Paleozoic formation In GSP lexicon

Darwaza Formation

Paleozoic (undifferentiated)

Northern Indus Suture

Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: PaleozoicPaleozoic (undifferentiated)
Named by: Hussain et al. (1990)
Type locality: Attock Range
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Cream-coloured limestone with dolomite, overlain by maroon argillite.
Synonyms: Not recorded

An unfossiliferous cream-limestone-and-argillite unit, the oldest exposed in the southern Attock Range.

Darwaza Formation is named by Hussain et al. (1990) for the cream coloured limestone with dolomite overlain by maroon argillite. Pogue et al. (1999b) inferred it as Late Proterozoic based on Sr[87 ] / Sr[86 ] ratios of Inzari limestone which is lying on top of this sequence.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Khyber–Nowshera Belt column

Shale / mudMetamorphicLimestoneMixedFossils 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

Khyber–Nowshera Belt

Basin: Northern Indus Suture
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: marine
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The oldest formation exposed on the southern Attock Range; unfossiliferous, with an unexposed lower contact and an upper gradational contact with the Hisartang Formation, it has been tentatively correlated with the Cambrian Ambar Formation.

Sources (3)

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

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_darwazaformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Darwaza 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/darwaza-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).

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

Above · younger

Hisartang Formation

Ordovician