcgional mclamorphism. I)i Piclro ct aJ. ( I 999) mapped tlre samc unit as Kashala lormation

-:nprising calc gamcl schist, schistosc marblc, calcic marblc, dolomitic marblc and calcarcous

: ,) llitc.

Describing the details ol'thc'l'i)gram lormation, Chaudhry et al. (1992) s1alcd thal lhc calc-

::litc is coarsc graincd and gametifcrous. It is mostly bandcd. Thc bands arc gcncrally 0.5 1o 5 cm

:::,,-k. Ahcmating bands are rich in gamct and carbonatc. 'l'hc carbonalo rich bands are light grcy to

: flhitc but wcalhcr to rusty (1ight) colour.'fhere arc two varicties, mcdium to dark-grcy varicly is

;aphitic but graphitc docs not cxcccd 3-50lo. Garnct stands olrt as brown to rcd crystals.'l'hcsc arc

. -rbidioblastrc. At somc placcs, thcre are crystals and aggrcgatcs ol clongalcd crystals of:nphibolitc. which arc black to dark-grccn in colour and can bc secn along thc loliation planes. Thc

rck is bandcd, with ahcmatc gamct rich and gamct poor bands. Thc gamct poorbands arc carbonatc

::ch and wcathcr to rusly colours.'lhc gamct crystals rangc frorn 0.5 to 2.5 cm in gcncral. Rarcly,

irJ slals as big as 4 cm arc also prcscnl.'l'he rock is composed of calcitc, gamet, mica, quaflz,

=:rphibolc and graphrtc. Iron oxidcs nray also bc prcscnl. I'hc sccond vancty is grcyish silvcry ligh1

::!-\'. It is rich in muscovitc. It is also distinclly banded. The bands are cent mctric (up to 3.4 cm). Itrlien does not corllain arnphibolc. T'hc size ofgarncts is nonnally 0.5 to 2.5 cm. (larnets bigger than

I cm arc rarc. Quarlz is morc abundant in this typc as comparcd with abovc-mcntioncd graphitic

'. anety. This rock is also coarsc-grained and rich in garnct.'l'he marble bands arc subordinate but may form a distinct horizon.'fhe marblcs are medium

:r thick-bcddcd, grcy, whitc orbicolour black and rvhitc.'lhcy wcathcrlo dirly offwhitc to lightrusty

::cv colours.'l'hc malblc bcds arc gcncrally pure carbonatc horizons.

Peljtjc horizons arc rarc. 'I'hcy are silvcr-grey and wcather to rusty offwhite to difiy ollwhite:.r r.'cllow. At placcs, 1l.rcy may contain kyanitc. Coarsc-graincd gamctifcrous amphibolite bodies,

:hough prescnl, are rarc. 'fhesc are blackish in colour with whitc feldspar and quarlz and red gan.rct

;n stals, Tlicscbodics are usually concordanl.

Thc marblc horizons arc ciiff forming, rvhcrcas garnctifcrous calc-pclitc stands out as

:tccpcr slopcs.'I'hc lowcr contact ol this fonnatjon with Salampur formalion is abrupt. It is marked by

,.nphibolitc (mctavolcanic). I'hc upper contact is faultcd against eithcr Girarai fbrmation or 'I'ursak

*rmration. Towards nodh, thjs lormatjon may be (unconformably) overlain by Dargai formation

Chaudhry et al. 1992).

This fonnation ovcrlics thc Salampur formation and undcrlics thc Ilampokha Group (with a

-:ajor fault). The'Iursak formation ofthis Bampokha group contains fossils regarded by King (1961)

=i ofpossible Silurian/Devonian agc. Thrs Tilgram formalion is regarded, however, as Precambrian

:r agc and in faull contact rvith l'ursak fomration by Chaudhry ct al. (1992). Hussain ct al. (1998)

-:portcd thal thc marblc samplcd lrom thc middlc parl of Kashala lonnation yiclded Camian (Late

49

Triassic) conodonts.

Dargai formafion: Dargai formation is namcd and first describcd by Chaudhry ct a1. ( 1974a

and 1976) as Dargai schist. The Dargai fonnation is named after the town of Dargai, where it iscomposed predominantly ofdirty grey to greenish grey graphitic pelrtes with subordinate marble and

calc*pelitcs. At placcs, thin grccnschist horizons of volcanic/hypabyssal (inhusive) nature ofunknown originmay be present. Psammite horizons are minor. Based on mineral assemblages, these

rocks are placed in the lower greenschist facies.

Thc pclites are compriscd of quartz, muscovitc, biotite and variable amorutts of graphite.

Chloritoid is rarely encourtered. Zircon, sphene, tourmaline and pyrite occur as accessories. Ingraphite, poor rock graphite also occurs as an accessory mineral. Milky coloured quartz veins, whichmay showpinch and swell structure, or may bc intricately foldcd, are quirc comrnon.

The calc-pelites are composed of calcite, dolomite, muscovite and biotite. At places,

grossularite garnet is also presenl. The marble horizons are often dolomitic. The entire sequence fallsin grccnschist facies of medium prcssurc metamorphism. Thc Protolith of metascdimcnts are blackshales, marls and dolomites/dololnitic limestones.

Tbe schists just north of Dargai contain tectonic slices of talc-carbonates, greenschist/

grcenstoncs that may be ofsutural ongin (i.e. lndus Suture M6lange). Howcvcr, volcanic/hypabyssal

sills/dykes may also be present, QrJawaz Chaudhry written commulication 2003).

Saidu schist: Named and described by Kazmi et al. (198a), earlier it was called phylliticschists of Martin ct al. (1962), graphic schists ofAhmed ct al. (1987) are pelitic and arenaceous

rocks, calcarcous metasedimentary rocks of Malakand and Dargai area of Chaudhry et al. (1976).

All of these rocks are, in fact, similar in their intemal morphological characters. Chaudhry named

them as Dargai formation, and according to Chaudhry et al. (1976), thcse schists unconformablyoverlie the Tilgram formation. In Saidu area, the upper contact is marked by MMT. The rocks near

Saidu are grey to dark-grey pelites with a very small portion ofinterbedded calcareous schists and

marbles. T'hc lcss graphitic rocks havc, somcwhat, grcenish hue and arc chloritic. The common

weathering colour is rusty grey. At places, these may have millimetric to centimetric quaftz veinlets.

Folding and faulting is observed in these rocks especially closer to thefu contact with overlyingMingora ophiolilic m6langc zonc. Based on its mineral assemblagcs, these are placcd in the lowcrgreenschist facies. These rooks appear to have gradational contact with the underlying Tilgramfomation but the abrupt decrease in the melamorphic grade of these rocks suggests an unconformityor a tcctonic break bctwccn thc two rockunits. Thcsc schists tend to wcather readily and form slopcs

and guilies. They generally do not form cliffs. In Saidu area, these rocks are mylonitrsed/tectonised.Kazmi et al. (1984) have conelated Saidu schist with the Indus Suture flysch. Howevel

according to Chaudhry (1992) this formation does not exhibit flysch character an).where. It ratherresembles reslricted water facies representing anoxic conditions. Based on its stratigraphic position,its age according to Kazmi et al. (1984) may be between Palaeozoic to Mesozoic. Chaudhry et al.(1976) ncverthclcss, regard the formation as Precambrian. They correlated Dargai formation withAttock slates.

50

GSP Mem., vol. 22 '.... Stratigraph)t of Pakistan

Besham block / Besham complex: Many workers describing the rocks ofthe Besham area

havc uscd thc word block or complcx. Here the word complcx is used to descnbe the rocks ofBesham area, where assemblage ofrocks of different origin have been folded togethel intricatelymixed, involved or otherwise complicated. Martin et al. ( 1962) first described the geology ofpart ofthis arca. This u'ork was of rcconnaissance tlpc and thcy covcrcd only the surroundings of KaroraVillage. Jan and Tahirkheli ( 1969) studied the area in more details covering a large area ofthe lowerpart ofthc Indus Kohistan. This was followed by Shah (1976), who published a brief note on the

mctamorphism and prc-cxisting structuc of thc scction bctwecn Thakot and Shatial Bndgc. Jan

{ 1 977) surnmanzed petrographic studies of the basic complex of Kohistan. Ashraf et al. ( 1980)

reported the delailcd work on mineralization and included in their studies, the work carried out by

Lngineers Combine Limited (ECl-) on the gcology and cconomic mincral invcstigation in Bcsham-

Kohistan arca. Fletcher et al. ( 19136) established the nomcnclalure of the rock uni.ts of the area. Baig

et al. ( 1989) and Baig (1990) gavc thc dctails and dates ofthe Besham group and divided the group

into lowcr Tliakot lomation comprising quartzofcldspathic gneisscs and graphitic schists and thc

upper Pazang formation withbanded quartzite, marble and calcareous schists.

La Irorfunc c1al. ( 1992) like manyprcvious workers, also produced a geologic map covenng

thc arca bctwccn Karora and Bcsham villagcs and rcstricted thsir mapping up to the westem bank ofIndus River (Fig. 7).

Stratigraphically, they divided the sequence of the Besham complex inlo five units. The

oldcst is thc Bcsham group as dcfined and named by Fletcher et al. (1986). lt is composcd ofheterogeneous gneisses and metasediments. Among the heterogeneous gneisses, Ashraf et al. (1 980)

have namedthc sodic quartzofeldspathic gneisses ofBesham group as Lahore granite.

Thc sccond oldcst rocks, according to La Fofiune e1 al. (1992) arc thc mafic dykcs, which

intmded Besham group. 'lhese dykes have been metamorphosed to amphibolite grade. The thirderoup olrocks includes cogenetrc small granitic intrusions and associated pegmatites. The granitic

intrusions havc becn namcd as Shang and Dubar granodioritc, thcse intrusions have beennamed and

considered as "late stage diffelentiates" of Lahore granite by Ashraf et al. ( I 980). La Forhrne et al.

(1992) named the pegrnalite as Shorgara pegmatites.

Thc fourth unit in the Besham Arca is'Karora group'which rcsts unconformably ovcr the

earlier three uni1s. Jan and Tahirkheli ( 1969) andAshrafet al. ( 1980) described the Karora group and

identified an unconformity bet$,een Besham and Karora groups. The fifth unit is leucogranite that

rntrudcs both thc Karora and Basham groups, as describedby LaForhrnc ctal. (1992).

The creation ofa new fonnation by DiPieto et al. ( 1999), the "Kishar formation" may have

its merits. Its isolation fiom the Besham grt-rup is rather little earlier. The work, in these areas, is stillin progrcss and every thing below thc Amlo metaconglomcrate is considered as part of Besham

eroup including thc Kishar formation, until positive and convincing reasoning becomes apparent.

As ofnow, here, the present s1atus of Kishar formation is one ofthe units ofBesham group.

Besham group: Thus, La Fofune ct al. (1992) has lithologically dcfined the Basham group,

as predominantly composed of quarlzofeldspathic gneisses, soda granite gneisses, and graphitic

5l

GSP Mem., vol. 22 Strati ol Pakistan

schisls and minor quartzite and carbonatcs. No unils older than the Ilesham group havc been lound inthc l]csham complcx.'fhc gncisscs arc light grcy, mcdium-graincd, cquigranular and conlair 5,% 1o

l2oh biotitc. Othcr minor and lracc mjncrals inchLde muscovile, cpidotc, magnctilc, zircon, sphcnc

and apalitc. Thc mincral asscmblagc ofthe gncisses is broadly reprcsentativc olcpidotc-amphibolilefacics mclamorphism.

The sccond most abundant lithology within the Besham group is pelitic mctascdiments.Theyincludc very fine- to mcdium-grained graphitic schisls and mica schists (Fig. 7).

Graphitic schist is highly sulphurous within thc Ilcsham group and ocours as latcrallydiscontinuous layers and pods up to 30 m thick. Contact oflhc graphitic schist with the gncisscs rs

gcnerally sharp.'l'hc mincralogy olthc schist consisls ofvcry fine-graincd quadz, fcldspar, biolitc,muscovitc and 4ol0 to 10% grapbitc, wilh small crystals of pyritc.

'l'hc mica schist varics lrom finc lo medium-graincd antl lrom schislose to a woakly gncissic

I'abric. Mica schist ol'thc Ilcsham group commonly grades 1a1erally into graphitic schlst.

In addtlion to pclitic mctascdimcnts and quadzofcldspathic gncisscs, thc llcsham group

includcs minor beds of quarlzite, carbonatc and rarc calc-siljcate gnciss. Thc quarlzites are impureand consisl of quartz, lcJdspar and muscovite, with traccs ol sphcnc, zircon and rutilatcd bioritc.I{arcly purc quartzitc pods also occur as lcnscs ofa few mctcrs dimcnsion within thc llcsharn group.

At many locations, minor icnscs of dolomrtic carbonale up to l0 m thick arc in sharp contact with thcquartzite and pcJilic mclascdimcnls oflhe Rcsham group.

Thc protolith for thc calc-silicatc gnciss was probably a calcareous arcnilc (quarlz-dokrmite-I'cldspar-clay) (l-aForlunc ct al., 1992).

Ashrafel al, (1980) described the prcscnce of skam bodies within thc Ilcsham group. Thinskams arc formcd; whcre pcgmatilcs havc intrudcd thc mclascdimcnts cspccially carbonatc bodics.Important among thcsc skanr bodios are magnetile carbonate skam, siliccous magnctilc skarn and

magnclile silicatc skam.

T'hc uppcr conlact ofthc 13csham group with Karora group is unconforrnablc. Thc basc o1'thc

Bcsham group is not exposcd and no unit older tllan Besham group is prcscnt in thc Besham complex.

Oldesl mclamorphism occuned at >2000 + 6 Ma, > 1 950 -r 3 Ma, 186513 Maandat 1887 a 5

Ma (Baig ct al., 19E9). Thcy hrrther addcd, "'lhcsc mclamorphic and defomational phascs wcrcpost-datcd by approximalcly 1500 Ma graphic toumalinc-bcaring muscovite sodic granitcs (Baig ctal., 1989).'fhis dala confinns that the scdimenlation, mafic and fclsic nragmatism, polyphase

mctamorphism and dcformation in thc Bcsham bascmcnt complcx occurrcd bcforc Middlc to LatcProlerozoic, unconlormablc, depositron of the Karora group".

Kishar formation: lnlcrcsting and striking is thc cleation of anew lormalion i.e ., the Kisharformation, namcd and dcscribcd by DiPictro ct al. (1999). Thcy claim to havc isolatcd it from thc

Besham group, whcrcas thcse beds were considcred 1o be lhe part ofthc Bcsham group by prcviousworkers. Undoubtcdly, thc lormation unconformably underlies the Karora formation. Thc Ktsharformation has bccn locatcd at only two small scparalc localitics. Onc olthcm lics in a road cu1 alongthc Bcsham-Karora road ^.5 km wcst of Besham. Thc second is along the Karakoram Ilighway about

52

EE€-.--:

GSP Mem., vol. 22 Str atigraphy of P akis tan

Fig. 7. Geological map of the Besham area, Northern Pakistan.

6 km north of Ilcsham.

According to DiPictro ct al. (1999), thc sequencc of thc Kishar lotmation is unconlormably

overlain by the Amlo mctaconglomcrate of Baig (1990), which is the basal member of thc Karora

group. Thcy recordcd that along thc Besham-Karora road, thc Amlo mctaconglomcrate is ovcrlain

by thick scqucncc ol' undiflcrcntiatcd Karora group. This siluation givcs the imprcssion thal thc

unconfonnity is regional, and that the Kishar formation is charactcristic ofthe Besbam cornplex. f)n

the olhcr isolated exposurc, they addcd thal the road cu1 along the Karakoram Highway by contrasl is

isolatcd stmcturally ovcrturncd and surroundcd by intrusivc rocks oftbc Bcsham group.

Lithologically, rhc Kishar lormation as describod by DiPietro ct al. (1999), is as follows:.,The Kishar formation in bolh arcas is characterized by two lithologies olunknown protolilh. The

first is a dark-grcy, very finc-grained nonscbistosc biolitc quartz plagioclasc rock withoul obvious

foliation thal in thin seclron shows pervasive alteration of plagiociasc to scricite and calcitc. Thc

second is a dark-grcy, granular, finc- to mcdium-grained biotite bearing quartz plagioclase K-

fcldspar rock with wcak lolialion. Absolutc dating proccssing of zircons grains from thc Kjshar

formarion yicldcd a u Pb agc of 2 I 75 r 7 Ma (Isachen and DiPietro, I 997 in DiPictro ct al., 1 999).

Karora group: Flctchcr et al. (1986) used the term "Karofa formation" to describe a

scquencc of marinc mctascdimcnts which was depositcd unconformably ovcr thc Bcsham group

This unconlomily is markcd by mclaconglomerate, which grades upwards inlo a thick unil of

graphitic phyllitc and in turn, is overlain by ajornted siliceous dolomite. (iradations bclwccn thcse

units and widc variations within thcm are common (Jan and Tahirkhcli, I 969).

l,a F'ortunc ct al. ( 1 992) and carlier Baig ( 1990) statcd thal biotite, chloritc and muscovite are

present in thc Karora group ol rocks and gamet is absent, making thc metamorphic Fade of the

Karora group as ofgrccnsohist facics.

DiPietro ct al. (1999) mappetl and studicd the area in detail. Accolding to thcm the "Karora

formation,, (group) occurs as an inner belt wlthin the Besham complex and as an outcl belt that

surrouncls thc Besham complcx. Thc lithology of thc formalion, as describcd by DiPictro ct al

(1999) is characterized by graphitic schist, which is composed of thick layers ofvery finc-grained

dark quartz rich graphite-muscovite-plagioclase-quartz schisl wilh or without accessory biotite.

'l'his schrst is associatcd with thick laycrs of calcite, dolomitc and tremolitc marblc. Also prcscnt arc

subordinate layers ol clark, fine-grainetl nonschistose muscovite, biotitc, plagioclasc and guartz

mctapsammitc. At placcs quartzilc and intraformational metaconglomelats are l'ound. lntrusivc

contacts with thc largcly undcrlying granitic gneiss ofthc "llesham complcx" arc prcscnl along the

innerbell ofthc Karora group, cast ofShang and at many areas along the outer belt especially on the

castcm limb of thc lldus Rivcr anliclinc. Infiusive contacls arc charactcrized by: inlerlaycred

granitic gneiss and schisl, small plutons in thc Karora group, dikes that crosscut schist and marblc

andxcnoliths ofgraphitic schist and marblc in thc Besham complex

l-a liortune et al. ( 1992) in the description ofthc Karora group staled that glaphitic phyllitc

cornmonly gradcs into cxtrcmcly finc-graincd, black, dirty quartzite and /or mclapclitc. The hcst

exposures of thcsc two lithologics occur along the Kurmang Khwar on the road near Gandorai.

54

GSP Mem.. yol. 2)S l"uti gr ap h.t' o.f P akis t a n

(iraphilic phyllitc locally grades into metapelile, ranging liom mcdium,grained psammilic_biotitcschist to cxtrcmcly finc-graincd muscovitc-biotitc rnctapclitc. 'r-hc merapclitc occurs asdiscontinuous bcds less than 20 m thick. 'l hc muscovitc-biolite mclapclitc typicaily weathcrs tolight brown-orangc coloul and is rocaly aphanitic. euartz. rcrdspar and micas composc thc malormincrals, with traccs o1'zircon, graphitc and sphcnc.

La liortunc ot al ( i 992) repofted tbat thc carbonate is cxposcd in an clongatc north-trcndingunit that rcachcs its maxirnr-rm thickncss ofabout 500 m between Upal and panial villages. It pinchcsoul latcrally to thc south of tJpal and 1o thc nofth oflhc Bcsham-Karora road. 'lhc most abundantcarbonate is a daik grcy to black siliccous metadolomitc that is well exposcd along thc Bcsham-Karora road l hc rock has quatlzosc intcrlaycr in vein likc scgrcgations up 1o 4 cnr thick. l'herc arcmany lithologic variatrons u'ithin this rclativcly cxtcnsivc car bonatc scclucncc.According to I)iPictro et al. ( 1 999) thcAmlo metaconglon.rcratc mcmbcr namcdby Baig ( 1990) is atthc basc of the inncr bclt of Karora group, whcre it unconFomably overlics thc .,Kishar lonnation,,.Dcscnbing thc lilhology of thc unil, lhcy slatcd that thc 'lnctaconglomcratc conlains pcbblc iobouldcr sizc clasts ol g'anitic gnciss, lcucognciss, rcucogranire, amphibolire, mgtapsammitc,quartzitc and quartz scricitc rocks wrthin a dark graphitc bearing psa:nmitic matrix thal gradesupr.vard into grapbitic schist of undiffcrcntjatcd Karora group. f'hc ocourcncc of lcucogranitcpcbblcs and leucognciss picccs is inlcrcsling bccausc lcucogranilc sills arc lound intruded in thcIlcsham arca rocks and considercd by La l.'ortunc et al. (1992) as thc youngesl unil of lleshamconplcx including tltc Karora group.'lhcsc pcbblcs may bc cxpcctcd within thc ir.rtraformationalmctaconglome ratc o1'lhc Karora group but no1 at thc basc olit. I Iowcvcr, it is also possible tltat thesepcbblcs of lcucogranitc arc ol oldcr intrusion, lrom within thc lJcsham group, and much oldcr thanthc Karora group.

Accorcling to La l"ortunc ct al. ( 1992) lcucogranitc and lcucognciss arc younger than Karoragroup as opposed to the abovc statcmcnt ol Dipictro cr al. (1999). Iiithcr thcy are diflerentlcucogranitcs or thc contacts of thc fom ation havc creatcrl confusion.

Gandaf lbrmation: 'r'hc Gandalname was first uscd by Khan, S. R and Khan, Asif (r 994),rvho called it, as (iandalunit, a Jor'ver division ofPrecambrian Salkhaja Iiormarron in Swabi-Ruslamarca.'fhis was lollowcd by Poguc ct al. (1995), who appficd it to precambrian rocks in thc.farbclaarca. DiPiclro ct al. ( 1999) atloplcd it and exlendcd this lormation northwarcl along thc lntius River10 thc Besham atca. Prior to thc extension oflhis lormation inlo the Ilcsham arca and inclusion ol-ccrtain bcds rn thc Gandaf formation, carlier workcrs hacl mapped and includcd thcsc bcds intoBcsham group, Karora group, Manglaur lbrmalion or 'lanawal and salkhala Iiormations oI.Prccambrian agc caikins ct ar. (1975); wiliams (r9fr9) antt lraig (r990). Tho lypc locarity isdcsignatcd ncar thc villagc ofcia'dafin thc Tarbcla Lakc arca by I)ipictro ct al. ( r 999).t-ithologically, al the tlpc locality, tho fomation consists of dark schists intcrlayercd with graphiricsiatc, phyllite schist, marblc, calcarcous phyllite and schist andnongraphitjc marblc. Thcbascolthetbrmation is not cxposcd at rts typc locality.

According to DjPictro ct ar. (r 999), rhc Gandar formation can be tr':rced up to soulhwcst or'

55

GSP Mem., vot.22 Stratigraphy of Pakistan

Darband, where gamet appears in the dark schist. North of Darband, the formation contains thick

layers of gamct schist with dark gamet, biotite, muscovite, plagioclasc and quartz schist typically

withquartzveins.Thisgametschistcanbeusedasahorizonmarkeralongtheeastemandwestemlimbs ofthe Indus River anticline, where it occurs at more than one stratigraphic horizon. Associated

with the gamet schist are thick layers of finc-graincd nonschistose plagioclase biotite quartz

metapsammite. This metapsammite is similar to metapsammite in the Karora formation but is

tlpicallylighterincolourandmoreschistoseandgradingtomedium-grainedquartzfeldspathicschist. tn addition to gamet schist and metapsammite, the Gandaf formation contains thick layers of

graphitic schist and subordinate dark muscovite schist, calcite marble, tremolite marble and

quartzite. The abundance ofgamet schist with insignificant graphitic rock distinguishes the Gandaf

formation from thc morc graphitc and calcareous Karora formatron'

The lower contact ofthe Gandaf formation with Karora formation is well exposed along the

eastem limb of the Indus River anticline east ofBar Kabulgram and in a locality along the westem

limb wcst ofchakcsar. Thc conlact appcars to be transitional. over a few metcrs graphitic schist of

the Karora formation grades into lighter coloured metapsammite and gamet schist of the Gandaf

formation. The contact along the eastem limb ofthe Indus River anticfine near Thakot is dillcult to

placc due to intrusions ofgranitic gneiss'

AccordingtoDiPietroetal.(1999)theswatandMansehragraniticgneissesintrudetheGandafformationalongitsuppercontact'Northof34.45'N,schistandmetapsarffniteareintcrlayered with concordant shccts of augcn gneiss. contacts in this arca are locally sheared along

both brittle and ductile fault. South of 34' 45' N, the contact is discordant and there are abundant

xenoliths of schist and metapsammite withir augen gneiss. A discordanl relationship is particularly

evident in the Black Mountain, whcre compositional laycrs in the G andaf formation are truncated by

Mansehra granitic gneiss

GandafformatronaccordingtoDiPietroetal.(1999)containsabundantinlrusiverocks'Thesc rocks includc biotitc orlhognci.ss and mafic rock of thc Kotla complex and a pcgmatite mafic

dike and sill sequence similar to the Besham complex. Numerous additional bodies of granite,

$aniticgneiss,pegmatiteandmaficrockarealsopresentThesmallerintrusionsofthegranitebodies arc particularly abunclant in the northem pafi ofthc Gandaf formation north of 34' 30' N'

Earlier,theabove'mentionedbedsweremappedastheTanawalForrnationbyAshrafetal.(1980),Wi1liams(1989)andBaig(1990).ButDiPietroetal.(1999)includethesebedsinGandafformationandarguc,..Intcrlayerofgraphiticrockmarbleandorthognciss(includingthcKotlacomplex) that are tlpical ofthe Gandaf formation andnottypical ofthe Tanawal Fomalion".

Kaghan group: Ghazanfar and Chaudhry (1986) named the unrt by raising their Kaghan

formationtothcrankofgroup.AllthcmajorsubunitsdescribedintheKaghanformationbyGhazanfar and chaudhry (1985), have also been given the status of fomations They mapped the

Kaghan va1ley and adjoining areas at the scale of 1:17000 for the firsttime and described at least five

majorstratigraphicunitsprcsenlintheareaAmongthcm,theKaghangroupisancwaddition'Thcgroup is predominantly cornposed of quartz schists, calc-schist and qualtzite' It is named after the

56

Kaghan Valley from where all the three constituent forrnations have also been described. The oldesrunit of thc Kaghan group is namcd Rajwal formation, ovcrlying it is thc pelitcs unit namcd Julgranlormation largely and monotonously greenish-grey quartz mica schists unit. The top one is nowcalled Mahandry formation. These names have been established by chaudhry et al. ( 1997). The typesection of thc group and that of the formations is stated to bc thc exposurcs across Buttlc fault inKaghan. Age ofthc group is considered Precambrian to Cambrian (Fig. 5).

Rajwal tbrmation: This is the oldest unit ofthe Kaghan group described by Ghazanfar andChaudhry (l 986). The formation is fuither divisible into the following thrcc subunits:a) Rajwal quartzite

b) Paludaran graphitic schist

c) Ilatal quartzitc subunit

Batal quartzite subunit: This subunit is dominantly quartz mica schist and quarlzites withthin sheel ofgranitcs, subordinale marble and some thin arnphibolite bands with a few chlorite schistpatchcs. Bulk ofthc unit is light grcy to brownish-grey on thc fresh surfacc and grcy to dull brownish-grey on the weathered surface.

Associated with Ilatal quartzite is quartz mica gneiss, the main lithology of which isbromish grcy quartz mica gnciss with thc devclopment of gamet at a fcw placcs. At other localiticsthe gamet cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Ghazanfar and chaudhry (1985) reported an old volcano sedimentary sequence withinquartz mica schists. Thcy statcd, "Within the quartz mica schist, some distinctive grccn chloriteschist patches are found, which may either represent retrogressive metamorphism or metagneissesmaterial of volcanic al1inity. These along with the presence of the amphibolite bands may alsoindicatc thc prcscncc ofan old volcano-scdimentary sequence,,.

Paludaran graphitic schist: This subumt is mainly composed of graphitic schist, quartzmica schists and gneisses with some calc-schists and occasional marblcs.Graphitic schisl is dark-grey on fresh surface and dark-grey to dark-brownish-grcy, at places rusty-brown on weathered surface. Plrite crystals are present which weather out leaving square cavitiesbehind. Associated with graphitic schist are lepidioblastic quartz mica schist and gneisses. It iscomposcd of muscovitc, graphite and quarlz with many other accessory mincrals prcdominantly

composed ofquartz, fe(dspar" biotite, mica and some gamet. Tourmaline, graphite and carcite mayoccur as brownish-grey on the weathered surfaces. Apart flom quartz veins and boudins. some finepcg'matite vcins arc prescnt.

This subunit also contains subordinate bands of carc-schisl and schistose marbles,intercalated with graphitic schist. 'Ihe marbles are white and cream colour on fiesh surface andivcather ycllowish-brown to dark-brown.

Rajwal quartzite: Upper part of the Rajwar quartzite is mainly composed of quartzites,quartz mica schist, pegmatites, apLte and granite. Thrs unit is composed ofthe following;thologres:Mctapclitcs arc comprised of gametiferous quartz mica schist and gncisscs and make up thcpnncipal lithology of this subuiit in the almandine gracle. Quartz and micaceous minerals,

51

almandine gamct, and tourmalinc makc up the bulk of mctapeiile.

Mclapsammitcs arc wclldcvclopcd in both purc and impurc lorms and arc comprised of lcldspalhic

quartziies.

Migmatilcs arc well <icvcloped in thc lowcr part of the ltajwal quartzile exposed in thc lower

rcachcs ofllhimbal Katha. Somctimcs the migmatitcs arc bandcd with bands of quartz mica gnciss

and ofacidic material.pcgmalrtes/Aplitc: The most distinctivc characleristics of'lhc lowcr and rnrddle part ofthis subunit

arc thc prcscncc 0 f pcgmatitcs/aplilc. 'fhc pcgmalite/aplitc bodics, which arc prcscnt in thc lotm ol

vcins and palches, can vary from a fcw cm to ovcr l5 m. Iispccially thc main componcnls arc

fcldspar, quartz, muscovitc and biolitc, with smallcr amount o f chloritc, tourmalinc and game1. Thc

pcgmatitr:s arc simplc in cttmposition.

Granites: Granitcs arc in vcins and palchcs and arc much smaller in proportion to the pcgmatitcs

'1'hcy arc subporphyritic to porphyritic.

Marblos: Marblcs constitutc a suborclinatc lithology and arc prcscnt mainly in thc upper part of thc

subunit, jn thc lorm of thin bands or intercalalions. 'I'hey arc composed predominantly ofcarbonate

butsmall amounls ofquartz, pyrite and muscovitemay alsobcprcscnl.

Mioroaugcn glcisscs: 'l'his lithology is prcscnt in thc uppcmosl pad of thc sub unil aftcr a graphitic

horizon. lt is wcil cxposeri a1 Kutli Ka Maidan. It contains complicated and variablc lithology and

contains garnclil'erous quartz mica gneiss, quarlzole ldspalhic microaugen gneiss, aplile and

pcgmatitcs. 'lhc garnctifcrous laycrs contain occasional nccdles ofarnphibolc'

Rajwal lonnation is Precambrian to Cambrian in age. The upper conlact ofthc formation is

with Julgran formation and the lowcr conlact cnds againsl MCT

Julgran formation: This formalion is namcd by chaudhry et al. (1997) to the uni1, which

was carlicr namecl Kaghan formation by Ghazanfar and Chaudhry ( 1985) as onc ofthc thrcc units of

Kaghan group.

Ghazanfar and Chaudhry (1985) dcscribed this unil as composcd ofat lcast four distinct

subunits. 'l'hcy arc quarlz mica schist, gaphitic schist, rnarblc and gypsum. Among them, the most

abundant is thc quartz mica schist. Thc lormation is well cxposed on thc roadside for about 13

kjlomctrcs bciwccn l{ajwal and Khannian upslrcam and downstrcam of Kaghan Township. Scveral

villagcs arc locatcd on thc forrnation. Thc formation furlher exlends to greatcr heighls and peaks,

whcrc inhabitation is not possiblc.

Abort 90% ofthc formation is cxclusivcly quartz mica schist. lt is thc oldcst subunit ofthc

Julgran formalion and has a distinctive silvery-greenish-grey on the fresh surfacc and is greenish-

grcy to grecnish brown or crcamish on weathcred surfacc'fhc quarlz mica schist is gamctifcrous, the gamct is almandinc. l'hc sizc of thc gamcl is

small ( I to 3 mm) and dccrcase stratigraphioally upwards.

Thc quadz rnica schisl of Julgran lormation is also characterized by well-developed

schistosity, ancl is composcd mainly of quartz and micaccous mincrals (biotitc, muscovitc and

chloritc). Minor amounl of l.outmalinc, pyrilc and graphitc also occurs.

58

According to (ihazanfar and chaudhry (op. cit) occasionally thc quartz mica schist is--::phi1ic. onc suoh band occurs below gypsum on thc right bank of Kunhar River, between thc.rllages of Asman Banda and Pulandes. The graphitic schist occasionally shows square cavities::oduccd by the weathering out olpyrite crystals.

'l'hc occurrcncc of marblc and gypsum, in more than onc band has bccn noticcd cspccially in::e uppcr part of thc formation, where it is the most distinctive. Marble is generally yellowish on.,, !'athered surfaccs and cream orwhite on fresh surfaces. It is intercalated with tbin gypsum.

Awcll-devclopcd gypsum outcrop occurs on the path from Kaghan to putandcs on thc righl::nk olthc Kunhar Rivcr. I lowever, thc bcst development ofglpsum is to the southeast ofKaghan:: a height ofovcr 348 rn bclow Sirul Danna. The gl4rsum hcre rs generally found as thick bands,::tcrbcddcd with yellow wcalhcring micaceous marblc. Thc main bands of gypsum logctl.rcr arc ovcr!t,t m thick. 'l'his high-lcvel outcrop can be seen on a clear day looking southeasl from the roadside:"'ar Kaghan.

Thc uppcr contact of Julgran fomatr on is faulted on thc roadside against tlic lower quartzitcs

--i \'lahandry formation. T'hc Iowcr contact is also sharp and abrup1 and laulted against the Rajwalquartzite unil ol'Raju,al lormation.

l'hc formalion is corrclatcd with Ilazara Formation bascd on its dominant pclitic:ompositions and thc prcscncc of glpsum.

Mahandry formation: Mahandry l-ormation has been namcd by Ghazanlar and Chaudhry1985 and 1986). Thcy dcscnbcd this rock unit undcr thc fbllowing fivc subunits.

I'amalban quarlz mica schist thal includes quarlzites, calc-schisl and marblcs: This subunit isjominanlly composcd oflithologics indicated by its title.

Quarlz ntica schisi makc up thc main lithology but quartzitcs, marblcs and calc-schists are

norc striking and promincnt. The cluartz mica schist indicates a biolile grade. At placcs,:orphyroblasts ofchlorite can be seen.

The purc quadzitcs arc whitc, crcam or light grccn and grcy and gcncrally bandcd on thciesh surlace, whilc on thc wcathcred surfacc, they are creamish-yellow, rusly-brown and yellowish-

_lre y.

fhc calc-schist is gcnerally grccnish-grcy on frcsh surfacc and bromish-grey, ycllowish-

3rcy or dark-grey on wcathered surfacc. It may be banded in thc form of schist and marble bands.Occasionally there is a gradation bctween calc-schist and marb'les. It is common 1o find schist and:hin bands ofrnarble intcrcalatcd in varying proportions.

Marble laycr within rhis subunit of Kamalban are small bands. Rarcly massive marble layersare only lew and arc about 6 1o l0 m thick. The other marble horizons individually are 2 to 3 m thick:nd arc gcncrally associatcd with calc-schists.

Lohar Banda marble : Lohar Banda marble subunit overlies the Kamalban subunit. It is a::rick mzrble band and has becn mapped separately by Ghazanfar and chaudhry undcr the naneLohar llanda marblc, which is distinct and acts as a markcr horizon for control in thc ficld mapping..i is mainly white, lighrgrey and light green-banded marble with some calc-schists. At least two

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distinct outcrops ofthe LoharBanda marble can be traced over a long distance'

Phagal quartz-mica-schists and quartzit€s: This subunit ovcrlics Lohar Banda marblc

and comprises ofquafz-mica-schist and quartzites with subordinate calc-schists and marble On the

weathercd surl-ace, it is gcnerally dark-brownish-grey and rusty

on thc roadsidc, thc Phagal subunit is exposcd at thc back ofthc road bcnd in Lohar Banda

Katha, where its pelitic and psammitic nature is quite appalent. Away from the road, the outcrop

occurs in an arcuate lashion between Kandlan in the west andManurKathain the east.

The quarlzitcs are prcsent in the form ofpure oltho and micaceous typc. Thcy are grcy and

white on fiesh surfaces and brownish to rusty-brown on weathered surfaces. It is medium-grained

and often granoblastic. The grains are welded and sutured

The quartz mica schist is grccnish-grcy on 1]esh surface and dark-brorvnish-grcy on thc

weathered surface. They contain veins and boudins of quartz. The quafiz mica schists are poorly to

moderately schistose.

Thc marblcs arc also prcscnt in this subunit. Thcy arc medium-graincd and granoblastic

They are composed mainly of carbon, ,e with accessory to trace amounts ol muscovite. chlorite,

pyrite and magnetite .

Doga schists: Doga schists consists ofmarbles, quatzitcs and mctaconglomcratc. Itisthc

forth subunit of Mahandry formation. The schists include both quartz mica schist and calc-schist.

The subunit is much like Kamalban subunit with main difference fiom the Kamalban subunit in

having finc metaconglomcratc and qualtzitcs with porphy'roblasts ofchloritc and biotitc and differs

from overlying Biari subunit in having much less metaconglomerate. The subunit occurs in a limited

area, exposed at south ofthe ndge top between Parhti, Doga and Danna

Thc Doga quartzitcs are bandcd, light greenish-grey rvith grecn porphyroblasts and some

intercalations of grey micaceous marble. Marble is banded light grey and white with schist partings

and weather to light earthy,brown, greenish and grey colours, occasionally the rnarble band may be

white .

Biari quartzites and metaconglomerate: This subunit also contains schists, calc-schisls

and pegmatites. It is the fifth and youngest subunit and the top pafi ofthe Mahandry formation. It

resembles thc Doga subunit but diffcrs inhaving ubiquitous pegmatites and considcrablc amount of

meraconglomerate. Thc subunit is banded grey, brownish-grey and greenish-grey. In this subunit, the

calc-schists are subordinate and the metaconglomerate are much more prominent. The quartzites of

Biari subunit as wcll as that ofDoga subunit are mostly micaceous and in this rcspect differ ftom thc

quartzites of Kamalban subunit, which are mostly ofihoquartzites. Some quartzites in Brari unit are

impure and look porous. 'This unit is also characterized by the general absence of graphitic schist

(Fig. s).

The quartzites present in this subunit are generally banded grey, brownish-gtey, greenish-

grey and whitish on liesh surfaces and dark-brownish-gey and rusty-brown on weathered surface.

They are gcncrally micaccous, contaimng porphyroblasts of green chloritc and sometimes brown

biotite and intercalations ofquartz mica schist.

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Metaconglomerate is also important constituent ofthis subunil, the pebbles of which stand

.rut on thc weathcrcd surfacc. The pcbbles are generally dark-grey or dark-greenish-grey in colour

'ihrle the ground mass is light grey to light greenish-grey. Other lithologies in the subunit include

quartz mica schist, which is generally light-grey, greenish-grey and brownish-grey on fresh surface,

lhilc on thc r.veathered surface, it is dark-brownish-grey to dark-grey. 11 is inlerbedded withquartzites, mctaconglomerate and marbles. They contain some quartz veins in the form of thin

boudins. Chlorite and biotite are prominent flaky minerals. In addition, calc-schist and marbles are

tirv thin grey and whitc marblc bands present, especially towards the Doga subunit. The marbles

have thin micaceous partings. The calc-schists are distinguishedby differential weathering.

The Biari, like the Rajwal unit 1s distinguished by the ubiquitous presence of pegmatrtes.

Flor.vcvcr, thesc pcgmatitc bodies are generally small (at times only fcw inchcs thick veins) comparcd

to those ofRajwal subunit ofthe Rajwal formation and appearbadly crushed and sheared, especially

near the laulted contact. The age of the formation is Precambrian to Cambrian.

Jobra formation: A small lens ofwollastonite bcaring calc-silicatc rock was namcd Jobra

ibmation by DiPietro (1990). Itis exposed on the Leosar dome west ofPacha, southem Swat. Itisrnterlayered with tremolite marble, gamet-biotite schist, quartzite, and amphibolite and overlies withsharp contact the Swat granitc gnciss and is unconformably below the Marghazar formation.

-\ccording to DiPietro ( I 999) the Jobra formation is not in "contact with the Manglaur formation but

overlies Swat granite gneiss structurally above the Manglaur formation". The age of the Jobra

tbrmation was originally considcrcd Devonian (by Pogue and DiPictro) and later they discovered a

calc-silicate marblc lithologically similar to the Jobra formation that occurs as a xenolith within the

Su'at granite gneiss in the area northeast ofSaidu. This xenolith was first describedby Shams (1963),

rvhich would imply that the Jobra formation is Cambrian or older. Hc also conelated it with sandy

dolomite ofthe CambnanAmbar formation. Itmaywell be Early Proterozoic.

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