Paleozoic • Devonian–Permian formation In GSP lexicon

Ganchen Formation

Devonian–Permian

Karakoram-Hindukush Basin · Southern Metamorphic Belt

Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Published
Age: Paleozoic · Devonian–PermianDevonian–Permian
Named by: Desio (1963)
Type locality: Ganchen Peak (6462 m), north of the Shigar valley, Skardu district
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Metapelite with less common gneiss and amphibolite and thick beds of crystalline limestone and dolomite; pelites carry a kyanite–staurolite–garnet–biotite–muscovite–plagioclase–quartz assemblage.
Synonyms: Not recorded

A high-grade metapelite-and-marble unit near Ganchen Peak, part of the Karakoram Metamorphic Complex.

Ganchen formation is named after the Ganchen peak (6462m) by Desio (1963) exposed in the Shigar valley (Skardu district) and consists of metapelites, gneisses, amphibolites, limestone and dolomite. Metamorphic grade is increasing NW and slates are converted into garnet biotite schists. Hanson (1989) named this sequence as Daltumbore formation while Desio (1963) included the Lugma slates, Daltumbore mica schist and Askore amphibolite in this sequence. The age is assigned from Devonian to Permian by Brookfield and Gupta (1984) and Hanson (1989).

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Karakoram column

ConglomerateLimestoneMetamorphicSandstoneFossils recordedContact not recorded

Band colour = period; texture = dominant rock type. Lines between bands mark the contact type; 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: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A metapelite–marble unit of the Karakoram Metamorphic Complex north of Shigar, in contact with the Dumordo Formation; assigned a Devonian to Permian age (Brookfield and Gupta, 1984; Hanson, 1989). Searle (1991) extended the name to include the Chalt Formation of Hunza.

Research notes (1)

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)

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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_ganchenformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Ganchen 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/ganchen-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Desio (1963).