Mesozoic • Cretaceous–Paleogene formation In GSP lexicon

Katzarah Formation

Cretaceous–Eocene

Kohistan-Ladakh Magmatic Arc · Ladakh Magmatic Arc

Part of Shigar Group, Skardu Group

Cretaceous–Paleogene in the time scale →

Cited in 5 sources Last reviewed Jul 31, 2026

Unit summary

Rank: formation
Status: Under review
Age: Mesozoic · Cretaceous–Paleogene · Cretaceous–EoceneCretaceous–Eocene
Named by: Desio (1978)
Type locality: between the Shigar and Indus rivers35.3100°N, 75.6200°E
Thickness: about 1,500 m
Lithology: Siltstones, schists, slates and phyllites with quartzitic sandstone intercalations (the Katzarah schists).
Synonyms: Not recorded

The Cretaceous–Eocene Katzarah schists of the Skardu area — metamorphosed arc sediments south of the Indus.

Fossils

Not recorded

Contacts

In the Kohistan Arc column

IgneousMetamorphicShale / mudFossils 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

Kohistan Arc

Basin: Kohistan-Ladakh Magmatic Arc
Region: Ladakh Magmatic Arc
Depositional environment: marine, metamorphic
Coordinates: 35.3100°N, 75.6200°E

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Correlation

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

Economic significance

Not recorded

Remarks

A high-grade metasedimentary unit of the Ladakh arc (Skardu/Shigar area) south of the Indus, recording deformed and metamorphosed arc-related sediments.

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)

Age & correlation (2)

Kazmi & Jan (1997): the Katzarah Formation (Desio 1963) is ~1,500 m of high-grade metasediments (amphibolite facies or higher) — hornfels, biotite schist, sillimanite schist, gneisses and amphibolites (subdivided into the Tsordas Gneiss, Skoyo Gneiss, Askore Amphibolite and Katzarah Schist), cropping out in the Indus and lower Shigar valleys of the Skardu region. It overlies the Upper-Cretaceous-fossil-bearing Burji Formation (faulted contact), is overlain by the Bauma-Harel Formation and is intruded by the Ladakh Intrusives — implying a Late Cretaceous arc-metasedimentary context. The book gives no Eocene evidence, so the curated 'Cretaceous–Eocene' upper limit is not corroborated (recommend narrowing to Late Cretaceous).

Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997)
Kazmi & Abbasi (2008) CORROBORATES the curated Cretaceous–Eocene age: ~1,500 m of biotite-schists, gneisses, amphibolites and marbles (garnet–sillimanite grade) between the Shigar River and the Indus near Skardu (type at Katzarah, ~23 km NW of Skardu); Desio (1963, 1978) referred it to the Cretaceous–Eocene 'Shigar Group', though Hanson (1989) called the age uncertain and Le Fort & Pecher (2001) suggested it may be Jurassic. Overlies the Upper-Cretaceous-fossil-bearing Burji Formation and is overlain by the Bauma-Harel Formation.

Kazmi, A.H. & Abbasi, I.A. (2008)

Sources (5)

Malkani, M.S. & Mahmood, Z. (2017). Stratigraphy of Pakistan. Geological Survey of Pakistan, Memoir Vol. 24.
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.
Kazmi, A.H. & Jan, M.Q. (1997). Geology and Tectonics of Pakistan. Graphic Publishers, Karachi.
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.

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Cite this unit

APA

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

BibTeX

@misc{stratigraphypk_katzarahformation,
  author    = {Qudsi, Lareb},
  title     = {{Katzarah 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/katzarah-formation (accessed October 29, 2026).

To cite the unit's original definition instead, see: Desio (1978).