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Mesozoic • Triassic member In GSP lexicon

Kathwai Member

Early Triassic

Part of Mianwali Formation

Triassic in the time scale →

Cited in 3 sources Last reviewed Aug 10, 2026

Unit summary
Rank
member
Status
Published
Age
Mesozoic · Triassic · Early TriassicEarly Triassic
Named by
Kummel & Teichert (1966)
Type locality
Not recorded
Thickness
~10 ft (3 m) SE of Paniala
Lithology
Brown thin-bedded limestone (upper, ~3 ft) over reddish-brown massive calcareous dolomite (lower, ~7 ft), commonly crossbedded; base lateritic (a break in sedimentation).
Synonyms
Not recorded

Basal member of the Mianwali Formation (Kummel & Teichert 1966): a thin brown limestone over a reddish-brown massive calcareous dolomite with a lateritic base. Its lower contact with the Zaluch Group is sharp and disconformable. ~10 ft thick SE of Paniala, Khisor Range.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Salt Range column
  1. Tredian FormationFossils recordedTriassic
  2. Kingriali FormationFossils recordedTriassic
  3. Kathwai Member ◀Triassic
  4. Mittiwali MemberTriassic
  5. Narmia MemberTriassic
SandstoneLimestoneFossils 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

Salt Range Kohat Basin Potwar Basin
Basin
Not recorded
Region
Not recorded
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

Not recorded

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, which describes it as Kathwai Member of the Mianwali Formation (Kummel 1966). Adds the definitional GSP/SCP lexicon citation.

    Shah, S.M.I. (2009)

Lithology (1)

  • Hemphill & Kidwai (1973, USGS PP 716-B), Paniala area: the basal Mianwali (Kathwai) Member is ~10 ft - a thin brown limestone over reddish-brown massive calcareous crossbedded dolomite that resembles sandstone in outcrop (dolomite confirmed in thin section by C. Teichert); its sharp, believed-disconformable base on the Zaluch Group (a lateritic red bed) marks a break in sedimentation.

    Hemphill, W.R. & Kidwai, A.H. (1973)

Sources (4)
  • Hemphill, W.R. & Kidwai, A.H. (1973). Stratigraphy of the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan Areas, Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 716-B, 36 p.
  • Hemphill, W.R. & Kidwai, A.H. (1973). Stratigraphy of the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan Areas, Pakistan. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 716-B (Geological Investigations in Pakistan), 36 p.
  • 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.

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

BibTeX 
@misc{stratigraphypk_kathwaimember,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Kathwai Member} --- 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/kathwai-member (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Kummel & Teichert (1966).

Below · older

Chhidru Formation

Permian

Above · younger

Mittiwali Member

Triassic

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