Precambrian group In GSP lexicon

Kaghan Group

Proterozoic

Northern Indus Suture · Hazara Sub-Basin

Cited in 6 sources Last reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: group
Status: Under review
Age: PrecambrianProterozoic
Named by: Ghazanfar and Chaudhry (1986)
Type locality: Lower Kaghan valley, west of Balakot34.5400°N, 73.3500°E
Thickness: Not recorded
Lithology: Metapelite, schist, quartzite, marble, metaconglomerate and pegmatite (greenschist facies).
Synonyms: Not recorded

The lower-grade metasedimentary sequence of the Lower Kaghan Nappe, below the Sharda Group across the Batal Fault.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Hazara Basin column

LimestoneMetamorphicContact 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

Hazara Basin

Basin: Northern Indus Suture
Region: Hazara Sub-Basin
Depositional environment: Not recorded
Coordinates: 34.5400°N, 73.3500°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

The lower-grade (greenschist-facies) metasedimentary sequence of the Lower Kaghan Nappe, originally correlated with the Precambrian Salkhala Formation; it is separated from the higher-grade Sharda Group to the north by the Batal Fault (regarded as the Main Central Thrust).

Research notes (3)

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)

Lithology (1)

Ghazanfar & Chaudhry (1985) map the Kaghan Formation (Cambrian–Precambrian) between Mahandari and Batakundi as the Biari, Doga, Phagal, Lohar Banda Marble, Kamalban, Kaghan Pelites (>90% of the unit), Rajwal, Paludaran graphitic schist and Batal units; regional metamorphism rises south-to-north from biotite through almandine to staurolite/kyanite grade, and graphite (Paludaran and Naran horizons), gypsum and marble are economic.

Ghazanfar, M. & Chaudhry, M.N. (1985)

Geological significance (1)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the Kaghan Group (Ghazanfar & Chaudhry 1986; Proterozoic, matching the curated age) is a Lesser-Himalayan metasedimentary sequence of the Lower Kaghan Nappe — unfossiliferous metapelites, schists, quartzites, marbles, metaconglomerates, calc-silicates and amphibolites (greenschist to garnet grade) — occurring in a band around the Hazara–Kashmir Syntaxis (equated with the Salkhala Formation by Greco 1991). It is overthrust by the higher-grade Sharda Group along the Batal–Luat Fault and is itself thrust over Palaeozoic–Mesozoic rocks along the Panjal Thrust.

Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)

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.
OpenStreetMap contributors and GEOnet Names Server (public geographic gazetteers), used to geolocate named GSP type localities to approximate decimal coordinates.
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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_kaghangroup,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kaghan 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/kaghan-group (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Ghazanfar and Chaudhry (1986).