Gaj Formation
Early Miocene
Neogene in the time scale →Cited in 8 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026
- Rank
- Not recorded
- Status
- Published
- Age
- Cenozoic · Neogene · Early–Middle MioceneEarly Miocene
- Named by
- Blanford (1876)
- Type locality
- Gaj River, Kirthar Range26.8750°N, 67.3200°E
- Thickness
- 200-400 m
- Lithology
- Variegated grey gypsiferous shale interbedded with calcareous, ferruginous, cross-bedded sandstone and fossiliferous argillaceous limestone.
- Synonyms
- Not recorded
A Miocene shale-and-sandstone of the Kirthar Range, marking the shift from sea to land deposition.
Last marine sequence in Kirthar region before complete Tethys closure. Transition to continental conditions.
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
- marginal marine, deltaic
- Coordinates
- 26.8750°N, 67.3200°E
Correlation
Not recorded. Compare this unit against other basins on the correlation panel →
Economic significance
Not recorded
Remarks
A Miocene shale-sandstone-limestone unit resting conformably on the Nari Formation; the Kirthar equivalent of the lower Sulaiman molasse and a marker of the Miocene marine-to-continental transition.
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.
- Indian Plate Lexicon (indplex.geolex.org), Geological Society of India and international compilation.
- Maldonado, F., Khan, S.H. & Mengal, J.M. (1994). Preliminary Geologic Map of Parts of Loralai, Sibi, Quetta, and Khuzdar Divisions, Balochistan Province, West-Central Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-689, 20 p., 1 sheet.
- 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.
- Brohi, I.A., Bablani, S.A. & Solangi, S.H. (2009). Geology and Economic Significance of Tertiary Rocks, Khorwari Section, Surjan Anticline, Thano Bula Khan, Sindh. Sindh University Research Journal (Science Series), 41(1), 95-106.
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). Gaj Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991
@misc{stratigraphypk_gajformation,
author = {Qudsi, Lareb},
title = {{Gaj 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/gaj-formation (accessed September 5, 2026).
To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Blanford (1876).
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