Precambrian • Precambrian group In GSP lexicon

Baltit Group

Precambrian

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Southern Metamorphic Belt

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Published
Age: Precambrian · PrecambrianPrecambrian
Named by: Stauffer (1968c)
Type locality: Baltit, Hunza State36.3167°N, 74.6667°E
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Slate, quartzite and crystalline limestone/marble (metasediments).
Synonyms: Not recorded

Metasediments south of the Karakoram Granodiorite in Hunza — the same body as the Dumordo Formation — with a debated Paleozoic or Precambrian age.

The Baltit Group was named by Stauffer (1968c) for a Permo-Carboniferous succession (including limestone) exposed south of the Karakoram granodiorite in the Hunza valley. Tahirkheli (1982) correlated it with his Chitral slates of Precambrian to Lower Palaeozoic age.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

MetamorphicUnconformityContact not recorded

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type (wavy = unconformity inferred from a missing period); dotted = no contact recorded in the sources (not a claim of conformity). 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: Southern Metamorphic Belt
Depositional environment: Not recorded
Coordinates: 36.3167°N, 74.6667°E

Google Maps ↗ OpenStreetMap ↗

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The name given by Stauffer (1968c) to the metasediments south of the Karakoram Granodiorite in the Hunza valley; these are the same rocks that Desio (1963, 1964) named the Dumordo Formation, whose name has priority under the Stratigraphic Code of Pakistan. Their age is debated: Stauffer placed them in the Permo-Carboniferous, whereas Tahirkheli (1982) correlated them with his Precambrian to Lower Paleozoic Chitral Slates.

Research notes (2)

Field-by-field findings drawn from the cited literature. Every statement is traced to a registered source — follow a citation for the full reference.

Name & nomenclature (1)

Attested in Shah (2009), Geological Survey of Pakistan Memoir 22 - the Stratigraphic Committee of Pakistan's compiled lexicon (listed in the memoir's contents). Adds the definitional GSP/SCP lexicon citation.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Age & correlation (1)

Stauffer (1975, USGS PK-19) defined the Baltit Group at its type locality (Baltit, Hunza; 36 deg 19' N, 74 deg 40' E) and assigned a Carboniferous(?)-Permian age, correlating it with the Darkot Group. The dataset follows Tahirkheli's (1982) Precambrian-Lower Palaeozoic correlation; the age remains disputed.

Stauffer, K.W. (1975)

Sources (4)

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.
Stauffer, K.W. (1975). Geology of the Gilgit-Hispar Area, Gilgit Agency, Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey / Geological Survey of Pakistan, Project Report (IR) PK-19 (Open-File Report), 41 p.
Shah, S.M.I. (2009). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 22.

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.

Spotted an error? Suggest a sourced correction →

Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_baltitgroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Baltit 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/baltit-group (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Stauffer (1968c).