Paleozoic group Redefined In GSP lexicon

Alpurai Group

Paleozoic–Mesozoic

Northern Indus Suture · Malakand

Cited in 8 sources Last reviewed Aug 10, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Published
Age: PaleozoicPaleozoic–Mesozoic
Named by: DiPietro (1990)
Type locality: Alpurai, Swat34.9000°N, 72.6500°E
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Unfossiliferous siliceous schist, calcareous quartz-mica-garnet schist, marble and para-amphibolite.
Synonyms: Not recorded

Nomenclature

Redefined. First defined by DiPietro (1990).

Browse all alternative & superseded names →

The Paleozoic–Mesozoic schist-and-marble cover of the Swat Nappe — the Marghazar, Kashala, Saidu and Nikanai Ghar formations.

Alpurai group is renamed by DiPietro (1990) after the Alpurai schist of Kazmi et al. (1984). Di Pietro (1990) mentioned the Marghazar, Kashala, Nakanai Ghar and Saidu formations in this group. 31

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Swat–Malakand column

MixedMetamorphicLimestoneConformableUnconformity

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.

Constituent units

Formations that make up this group, in stratigraphic order (youngest at top, as in the column).

Distribution & setting

Swat–Malakand

Basin: Northern Indus Suture
Region: Malakand
Depositional environment: Not recorded
Coordinates: 34.9000°N, 72.6500°E

Google Maps ↗ OpenStreetMap ↗

Correlation

Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The Paleozoic–Mesozoic metasedimentary cover of the Precambrian Manglaur Schist (Swat Nappe), resting unconformably on the Swat Granite Gneiss; originally the 'Alpurai Schists' (Kazmi et al., 1984c), redefined by DiPietro (1990) to include the Marghazar, Kashala, Saidu and Nikanai Ghar formations.

Sources (8)

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.
DiPietro, J.A., Pogue, K.R., Lawrence, R.D., Baig, M.S., Hussain, A. & Ahmad, I. (1993). Stratigraphy south of the Main Mantle Thrust, Lower Swat, Pakistan. In: Treloar, P.J. & Searle, M.P. (eds), Himalayan Tectonics. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 74, 207-220.
Ahmad, I., Jan, M.Q. & Jehan, N. (2005). Metamorphic mineral assemblages south of the Malakand and adjoining areas, northern Pakistan. Geological Bulletin, University of Peshawar, 38, 139-148.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008). Stratigraphy and Historical Geology of Pakistan. Department & National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar. 524 pp. ISBN 978-969-9119.
Anczkiewicz, R., Burg, J.-P., Hussain, S.S., Dawood, H., Ghazanfar, M. & Chaudhry, M.N. (1998). Stratigraphy and structure of the Indus Suture in the Lower Swat, Pakistan, NW Himalaya. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 16(2-3), 225-238.

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

APA

Qudsi, L. (2026). Alpurai Group. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_alpuraigroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Alpurai Group} --- 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/alpurai-group (accessed September 5, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: DiPietro (1990).

Below · older

Manglaur Formation

Ediacaran