Cenozoic • Paleogene In GSP lexicon

Gurguri Formation

Eocene

Cited in 4 sources Last reviewed Jul 18, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: Not recorded
Status: Published
Age: Cenozoic · Paleogene · Early–Middle EoceneEocene
Named by: Not recorded
Type locality: Gurguri, Kohat
Thickness: 100-200 m
Lithology: Shale, sandstone, minor limestone
Synonyms: Not recorded

The coarse sandy base of the Kuldana Formation in Kohat — the first continental sediment shed in as the Eocene sea withdrew.

Named after Gurguri area. Represents return to more marine conditions. Part of the Panoba Group.

Fossils

Foraminifera Mollusks

Contacts

In the Kohat Basin column

Shale / mudSandstoneLimestoneGypsum / evaporiteFossils recordedContact not recordedConformable

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

Kohat Basin

Basin: Not recorded
Region: Not recorded
Depositional environment: continental, paralic
Coordinates: Not recorded

Correlation

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

Economic significance

Reservoir

Forms part of the productive Eocene clastic reservoir intervals of the Kohat sub-basin.

Remarks

The 'Gurguri Sandstone' — the basal, conglomeratic-sandstone facies of the lower Kuldana Formation in the Kohat area, marking the influx of continental clastics during Early–Middle Eocene uplift of the Kohat shelf.

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 lists this unit as 'Gurguri sandstone'.

Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Geological significance (1)

The Gurguri Sandstone is the proximal, coarse conglomeratic-sandstone facies of the lower Kuldana Formation deposited to the west-northwest close to the uplifting collision belt; it passes basin-ward (eastward) into the finer Mami Khel Clay facies of the upper Kuldana Formation, marking late-early to early-middle Eocene continental sedimentation during time-transgressive uplift (Khan & Clyde 2013).

Khan, I.H. & Clyde, W.C. (2013)

Sources (3)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
Lower Paleogene Tectonostratigraphy of Balochistan: Evidence for Time-Transgressive Late Paleocene-Early Eocene Uplift. Geosciences (MDPI), 3(3), 466 (2013).
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). Gurguri Formation. In Pakistan Stratigraphy Dataset [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21363991

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_gurguriformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Gurguri 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/gurguri-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

Below · older

Chorgali Formation

Paleogene

Above · younger

Shekhan Formation