Aghil Limestone
Middle Triassic to Early Jurassic
Triassic–Jurassic in the time scale →Cited in 8 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026
- Rank
- Not recorded
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Mesozoic · Triassic–Jurassic · Middle Triassic–Early JurassicMiddle Triassic to Early Jurassic
- Named by
- Desio (1964)
- Type locality
- Aghil pass, Shaksgam–Baltoro region, eastern Karakoram36.1800°N, 76.6200°E
- Thickness
- 1000+ m
- Lithology
- Grey and white limestone and dolomite.
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
A thick Triassic–Jurassic limestone of the eastern Karakoram that forms peaks like Gasherbrum and Hidden Peak.
Named after Aghil Pass. Forms highest peaks in Karakoram including Hidden Peak (8068m) and Gasherbrum peaks. Massive carbonate platform.
Fossils
Contacts
Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type. True scale makes height ∝ recorded thickness; hatched = thickness not recorded. Ages approximate, for ordering.
This unit (highlighted) within its province column; faded ends continue above and below. Line style marks the contact type.
Distribution & setting
- Basin
- Not recorded
- Region
- Not recorded
- Depositional environment
- marine
- Coordinates
- 36.1800°N, 76.6200°E
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
A thick carbonate succession of the eastern Karakoram (Shaksgam–Baltoro and Aghil ranges) that builds some of the highest summits of the range, including Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I, 8068 m) and the Gasherbrum peaks.
Sources (7)
- Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
- Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
- OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
- Rolfo, F., Groppo, C. & Gaetani, M. (2014). A geological cross-section north of Karakorum, from Yarkand to K2. Journal of the Virtual Explorer, 47, Paper 1. https://doi.org/10.3809/jvirtex.2014.00336
- Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
- Gaetani, M., Nicora, A., Henderson, C., Cirilli, S., Gale, L., Rettori, R., Vuolo, I. & Atudorei, V. (2013). Refinements in the Upper Permian to Lower Jurassic stratigraphy of Karakorum, Pakistan. Facies, 59, 915-948.
- Zanchi, A. & Gaetani, M. (2011). The geology of the Karakoram range, Pakistan: the new 1:100,000 geological map of Central-Western Karakoram. Italian Journal of Geosciences, 130(2), 161-262.
Reviewer confidence: high
Every fact on this page is source-cited. This entry is part of the peer-archived Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset (doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991, CC‑BY‑4.0).
Lexicon status: Name attested in the Shah (1977/2009) Geological Survey of Pakistan compilation — the national stratigraphic lexicon. This records where the name is documented; it is not an endorsement of the unit’s definition, age or figures.
Cite this unit
Qudsi, L. (2026). Aghil Limestone. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_aghillimestone,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Aghil Limestone} --- Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.21363991},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991}
} Archived dataset: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991 (CC‑BY‑4.0) · Direct link to this entry: https://stratigraphy.pk/formation/aghil-limestone (accessed September 5, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Desio (1964).
Related units
Referenced in other successions
Overlain by Ashtigar Formation· Tekri Formation· Tupop Formation
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