Paleozoic • Permian–Jurassic formation In GSP lexicon

Arkari Formation

Permian–Jurassic

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Central Karakoram Batholith

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Permian–JurassicPermian–Jurassic
Named by: Leake et al. (1989)
Type locality: West of the Tirich (Mir) Fault, Chitral District36.2000°N, 71.8000°E
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Schist, phyllite, quartzite and extensive marble (metasediments up to lower-amphibolite facies).
Synonyms: Not recorded

Metamorphosed Permian-to-Jurassic shales (now schist and marble) west of the Tirich Mir fault.

Arkari formation is named by Leake et al. (1989) for the west of Tirich Mir fault is largely represents metasediments metamorphosed up to lower amphibolite facies. It consists of schist, phyllite and quartzite and extensive deposits of marble. Considering metamorphosed facies of Lun shales with Permian to Jurassic age.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

Shale / mudMetamorphicLimestoneFossils recordedConformable

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

Karakoram

Basin: Karakoram-Hindukush Basin
Region: Central Karakoram Batholith
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: 36.2000°N, 71.8000°E

Google Maps ↗ OpenStreetMap ↗

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The metamorphosed equivalent of the Lun Shales (Sarikol Slate) west of the Tirich Fault; metamorphic grade rises toward the Tirich Mir pluton (garnet–staurolite schist). The protolith Lun Shales carry Permian fusulines and range in age up to the Late Jurassic.

Sources (5)

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.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.
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: medium

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). Arkari Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_arkariformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Arkari Formation} --- 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/arkari-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Leake et al. (1989).